[FRC Blog] Districts and Fundraising Bulbs

[Hallry]

Posted on the FRC Blog, 6/25/14: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...draising-bulbs

Districts and Fundraising Bulbs

Blog Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - 09:16

Districts

Many of you have probably already heard, but I’m pleased to announce that the state of Indiana will be joining the ranks of our FRC Districts for the 2015 season. This will be our fifth District, along with Michigan, the Mid Atlantic, New England, and the Pacific Northwest. Indiana is the only District we are adding for the 2015 season.

All teams within the state will automatically become part of the District.

With their wonderful volunteer base and their great experience running high-quality off-season events, they are sure to be successful. Welcome, Indiana!

Fundraising Bulbs

Please see the message below from our e-watt Project Manager, Mark Critz:

Looking for a great way to raise funds?

The FIRST® Green e-watt saver bulb program is a great way to raise funds for your team over the summer break. We have over 9,000 bulbs available for immediate delivery. Teams have sold more than 150,000 bulbs and raised an estimated $1.5 million since the program started in 2011. More than 1,000 teams have ordered bulbs so far!

Some quick facts about the FIRST® Green e-watt program:

• All US based FRC®, FTC® and FLL® teams are eligible to participate.
• Team cost for a case of 40 of the latest Cree® LED bulbs is only $100. Teams pay shipping from our warehouse in Rhode Island.
• The suggested retail price is $11 which includes the sales tax. FIRST pays all taxes centrally. Teams do not need to collect tax at the time of sale.
• Teams are free to study your local market and set your own selling price. Bulbs are packaged in custom branded boxes, featuring the FIRST® logo.
• The bulbs feature a 10 year warranty. Warranty claims are processed by Cree at a dedicated toll-free number.
• Consumers who purchase these ENERGY-STAR® bulbs will spend an estimated $1.14 a year in energy costs.
• These long-life bulbs are estimated to last 25,000 hours, which is just over 22 years.
• For complete information about the e-watt program visit www.usfirst.org/e-wattresources
• Contact Mark Critz, e-watt Project Manager at e-watt@usfirst.org with any questions.

$1.5 million is some serious cabbage. My FIRST LEGO League team used these bulbs as fundraiser a few years ago, and had our season pretty much covered in one day. I recognize that FRC teams need to raise much more money than FLL teams, but you may want to consider these bulbs as part of your fundraising strategy.

Frank

[DonRotolo]

A brilliant idea. Very illuminating.