big sponsors hate good teams

[WynS]

I think that sponsors like "quality" teams and I agree that quality can be defined different ways. We try to inspire others as a team and make an impact on students lives. We also make a point of keeping our sponsors informed about how we are doing that. I really think they appreciate that - they also really like photos. As a result, we have some very loyal sponsors - monetary and otherwise. Some of our sponsors have approached us because I believe they see us as a quality team. We do have a few large sponsors but we also have many smaller sponsors. When people ask how we get sponsors, I tell them that we are always promoting FIRST and our team to try and recruit new sponsors. You never know where a sponsorship will come from. Some of our sponsors have come from casual conversations about robotics. We take nothing for granted because there is no guarantee that any of our sponsors will return for the next season.

When sending out sponsor updates, we try and emphasize how much our students are learning and doing because I think that is really what sponsors are interested in. We have not always been a winning team but we have always tried to be a quality team.