asking for tool donations

[BSV]

Originally Posted by RoboChair

I am curious about the school policy that prevents you from fundraising, that just seems like a huge obstacle to running a FRC program. Would you be willing to elaborate what the policy is? Some of us on CD might have some ideas that could help you out.

By "fundraise", I am talking specifically about selling stuff (e.g. the LED lightbulb FIRST fundraiser, etc.) Since it's a small school (400 kids in 9th-12th) and most kids are involved in multiple clubs/sports, I guess it has gotten a bit excessive in the past with parents/relatives getting hit up multiple times each year for stuff. So, instead, they ask for people to donate to a common fund that then gets distributed out to teams. Of course, robotics was never part of that before, so it was a net loss. Things are changing on that front, as the team has turned a corner in the last year and the school is excited about supporting us.

We are allowed to host summer camps, and that is a big part of our business plan going forward. There is a high demand - and I believe it is just a matter of connecting with the right people. Secondly, we can ask for donations and apply for grants if they do not conflict with the school's donor efforts (e.g. STEM-specific grants, or asking hardware stores for tools - but we have to get it approved. Happily, they are willing to work with us and possibly even help in some cases). Third, we can charge a team fee, although only for food and maybe uniforms.

Kids have to pay their own travel costs and food if we stay overnight. That will be a big cost this year because we cannot attend the FRC regional that is 2 miles down the street from us and will have to go out of state. Plus, we would like to take a bid to St. Louis if it is offered (we turned one down this year - we have a large number of chances in the wait list lottery as the team has never attended).

So if anyone does have suggestions beyond what we are already doing (and that we are allowed to do), I would definitely love to hear them! Thanks for offering to help. Our project for July-Aug is to work on sponsorships.