Community-Based Teams: How do you get your name out there?

[Jon Stratis]

Regardless of the team structure, the key really is in identifying your target audience. Once you identify your target, you can find the events that reach them and do demos, or reach out in other ways to get yourself known to them.

So, how do you do that? Well, if you're looking for students, you want to get in with the local schools. Figure out who to contact at the schools to put on a demo at assembly, or to bring your t-shirt cannon to a football game. Figure out who is responsible for different clubs at the school that may share similar student interest, and get in front of those clubs.

For sponsors, you're in the same boat as everyone else. Many larger companies have structured grant programs, and you just need to figure out how to properly apply. Smaller companies are more numerous, but typically less structured... you'll want to get face to face with them, ask them if you want bring in your robot for a demo and tour their facility, invite them to an event, and give them your pitch.

For build space, it can be tricky. I've known teams that have had trouble with this... it really comes down to personal relationships. You need to figure out available spaces in your area and pursue them. One local team here got access to a large empty store at the mall to build in one year. My team partnered with a local engineering coop for a few years, and they introduced us to the building manager who worked out a deal for access to some empty space in the building.

These are only some examples of how to approach each of these different groups, but the key is the same - identify the segment of that population you want, and then go after them!

[Alex2614]

We are constantly involved in community events and other outreach. We also are heavily involved in running FLL competitions and mentoring FLL teams, so there are hundreds of kids that are exposed to MARS just through FLL. We are featured in parades, we release a press release after every competition, we are constantly making presentations to our sponsors and potential new sponsors, and there is a lot of word-of-mouth from our current members. For example, just yesterday, we did a presentation to our Rotary Club sponsor while also helping with an elementary school STEM camp on the other side of town at the same time.

We meet at West Virginia University, and we are not associated with the schools, but we have a monetary sponsorship from the school board. We just look for any opportunity we can to be involved with our community. We have found that there are fewer people in our county of over 100,000 that have not heard of MARS than there are that have.