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Unread 08-10-2016, 18:50
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Large Corporate Sponsorships?

Our team wants to attend 2 regionals this year, so we need to raise some more money than in previous years. We saw that some large corporations like Boeing, Google, and Boston Scientific sponsor some FIRST teams, but we don't know how to get sponsorships from large corporations like these. How do other teams do it?
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Unread 08-10-2016, 19:06
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

I know for Boeing you must have a current or former employee mentoring the team, same goes for Lockheed Martin. BNSF has theirs to be you have to be within an area that their line runs. Each company has their own rules, it may be good to check with the companies themselves to see what conditions they have.
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Unread 08-10-2016, 19:48
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

Have you talked to the IRRRB?
Have you talked to Minnesota Power?

The mines are probably a tough sell because they are headquartered out of the area but there are dozens of support industries that might be willing to chip in.

Contact the chamber of commerce, they can put you in touch with local companies. Offer to put on a demonstration with your current robot at one of their meetings.

You might find someone in city government who wants to help, you are a local youth sports team after all.

Remember, it never hurts to ask, the worst they can do is say no.

I really need to get off my but and get the ARRRG (A triple R G) AKA the Arrowhead Region Robotics Resource Group going.
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Unread 08-10-2016, 21:58
MailmanDelivers MailmanDelivers is offline
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

A teammate and I, last year, went to several businesses on a busy street in town. We talked and pitched our team, telling them how they can help us, and more.

The most (money wise) we got out of it were these two things: Free dry cleaning for our mascot suits, and a good word in for a grant provided by a bank.

But by talking to local businesses we had spread the message of FIRST and our team; remember the worst thing that happens is that they say no and learn about your team.

For corporate sponsors, research if the company gives out grants and if you are applicable for it. That's how we receive money from a few of our sponsors. By doing community outreach you in return may receive more money, as they may be able to see what they get in return: helping a team that helps the community.
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Unread 09-10-2016, 00:00
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

Some other notions:

1) Start asking now on small stuff. Few teams nail their pitch the first time, so you might as well blow it with $100 stakes instead of blowing your $10,000 shot.
2) Even if a grant doesn't quiiiiiiite apply, think about how you can get it in the ballpark. Maybe it won't pay registrations, but it might enable your summer outreach camp to happen.
3) If the goal is to improve tooling, see if you can double-team with your school. The more benefit you can show, the better your odds.
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Unread 09-10-2016, 00:12
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

At the end of last season we received some advice from a few teams about getting sponsors. One of them was to find sponsors that have an affinity with the team, eg, a fabrication company that works with aluminum, or an engineering firm. Even if they don't want to commit funds (start small), they may be far more willing to commit some material, assistance, or knowledge.

Then next year when they see what their involvement meant, and they understand what the budget is for (because, of course, you're keeping them in the loop and inviting them to your events and whatnot), they may be far more willing to provide a more significant cash contribution.

Granted, this advice was for seeking smaller sponsors, but with larger companies you should probably reach higher to start.

(Disclaimer: We're in the process of recruiting sponsors now that the school year is finally underway so I can't vouch for the effectiveness of this suggestion... yet.)
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Unread 09-10-2016, 00:43
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

The FIRST Fundraising Toolkit is a great place to start with a TON of examples!

http://www.firstinspires.org/resourc...aising-toolkit
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Unread 09-10-2016, 01:50
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ichlieberoboter View Post
Our team wants to attend 2 regionals this year, so we need to raise some more money than in previous years. We saw that some large corporations like Boeing, Google, and Boston Scientific sponsor some FIRST teams, but we don't know how to get sponsorships from large corporations like these. How do other teams do it?
I know the feeling, sir. 4607 has worked diligently to break into some major corporations in MN with little to no success. However, we have received some great sponsors through our work with our students, parents, and mentors. In fact, almost all of our sponsors are because of a connection through these avenues.

I know that Hibbing is a great deal different than Becker, but we struggle with the same problems of geography. Here in Becker we are not a 'Mpls/St Paul Metro team' nor are we regarded as a 'St Cloud Metro' team. The same can be said about Hibbing and the 'Duluth Metro'. We have strong industrial complexes, but they have been difficult to sway.

However, it is the students (and their parents) as well as the mentors on our team that have provided the gateways to some incredible sponsors. So my suggestion is to not go for the whole enchilada at first - but contact your local industry/companies and see if they can help out with small things (according to them) - such as mentors or in-kind donations. These connections do breed sponsorships in time.

I would also recommend that your team attend JUMPSTART training session on December 3rd at SCSU. We will have a few sessions on sponsors and fundraising that will aid your team. And we do have teams from as far away as Fargo (4818) and Esko (5690) that will be in attendance. We also have the NDSU Bison Robotics team there as well aiding the training - plus it is free to attend!

Hope the 2017 season goes well for you!
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Last edited by Chief Hedgehog : 09-10-2016 at 01:53.
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Unread 10-10-2016, 14:00
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

In my limited experience, having a contact of some kind is one of the most useful things to have. Sometimes individual employees will have "sponsorship budgets" which basically means they have X amount of money per year to give to charitable/community organizations (although I would be careful with this, i.e. it would be good if you know the person very well). Also, get in touch with existing sponsors, because they may be willing to refer you to other companies/corporations they do business with.

Good luck!
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Unread 10-10-2016, 14:18
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

First, you have to identify your target company(s)... who do you want to sponsor you? This can be tricky - it's tempting to go with a "shotgun" approach, but that generally means you spend less time on each individual company, which in my experience decreases your chances of hooking them. You also want to look to see if the companies are already sponsoring FIRST teams - generally speaking, if they're already sponsoring a team in your area your approach will be different, and need to be inclusive of the other team.

Next, identify why they may want to sponsor you (location, similar fields of interest/engineers, other similar contributions within your area). Many companies want to donate to different organizations. It helps with taxes, makes them look good within their community, and can help them with recruiting new employees or selling products. The problem is, there are a million different organizations they could donate to - what sets yours apart? Why should they give to you instead of Habitat for Humanity, or Big Brothers/Big Sisters?

Finally, identify how they go about funding organizations, and work your way into their process. Many big corporations have a specific grant application you have to go through. Fill it out, but don't stop there. Be persistent in your contacts with them, ask them if you can come by to demo your robot and talk about what you do. Make it difficult for them to just dismiss you out of hand, but if they do say no acknowledge it and go after another company.

A few years back (now that I think about it, more than a few), my team went after Best Buy. One of my students her rookie year decided they should be supporting FIRST and worked with us to fill out grant applications, both for the team and for FIRST in general. She was persistent, dedicated, and energetic, and eventually got a meeting with some of the higher-ups in Best Buy. She managed to get us funding, as well as several other teams in the area, and their involvement with FIRST continued to grow even after she graduated from the team.

Finally, don't discount small businesses either! Sure, everyone wants that "one-and-done" grant that pays for everything, and those generally only come from big companies. But in some areas (where, for example, you don't have any large local companies, or you have a saturation of FRC teams already eating up the big grants) it can be much easier to find 10 small companies that, when combined, can equal the big company in their donations. This has the added benefit of being more stable in the long run as well - 1 big company that stops donating creates a huge hole that needs to be filled, while 1 smaller company leaves a much smaller hole.
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Unread 20-10-2016, 07:32
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

I had an interesting experience yesterday. I am recently retired and have gone back to our local tech school to learn things that interest me and will enable me to, well, fake wisdom in the face of an increasingly smarter than me FIRST team. Machining, Solidworks, fun stuff. Well, the school had a Career Fair and I just wandered through. So many local businesses, so desparate for CNC and other skills. They all want to talk. They all have their HR and admin types there. Cards were exchanged. I ran into a number of useful contacts I did not remember that I had.

"Now, I'm not so much in the job market myself, but let me tell you about some really smart high schoolers I work with...."

I think it might be worthwhile for FIRST teams to band together and actually have their own booth at events like this.

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Unread 20-10-2016, 08:09
Conor Ryan Conor Ryan is offline
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

Step One:
Quote:
Originally Posted by ehochstein View Post
The FIRST Fundraising Toolkit is a great place to start with a TON of examples!

http://www.firstinspires.org/resourc...aising-toolkit
Step Two: Find the large companies that are in your community

Step Two 1/2 (optional): Find someone that somebody knows that works there. The school might be able to help you with this if you ask the right people in the administration or BOE offices.

Step Three: Find the corporate responsibility/philanthropy department, either by website or introduction.

Step Four: Land a pitch.


60% of the time, it works every time.
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Unread 20-10-2016, 11:00
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

Something our team started doing very successfully last year was very simple: find big events in your area; fairs, parades, etc. Look at those events and the companies that sponsor them. Almost always there are the same five or so companies who are getting out there and WANT to be giving money to their community.

Many of them also make it very simple and offer "donation request" forms on their websites that you simply fill out and submit to them rather than being directed every which way on the phone (this is how that fair organizer got them to sponsor, most likely). You can also Google these forms: we used "Knoxville donation request," but any kind of variation on that should work.
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Unread 22-10-2016, 22:02
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Re: Large Corporate Sponsorships?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Conor Ryan View Post
Step One:


Step Two: Find the large companies that are in your community

Step Two 1/2 (optional): Find someone that somebody knows that works there. The school might be able to help you with this if you ask the right people in the administration or BOE offices.

Step Three: Find the corporate responsibility/philanthropy department, either by website or introduction.

Step Four: Land a pitch.


60% of the time, it works every time.

As others have said, don't forget your parents. Ask them if their companies have matching funds for volunteer hours. Or if they can hook you up with the right people in their company. Or if they apply for sponsorship for you - sometimes an employee has to be the one to actually apply. You may have to ask your parents multiple times as they may ignore your first emails!
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