Quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Davis
OK, I no longer have the 2002 competition program book, but I do remember looking at the fiscal numbers published in it regarding FIRST Robotics. The numbers showed FIRST running about a $800,000 surplus this last fiscal year, quite a bit more than in previous years, and in fact they were in debt only a few years ago. So why this new $75 fee per person when FIRST is better off financially now than it ever has been before? Why are they putting this extra strain on a team's budget (not to mention personal budgets)?
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While I don't have a program book in front of me to verify these numbers(I'll look over the one I have at home tonight), I have a feeling that any surplus may not be as easily usable as it may seem. In many cases, when an organization donates funds, they do it under the condition that those funds are earmarked for a specific purpose. So while looking at the raw numbers may indicate a surplus, the reality may be that those funds may be required to be used for other purposes than funding the Championship, such as advertising, travel(yes, a substantial amount of money goes toward transporting the FIRST staff to the various events), and new team recruiting. Also, while FIRST Robotics may have had a surplus, what about the other branches of FIRST? If one of those other branches was in debt, I'm sure that funds get redirected from one branch to another to help balance things out.
When it all comes down to it, it's not gonna be the medal around your neck that makes the difference, but the memories that you think about when you look back on how you got there that makes the difference. - Beth Sweet [more] 
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