How do you get big corporate partners?

[archiver]

Posted by MaryEllen, Other on team #180, S.P.A.M., from South Fork and Martin County High Schools and UTC/Pratt & Whitney, FL.

Posted on 5/16/99 6:47 AM MST


In Reply to: How do you get big corporate partners? posted by Kate Leach on 5/15/99 9:50 PM MST:



It's best to have someone from the school approach corporations. Most big
companies have budgets for community efforts and what they like to see is
sort of a proposal - what you what, what it's for, AND how they'll benefit
from their participation. Benefits to a corporation involved in FIRST
range from free publicity to creating a generation of new engineers who
may someday work in their company. I heard somewhere that half a million
high tech jobs went unfilled last year because there weren't enough skilled
people in the workforce. Search the net for statistics such as that to
show the need for organizations like FIRST.
If you can't get just one big sponsor, try for 4, 6, 8, however many smaller
companies. And fundraise like crazy. Locally, I've seen a high school band
raise enough money to travel to England for a week. It's a year-long effort but it can
be done.
And look for smaller engineering and manufacturing companies and your
local community colleges. They may not have the big bucks of a UTC or
NASA, but they have talent.


MaryEllen