Sustainability In FRC Teams

[Clem1640]

Let's face it. Keeping a good FRC team running requires a great deal of money and passionate, dedicated leadership.

It's no surprise that the money has become very difficult to come by over the past two years. Our school systems graciously provides Downingtown Area Robotics (FRC Team 1640) with space and supports the program, but not with money any longer. It's simply not available. Corporate sponsors have also become harder to find; even companies which are performing well today are managing their cash very carefully. This year, for the very first time ever, we are asking students to contribute a portion of the cost of running the Team. This is in addition to participation in fund-raising events. We simply have no choice. I'll let you all know how this turns out.

The second big cause of team failure is loss of leadership. Burn out is one issue (it takes a lot of time to lead an FRC team). Career changes. Health. Companies manage this through succession planning and head-hunting. This is a little harder to do in an all-volunteer organization. 1640 went through such a crisis 4 years ago and our survival was a very near thing at the time. Fortunately, a very few highly dedicated people pulled the team through the crisis.

Fortunately, loss of interest doesn't seem to be a big problem.