Sustainability In FRC Teams

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by IKE

While asking "FIRST" for a solution seems like the thing to do, I would instead paraphrase a famous leader:

"Ask not what FIRST can do for you, ask what you can do for FIRST."

Ike,
I don't think anyone wants to look to FIRST for the solution but... FIRST has to be involved in a formal way. If FIRST isn't, then the regions/areas/teams/competitions can be branded with a different acronym: DOT - Doing Our Thing. In other words, drift and separation can form, esp. as FIRST spreads internationally. As the veteran teams strengthen and mature into more and more high caliber HoF-worthy teams - they certainly know how to address sustainability and are very willing to share what they know. The problem is - there are not enough. For example, not in a state the size of Texas. Think beyond that and into other countries where FRC is just beginning to develop a root system. Here's an example - off seasons. Look at how off seasons help strengthen teams, including pre-rookies and rookies. Where are the off seasons and how is their importance and value being studied and acknowledged by FIRST? Look at that, recognize it and talk with the partners about helping partially fund or fully fund an off season event. FIRST doesn't have to be officially involved in an area off season but the folks who are making money available sure could be. For a very good, wise, and effective purpose.

I often talk about pulling in the WFAs, the Senior Mentors, the HoF teams, the visionary leadership from the teams, themselves, and working closely with the official decision-makers of FIRST in getting the importance of sustainability and consistency in building robust teams who build robust robots who build robust teams out there. Watching the program move into more of a mainstream mode - look at the partnerships that are happening with FIRST and powerful companies that can spread the word and are doing so. Goodness. But what needs to run ahead of and follow along very closely on the heels of development of new teams, new venues for competitions, new growth - must be the strength and wisdom of experience. That strength and wisdom of experience helps to fortify the new foundations being planned/laid/tested and there is not enough of it. It can only grow and develop and become robust enough to run ahead of and follow on the heels of the new growth - by having support and recognition given to it.

What I mean by building a sustainable team and/or region means - bringing all of the skills needed to the table to make that happen. Funding is important. How to use that funding is as important. How to set short term and long term goals to plan how to use that funding and then implement it is just as important. But - that's just one piece of the complex pie. Just one piece - there are several. All of those should be addressed, examined, explored, and worked with - by partnerships within the FIRST community, among which are the FIRST powers-that-be and their sponsors and partnerships.

It's too late to turn back - the only way is forward. Together - with a plan.

Jane

[Chris is me]

I've been tempted to post about "oh, teams fail for money reasons all the time" and some kind of silly counterargument or whatever, but with some hesitation I think that's a little silly. Enough teams fail for every reason that we might as well focus on all of them. I even have some "hypothetical" examples in there not based on any real world cases I'm a part of at all.

Fundraising on its own looks and can be very easy, especially for autonomous 501c3 teams. I think 501c3's have by far the easiest time with funding and it's not a coincidence that many big and successful teams exist this way. However, it sometimes gets a lot harder. Teams in school districts often have to have money donated to the school "for robotics". That alone cuts off some sponsorships. Sometimes the district has to approve every kind of fundraiser you do, and may prohibit particular fundraisers. Sometimes the paperwork takes a month so you can't even do any after a particular point.

The way around this particular problem fundraising wise is usually to be a big force. Get a lot of student interest and a lot of students with scholarships. Win regionals, Chairman's, and trophies to get a lot of respect and media attention for the team and school. Once you're successful enough to impress the school board they can help you get around some of these restrictions when they realize your club takes thousands more to run than the baking club. The problem is this generally is a bit of a chicken and egg thing. You need to win to get attention and respect as an organization, but having that helps you get the resources to win...

Leadership is a big thing. Most teams can't survive leadership changes, or the loss of a head mentor. I don't think there's really a way around this, other than to stop adding hundreds of rookies every season. If all the regions had ton of dedicated mentors just waiting for a robotics team to pour their soul into, no team would ever fail. If a team actually loses a dedicated mentor to a school budget cut or a layoff at a sponsor shop, that's really just a bad situation you usually can't get out of unless you've built up a large dream team of mentors already.

Sometimes your district can really bite you too. This has happened to a few teams I know of. Robotics teams are a large drain on resources relative to any other club, and schools are hesitant at best to put robotics teams on the same pedestal they put athletes, which is stupid but inevitable. What do teams that want to be sustainable do if they get hard limits on school time every week? What if they get 2 hour workdays, 5 days a week for example? That's the big question I don't have an answer for.

I think the best things we could do to try and help these teams with sustainability problems:

• Teach teams how to fundraise. Grants are giving a team a fish, teaching them how to fundraise effectively and around their district's policies will keep them going. (on a related note, anyone got any tips for my team?)
• Help teams get more mentorship, and stop starting a billion rookies unless those rookies all have good mentor support as well. There aren't many ways to really combat the second problem though, sometimes you start off GREAT and get unlucky.
• Get some information and pro tips out there to help teams work with their district, or better yet, have some of the better off teams write letters or talk to "uncooperative" districts about how great robotics is aand why they should be supportive.

Sorry for the long, rambling post.
I hope some of the content up there was useful to someone. I think I'm just really frustrated right now and this is my way of getting that out.