FIRST Competition Entry Fee Increases for 2005

[Travis Hoffman]

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...threadid=28820


FIRST's most recent Email Blast reveals they have decided to increase the base team entrance fee to $6000 and the Championship fee to $5000. Additional regional fees remain the same at $4000. They have also taken several steps to help cushion the financial blow these increases will have on everyone (see the link above for details). They haven't raised rates since 2000, so I think it's justified for them to ask for more money, especially if it leads to an improvement in the quality of the overall FIRST experience. Hopefully, they will use the money to address many of the issues and problems expressed by FIRST'ers on these forums.

[phrontist]

Our mentor checked his email and emitted a most amusing yelp!

But we're all feeling the pressure, considering we only eked by this year

We're going to need $11,000

[SuperDave]

Originally Posted by phrontist

Our mentor checked his email and emitted a most amusing yelp!

But we're all feeling the pressure, considering we only eked by this year

We're going to need $11,000

im not a mentor, but i did the same... our team lost our NASA grant this year, since next year is our 4th year... If we dont find $6000 pretty soon, we may not even be able to compete in our innagural home regional next year... It's really though to find willing sponsors here in Las Vegas... good luck to all teams fronting the new price for competition!

[Joshua May]

Time to get out and fundraise some more. Our team had some problems this year with making costs due to late funding, hopefully we will be able to secure enought money. I was planning on spending a bit more money this year to go to a second regional and hopefully the Championships, hopefully $2000 wont be too big of an impact.

[Jessica Boucher]

Honestly, this increase is way overdue. Especially with how last year's financials worked out.

But fear not. $2000 extra is only 2 $1000 donations, 4 $500, 8 $250, 20 $100, 40 $50, or 80 $20 donations. With 13 weeks from now until September, you have 6.5 weeks to get both $1000 donations, 3.25 weeks for the $500 ones, and 1.625 weeks for the $250 donations.

If you can build an entire robot in 6 weeks from start to finish, a $1000 donation should be no sweat. So, hop to it!

PS. $2000 = 40,000 returned cans. I suggest hitting up some companies.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by Jessica Boucher

PS. $2000 = 40,000 returned cans. I suggest hitting up some companies.

Hmm.. maybe a road trip to NH to get their unused returnables is in order...
I think I may already be taking a side trip up to NH during Battlecry, maybe I'll rent a U-Haul and rummage everybody's recycle bins up there.

There is no $0.05 deposit in NH, so getting these unused cans and bottles from residents will be rather simple..

[Astronouth7303]

1. it's illegal
2. MI has 10 cents.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by Astronouth7303

1. it's illegal
2. MI has 10 cents.

What's illegal?? Was that in reference to my post about going "canning"?

[dez250]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

What's illegal?? Was that in reference to my post about going "canning"?

Yes it is illegal to move cans from one state to another to gain a profit from the return of the recycle rate. Also our team does bottle and can drives a few times a year and make a large profit from it. i would suggest you to contact distributers around your area and skip the middle man (the grocery store) for returning the bottles and cans and you will make a larger profit.

[Pat Roche]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

Hmm.. maybe a road trip to NH to get their unused returnables is in order...
I think I may already be taking a side trip up to NH during Battlecry, maybe I'll rent a U-Haul and rummage everybody's recycle bins up there.

There is no $0.05 deposit in NH, so getting these unused cans and bottles from residents will be rather simple..

Unless you got family in Connecticut

-Pat

[dez250]

to get this kinda rolling again, did anyone duscuss this at any of the team forums and get a good conversation rolling about the recent price increases, i would really lie to hear what other areas of the nation thinks about this? I mean are teams in one area having an easier time raising money so this isnt as bad of a problem as it may be in some financially striken areas, maybe like some parts of NYC?

[Ryan F.]

Originally Posted by Jessica Boucher

Honestly, this increase is way overdue. Especially with how last year's financials worked out.

But fear not. $2000 extra is only 2 $1000 donations, 4 $500, 8 $250, 20 $100, 40 $50, or 80 $20 donations. With 13 weeks from now until September, you have 6.5 weeks to get both $1000 donations, 3.25 weeks for the $500 ones, and 1.625 weeks for the $250 donations.

If you can build an entire robot in 6 weeks from start to finish, a $1000 donation should be no sweat. So, hop to it!

PS. $2000 = 40,000 returned cans. I suggest hitting up some companies.

May be easy for some teams, but this strikes me as quite and problem for ours. Some teams have the resources that 2000 isn't much, but teams like us have a difficult time raising 6000+ just to cover both our entry fee, and the costs to build the robot. Now we'll have to end up looking for a lot more money that really isn't that available. I'm very interested in why they actually increased the fee. Do they every have a cost breakdown of the entry fee?

--I realize they tried to explain it in the e-mail, but do they ever have a dollar for dollar cost breakdown?

[Jessica Boucher]

Originally Posted by rforystek

May be easy for some teams, but this strikes me as quite and problem for ours. Some teams have the resources that 2000 isn't much, but teams like us have a difficult time raising 6000+ just to cover both our entry fee, and the costs to build the robot. Now we'll have to end up looking for a lot more money that really isn't that available. I'm very interested in why they actually increased the fee. Do they every have a cost breakdown of the entry fee?

Look here for the breakdown of last year's annual report. FIRST isn't Amazon....it can't run at a loss forever. Especially since it's a non-profit: donations are easier to pull off for a NP with good financials, since it shows that the organization is responsible and is using the money well.

As for fundraising troubles, PM me and I'd be happy to give you a hand

[Ryan F.]

If you thought I was meaning that bitter or harsh to you...don't. I just used your post because I thought the just 2 thousand dollar donations was funny.

[Cory]

If you look hard enough, you will find the money. For months my team moaned that there was no money to be had, that everyone had nothing to give, etc, etc.

Fact of the matter is, when our team actually tried to raise money, we did. In a period of 3 weeks to 1 month, we raised over 13,000 dollars.

There is money out there. Sure, it isn't as much as say 4-5 years ago before the recession of our economy, but it is there. It's all a matter of how hard you look.

I do not care where you live. I do not care how many people you have on your team, if the parents are rich, or poor. None of that matters. If you try, and I mean actually *try*, not make halfhearted attempts to raise money, I guarentee you can find the extra money needed.

To get back on topic, I think this is a good thing. The value of everything we get in the KOP, plus a regional event is worth far more than $5,000. Paying another $1000 isn't fun, but as Jessica said, FIRST cannot always run on a loss. Even though it may not seem like it, the extra $1000 fee is benefitting everyone in the end.

$0.02 Cory