We are a second-year team, and we are looking for ideas for how our team can get our name out in to the community. Thanks
Try hosting an open house! You can invite the community, show off your robot, and tell them about FIRST. We’ve had some success with that idea. Another thing to consider is volunteering at your local schools. 74 has gone to family nights and similar events at some area schools and volunteered to help out. We wear our team shirts and it can be a great conversation starter about the program.
865 frequently has middle school students come in to the school for workshops as well as we go out to middle schools for the same. We also look for opportunities to get out in the community through public events, an example of that would be Science Rendezvous, a street fair downtown this past weekend.
I believe your team is near Tampa.
Plan A: Tampa Bay Rays FIRST pitch
Step one-build or alter a robot that can shoot a baseball accurately from the pitchers mound to home plate
Step two- reach out to the Rays and ask if they would be about this
Plan B: Car show
If the rays don’t work out have a car show. We have cruise nights during the summer which is fun for everyone and around Halloween we have a +100 car show (our annual Spooktacular) that also serves as a robot showcase with nearby teams coming for the festivities.
Doing outreach that best represents what your team is about is the most fun and the most effective. So whenever I try and brainstorm, I think about what my team cares about, what we love to do, and then from there, figuring out what are the best ways to share that philosophy with others. When you have a purpose, and a reason for what you are doing it is much more enjoyable.
When I was a student on 3309 (and still to this day), we enjoyed making apps and presenting ourselves in a professional-businesslike way, so going on a show like Business Rockstars and working with Disneyland was a lot of fun for us.
971 really loves to make tools that help make robots better, so making the Spartan Board and the Hall Effect sensor was intended for that purpose. Members of our team also did a lot of good work to make the team accessible to anyone and everyone, because that is something we really care about.
If you ask yourself, what makes your team unique and how you can share that with others, you’ll find some of your most impactful outreach. 
Also reach out to your team members (students, parents, mentors) and see what existing connections they have. For example, perhaps someone is also a Girl Guide or a Scout leader and would love for your team to go in and do a demo for the younger kids. Leveraging connections like this makes it more comfortable for your team to get started, and will help you with word of mouth (soon you’ll be getting requests from other groups far and wide!)
try partnering with a mentor team to make the event they are doing Bigger…
First off I’d like to say we loved talking to some of you guys at Orlando this year, and welcome to Florida FIRST! I would suggest small community outreaches and demos to get you going. We (1902) and other Florida teams have demo’d everywhere from the outside of Publixes and Walmarts, local tech businesses, movie theaters, schools, to professional business conferences. Just ask around and see who wants a cool robot to drive around their place.
Additionally, feel free to reach out to us and we can try and help you out further; we’re always happy to assist fellow Florida teams
EDIT: Also, you may be able to advertise your Highest Rookie Seed award to gain some additional interest for outreaches and sponsors, as you’re now a moderately successful, up-and-coming rookie in the robotics scene.
This is a great idea. We follow a bunch of teams on social media and we love seeing advertisements for group demos, like when a bunch of teams get together at some venue and drive their robots together.
This was a while ago, and although Indianapolis doesn’t have a Major League team, we built a robot that threw the opening pitch at an Indianapolis Indians Game. So it’s definitely doable if you get your team out there enough!
Is there a Maker Faire or a Mini Maker Faire in your area? A lot of robotics teams go to those to do a demo, and it gives you a good chance to show off the robot and have some fun with other teams. (Warning: video gets loud)
If your team is school-based, try to be part of your homecoming parade. You could either build a float and just feature your robot on it, or if you think the robot could handle it, drive it in the parade! Another thing that our team does is we have a local farmer’s market, and we bring our robot to have a booth there along with some sort of STEM-related activity. This type of presentation can also be brought to other local festivals and shows. Hope it helps!