We are in our second year as a FRC Robotics team and sent out our first round of sponsorship request letters in August. We have not had much response back from our letters, even less than last year. Should we send out a second round of letters or what would you do? We are in a smaller area and there are not a lot of big businesses. Any help would be appreciated.
As bad, or as wrong, as it may seem, a lot of times these letters are easily tossed or get lost in the pile of similar letters/requests.
It is easy to throw a piece of paper away. It is also easy to hit the delete button for an email. I would recommend calling companies and speaking with someone that matters (e.g. someone who is authorized to approve donations). You could also take a few hours and travel to the companies. This will allow you and your team to better showcase your enthusiasm and passion that may get lost in text. It is also more difficult to hang up or ask someone to leave in the middle of a conversation. At least with these methods they will likely hear you out on your entire program.
Iām not saying this will work in all cases, but it has surely helped us. Be sure to take the robot around with you as you visit the companies. Have videos and other documents ready to explain how the robot works, how engaged the students are, success rate of the involved students, etc. While companies often look for ways to get tax benefits by donating, a lot of them look for other things as well. Ask yourself āwhat can I do for them?ā Every potential sponsor (partner) should be approached in a unique manner. Whether it is offering to help at company outings (picnics, etc.) to working out an internship program for top rising seniors on the team.
You need to be creative in the process. Companies are asked for money on a daily basis. What makes you any different than the rest?
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. -Tim
I agree with tim, When you actually engage with sponsors within your area they have been known to respond better.
I would suggest letting them get to know your team and see the finish product that you have put your hard work and their money into.
Engaged students are always the best. When they see the passion that students have for STEM and learning it rubs off on them. These are the type of employees that they would like to see come back after their education.
Creating relationships is very important. When doing this it could honestly be a breaking point or turning point for your school. This is ultimately what teams either struggle with or excel at when courting sponsors. Also I think realizing that even if they are not going to sponsor or level of sponsorship has changed, does not mean it is the end of the relationship. Make sure that you keep every alleyway open, you never know when it may come back to help you.
Something really cool that we did one year was a special diamond studded picture frame for our sponsors. It was a bit to heavy to actually throw away with out actually thinking about it.
Those are a bit of tidbits I have picked up through out the years. If you are more personable as a sponsor you may be able to create a relationship through out the years!
Be creative and good luck!
Weāve never had much luck with ācoldā sponsorship requests, like letters or phone calls. We do best when we find someone who knows someone at the company, and go that way.
Diamond studded would be a bit over our typical budget. I think it was diamond plate aluminum.
In addition to Timās suggestion on calling larger companies and setting up demonstrationsā¦
Depending on location, you would be better off asking smaller local business for assistance. If small groups of students can go around the community with sponsor packets and letters, you might yield a better response from your businesses. Ask for small donations or whatever the business thinks it can afford, they add up quickly. Also, take business cards to make sure the business logo is placed properly on shirts/banners/websites.
Good luck!
Meeting with them in person worked the best for us. The team took the list of potential sponsors (every business in our town), and assigned a few businesses to each group of 2-3 people (generally a senior and 1-2 new members). We would call and set up a time to meet in person. Many small businesses had $100 cheques for us.
OP,
sorry to hear about your struggles.
We have been there for sure and can relate to the hard work that teams put in to establishing and maintaining funding sources.
My first suggestion would be to call companies personally as a follow up and ask if you could do a demonstration or presentation.
I would also not give up no matter what obstacles you face.
Establishing a relationship with potential sponsors can be very delicate and if you plan on doing it for the long haul, invest the time it will take to be successful.
I could never have imagined back 10-15 years ago when sponsors back then started giving us $100, who over time, added a couple more zeros.
A whole lot has happened between now and back then, as far as our active working relationship goes.
-Glenn
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From the little experience that the we have. One of the best things we did is go to engineering fairs in your local area and show off the robot there and talk to the companies that are present at these demos.
First, check out the new FIRST Fundraising Toolkit.
Second, call the companies rather than send letters, let them know you will be showing up at their place of business a week after the call between X and Y time. Mention that you will drop off a packet with more information about your team (A sponsorship packet) and would like to give a presentation if they have time. Try to set up a meeting if you can, rather than a drop off information and leave.
My team used that method earlier this year and you can hear about our successes in the webinars published with the Fundraising Toolkit.