I am a Coach of I.N.T. Robotics, representing FRC Team 9642 and FTC Team 23513 based in New York City. We are a community team that is not affiliated with any school, and we are currently fiscally sponsored by Hack Club. As we continue to grow, we’re facing a few challenges and would greatly appreciate any advice, insights, or tips from the broader FIRST community. Here are a few of the key areas where we need guidance:
1. Grants and Sponsorships:
We’ve managed to secure some sponsorships but not many, and it seems like companies in NYC don’t sponsor or support teams as often as we’d like. Does anyone have advice for reaching out to potential sponsors or applying for grants in a city like ours?
Additionally, we are considering obtaining our own 501(c)(3) status instead of relying solely on Hack Club’s fiscal sponsorship. Would this be advantageous for us in terms of grants and sponsorship opportunities, or is it better to remain under their umbrella?
2. Finding a Home Base:
Since we are not tied to a school, finding a dedicated space to call home has been a significant challenge. Do any other community-based teams have suggestions for how we might go about securing a workspace in a high-cost city like NYC? Would co-working spaces, local businesses, or partnerships with organizations be viable options?
3. Handling Unresponsive Sponsors:
We’ve had some experiences where we’ve engaged with companies for sponsorships, only to be left without a response after initial communication (ghosting). How do teams usually approach this situation? Is there a standard or respectful way to follow up without being too pushy? Or should we move on after a certain point?
4. Sustainability:
Our team is run by recently graduated alumni who are all in college, so maintaining sustainability and longevity is one of our biggest concerns. We’ve looked at teams like HighTide and Up-A-Creek Robotics, who successfully transitioned into independent community organizations after parting ways with their schools. Does anyone have insights or resources on maintaining team sustainability and growth in a community team setting?
Any advice, whether it’s about grants, sponsorships, finding a space, or running a community team long-term, would be incredibly helpful. We want to ensure that our team survives in the years to come.
re: #3. Do you mean that they are potential sponsors? If so, you should make an initial contact with them. Tell them what they will get out of sponsoring you. If you don’t hear back in a couple of weeks, follow up. If you don’t hear back from that follow up, take that as they are not interested. Note on your list to reach out to them in a year.
So we had a couple of conversations with potential sponsors, and after a few follow-up emails, we were ghosted. I guess they were uninterested, but I’m not sure what to do next.
You knock on more doors and send more emails. Getting sponsors is hard. Some teams rely on support from local mom & pop shops. Other teams gets the majority of their funding from larger corporations.
If there was an easy way to get money, we all would do it. It takes time, effort, persistence, and patience.
Regarding finding a workspace, have you considered using one of NYC FIRST’s STEM Centers? They are really incredible spaces run by the dedicated and innovative folks at NYC FIRST:
Some other advice about starting a new community team in NYC:
-NYC FIRST is having an offseason event on 10/19 and 10/20. This would be a great place to network with the local FIRST community, and you may find some help with the things you are looking for: FRC Off Season Event
-I’m guessing that as a new community team, you have limited resources in terms of parts, materials, etc. My team recently moved to a new lab, and in preparation, we donated a ton of older stuff to NYC FIRST to distribute to teams that need it. We also have plenty more that we can give away, so DM me if you are interested. It’s not the latest-and-greatest control system and motors and such, but it may be useful to a team that is just getting started and has limited resources.
We currently work out of the Cornell Tech STEM Center, and I agree it’s an incredible space! It played a big part in our successful rookie season. However, one of my concerns is that our team’s growth this season could potentially lead us to occupy the entire space. While that sounds amazing for our team, I’d like to avoid that because it could limit access for other teams and community members. As you mentioned, Cornell Tech STEM Center is the most utilized space for FIRST in the city, so preserving its availability for others is important to us.
As for materials, you’re spot on. Any donations, even if slightly outdated, are immensely valuable for educating new students and developing our team further. I’ll definitely reach out to NYC FIRST about the donated materials and will be in touch with you as well.