I don’t know about any other private/parochial schools, but 1626 this year encountered an added challenge to being a rookie, getting a major sponsor to back us. We pursued many companies, only to be turned down due to their “company policy” which says that they cannot support something that is religion based.
My question is this:
To all of the other parochial schools in FIRST, do you have a major sponsor, or a bunch of tiny local stores around your school? If you have a major sponsor, how were you able to overcome the religion boundary?
If you attend a parochial school, it would make sense to obtain sponsorship from organizations that support that. Example: There is a store in our area called “The Carpenter’s Son”. We are not a religious school based team, but they gave us sponsorship on our Ad tshirt.
Go with organizations you’re familiar with for base funding. Is your team based on a class in your school, or do you simply meet at the school? Those are some other things to consider. Just keep trying organizations and get out into the community and see what you can do.
We’ve had this problem with several companies. Many of them do have company policies that prevent their support of any religious-based organization. Others just have a corporate culture that prefers supporting public schools over private ones.
It’s very individual. One large aerospace company turned us down because we’re a church-based school while another one has supported us for a number of years. Just keep knocking on doors. Any good salesman will tell you that you can’t let a rejection keep you from trying again! Our sponsors include both nationally known companies and small local businesses. Try all kinds!
If you get turned down because of religion, it doesn’t hurt to pass that company’s name along to one of your nearby public school FIRST teams. While they may not be able to help you, that opportunity can be turned into a blessing for another team.