Team 987 presents: I <3 Robots Episode 1: Fundraising

FIRST General Forum
#1

Hey there CD community,

This year, Team 987 is producing a six part web series designed as a resource for students and mentors alike. It will also give a little insight into the inner workings of Team 987 and how we operate as a team. The episodes are not meant as a “one size fits all” guide to each topic, but rather a summary of what we have been successful with in the past.

Our students have been working very hard on the editing and production and would love your feedback! They are already working on next Saturday’s episode, which will feature strategies and ideas for community outreach and Chairman’s Award presentations.

The episode is about 25 minutes long, and is available here: http://youtu.be/5x-LWgGcLA4

If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to send me a PM, or contact our team on facebook/twitter.

Cheers from Team 987!

#2

I haven’t watched it all yet, but this is just amazing. Thank you for putting this together, this is going to help so many teams.

#3

This was great and very informative. I am sharing this with our team’s fundraising committee.

I would like to hear more about the different grants you have applied for, how you are able to search them out, what goes into the application process, etc.

Sharon O
3528

#4

Thank you Team 987. Sustainability is everything and must be considered through the year. Great diversity of ideas…

I’m very impressed that you are putting these videos together, obviously with care and excellent preparation, during the heart of the build/competition season. I love hearing the buzz of activity in the background - further proof of an all-hands-on-deck program that doesn’t shut down outreach just because there is a robot to be created!

#5

WOW! I thought we were well equipped completely through our own efforts, but we couldn’t hold a candle to you. Very impressive!! We’ve actually found that finding enough room in the building is the biggest impediment to our success.
I like some of the fund raising ideas, especially the selling of tee shirts. It is a two-fold success- you raise money and you’re getting your name/number out there.
We just started looking into grant money. We’re awaiting the delivery of our trailer, also purchased through a grant. You seem to have been very successful in getting grants. I guess we should look at that avenue of fund raising in more depth.
Great job and I’m looking forward to the other five parts of the web series.

#6

Appreciate the feedback and kind words. Yes these are filmed in the shop so you will hear the occasional clank or whirr of a machine!

For the questions on grants, we plan on tackling these and other questions in episode six. Much of what we have applied for and received we sought out through local branches of corporations, and even employers of students’ parents. Many school districts have a grants department that maintains a list of grants that schools or even individuals in the district are eligible for. Since the economic recession, grants have been harder to come by, but are starting to come back and STEM is a huge area of concentration for many agencies and corporations. We hope this means more funding for grant seekers on FIRST teams soon!

Your questions and suggestions are great. Continue to hit us up via PM, Twitter, Facebook, or our website. If you feel that you or your team has expertise in one of our upcoming topics, we would love to have a celebrity guest share their team’s wealth of knowledge! We are lucky to already have some very special guests scheduled so stay tuned!

#7

What are the upcoming topics?

#8

Amazing job guys! Thank you so much for the information! Definitely awesome to hear how other teams raise money. Look forward to watching the next five episodes!

#9

Finally had a chance to view the first episode. Great production guys. Just another reason why I am so proud to be a High Roller:) Can’t wait to see the next episode!

#10

My jaw dropped. You guys truly are the “High Rollers”. What a beautiful shop and workspace. Great information, great video. Looking forward to the next 5!

#11