So I come from a self-funded private team, not through a school. It’s just me and a friend playing in a basement. We have managed to create a really competitive robot (possible reveal later), and are confident that we will qualify for Worlds. I really want to go, as its my first year in Vex and first opportunity, hopefully not the last. The problem is, its crazy expensive. I really don’t see how it needs to cost $850 for registration. The good news for us is that we won’t need to pay for airfare or anything. It’s only like a 14-15 hour drive. My question for you guys is, do you have any ideas on how we can raise this money in time?
Write up a letter and send it to local businesses. Ask everyone. Your neighbors, friends, extended family, even people you met once a few years ago. The worst that will happen is that they’ll say no.
We are in a similar situation as far as funding, so I understand yours. Be sure to set up a GoFundMe account so that your relatives and friends can make donations, and as mentioned try and search for local sponsorships. Recently a lot of teams have been using Pear to raise money for t-shirts. It’s one less thing to pay for and it’s really simple to use. Here is the link: http://www.pearup.com
While online donations are great, and I would certainly recommend doing something like a GoFundMe, GoFundMe takes an 8% cut of all the money you make, which is significant. I don’t know of any alternatives off of the top of my head, but I would look around for something similar.
Like @puzzler7 said, knock on doors of businesses. Expect at least 20 no’s for every 1 yes.
You are in one of the prime locations for tech companies in Marlboro, MA. You should be able to cast a very wide net. Make sure you work out what you can do for them publicity wise before you know on their doors. Get banners printed for your booth, logos on t-shirts, etc.
I just googled “Marlboro, MA top companies” and found this. This is a gold mine! I’d start with Boston Scientific and Raytheon as they are very interested in STEM education. Robots fits that very well.
When you are done with Marlboro, go to the next town down the road.
Oh, and the $850 per team Vex/RECF charges is a bargain. Yes it is an increase, but still cheap. You will see how large it is once you get there and all the amenities. Look at some other robot competitions and see how much they charge. Just make sure you are sitting down.
These guys put on a first class operation. You will be impressed. Just look at the size of this place. https://goo.gl/maps/7idmu3YB4cv
The A/V lighting, audio, video equipment & streaming is world class. You also have two stadiums, 6 Bleacher sets for divisions (maybe more), HUGE signs all over, 10x10 booths for each team with curtains, tables, rugs, crowd control ropes, power and cabling for hundreds of teams, wi-fi, first aid stations, etc etc etc. Go price some of those things out. It takes an army to put this on.
Bring comfy shoes and a cart for your robot. The distances can be long. Take lots of pictures and have fun.
Down Cellar was at Worlds last year, so at least one of them is aware of how cool it is. But for freshmen $850 is like a million dollars The biggest hurdle for DCL is that they are not affiliated with a particular school, in which case it would be easier to fund raise. Being in the Marlboro area myself, I will see what I can do to help them out with their networking with local organizations. Raytheon already supports area robotics teams and events. Also a few hours in front of Price Chopper, Stop and Shop, and other local venues will get them some donations and certainly help socialize their need.
Looking at the Vex worlds sponsors, there are two local to you companies HQ on there - Mathworks and EMC (rte 9 & 495 just south of Marlborough) and Mathworks (rte 9 in Natick).
The biggest hurdle for DCL is that they are not affiliated with a particular school, in which case it would be easier to fund raise. Being in the Marlboro area myself, I will see what I can do to help them out with their networking with local organizations. Raytheon already supports area robotics teams and events. Also a few hours in front of Price Chopper, Stop and Shop, and other local venues will get them some donations and certainly help socialize their need.