Business Team

The Business team has five areas of focus: Finances, Sponsors, Communication, Business Plan, and Awards.

Finances

The finance team is led by the Treasurer, with the responsibility of all things money related. They order parts, plan the budget, help with fundraising, and are responsible for the Bill of Materials during FRC season. The Treasurer is also in charge of helping the VP of Business with Public Relations.

Sponsors

The Business Team tries to ensure that sponsor relations are well maintained, updated, and appreciated and are also charged with the task of attracting new sponsors.

Sponsors are anyone who help the team out in through monetary donations or through donation of various parts and objects. Sponsors are crucial to the funding of the team, which is why it is essential to maintain a good relationship with the community. Sponsorship happens on a few levels, and we outline this and other essentials in our sponsor packet, updated yearly. The past three years of major sponsors are listed below. For a complete list, view our Sponsors page.

2016:

• Automation Direct
• Gwinnett County Public Schools
• Hendrick Motorsports
• Howard Brothers
• Kimberly-Clark
• Maxxis
• Motorola
• Rockwell Collins
• TRS Solutions
• Turf Machine
• ZF Industries

2015:

• Automation Direct
• Gwinnett County Public Schools
• Hendrick Motorsports
• Howard Brothers
• Kimberly-Clark
• Maxxis
• Motorola
• Rockwell Collins
• TRS Solutions

2014:

• Automation Direct
• Gwinnett County Public Schools
• Hendrick Motorsports
• Howard Brothers
• Kimberly-Clark
• Motorola
• Rockwell Collins
• TRS Solutions

The team is always in need of potential sponsors, hence here is a set of procedures adopted and used by the Business Team in order to gain new, loyal sponsors.

Proposal

To entice the businesses to become sponsors, the team will will either send information about the team to businesses or "Cold Call" different local businesses.

Each letter/email to the business will contain:

• Letter of request of sponsorship written to the owner
• Sponsorship Packet
  • Note: Make sure that research about the company has been done and that the letter is directed towards the company (i.e talking about our programmers to a tech company)

The team will have to follow up with the businesses a few weeks after sending the initial letter to ensure they received the packet of information and see if the business has made a decision. If the business has not, perhaps some more coaxing is needed.

Some businesses that have taken serious interest in sponsoring the team may get a presentation about the team and FIRST presented by members of the team. The presentation will be presented to the President, CEO, or local authority of said business.

Things to keep in mind about presenting:

• 2016 apparel
• Handouts for the different members of the business (Can be the Sponsorship Packet)
• Formal presentation skills
  • Intro asking where we introduce ourselves
  • Middle describing what we do and the game
  • Conclusion wrapping everything up and asking if they would like to work with us
• When cold calling, Keep a Photo stream or Picture packet

Business Plan

The business plan team was started in the summer of 2014 and is headed by the Vice-President of Business. The team that works on the business plan is mainly comprised of officers. Their job is to put together a comprehensive business plan which outlines goals, plans, and structure of the team to ensure sustainable success for years to come.

Team 1261 made their first business plan before the beginning of the 2015 season. The main goal of the business plan is to document past success and make a plan to ensure future success. The business plan contains a few different sections as outlines below and qualifies the team for more awards such as the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship award and makes us a stronger candidate for other awards.

Basic Outline of a Business Plan:

1. Mission Statement

The Robo Lions of FIRST Robotics Team 1261 aim to identify, equip, and encourage greatness among our team, school, and the FIRST and local communities around us. By spreading ideas of STEM and innovation through effective communication, we empower successful 21st century leaders in a hands-on, competitive environment of robot engineering and interaction.

1. Philosophy
2. Team History
3. Team Structure
4. Goals/Challenges
5. Risk Management
6. Sustainability
7. Team Specific

Team Resources

2016 Business Letter Head Template

• Thank You Template
• Sponsor Letter Template
• Email Template
• 2013 Basic Business Plan
• How-To of Sponsor Phone Calls

External Links

• How to Make the Most of a Sales Rejection
• How Do I Get Companies To Sponsor My School Robotics Club?
• The Five Things Corporate Sponsors Want From Nonprofits
• 7 Reasons why your Business Should be Sponsoring an Event

Awards

The awards team is mainly active during the FRC season and is responsible for the preparation of Chairman’s Award presentations and any other award the team decides to pursue. This is typically handled by the Vice-President of Outreach.

Chairman’s Award

The chairman’s award is given to a team that demonstrates excellence in spreading the ideals of FIRST. The Robo Lions presented for this award for the first time in the 2014 season. In order to be eligible for this award, teams must create a video and write an essay before a team of three presents to judges at regional competitions.