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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.
Sponsors
The sponsor team works closely with the communication and finances teams. They 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 helps the team out, be it carwash resources or money. 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.
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
2013:
- Gwinnett County Public Schools
- Howard Brothers
- Kimberly-Clark
- Maxxis
- 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 above to become sponsors, the team will send information about the team to each business. Each letter to the business will contain:
- Letter of request of sponsorship
- Pamphlet about the team
- Note: Make sure that research about the company has been done
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:
- 2014 apparel
- 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
Communication
The communication team is responsible for maintaining a constant presence and image for the team in the community. They head all social media updates as well as Syndications. Communications is also responsible for assisting sponsor team with the communication with sponsors.
Communication is a skill the team is constantly growing in. We work hard on keeping our members, parents, and sponsors informed.
Member Communication
In order to keep all of our team informed, we use various platforms to ensure each person is up to date. After each meeting, a syndication is sent out as well as posted on the members only FaceBook page which is also updated with anything that must be asked or shared. Emails are also sent out to team emails @prhsrobotics.com. During build season, the historian and secretary maintain a blog with day-to-day progress.
Parent and Sponsor Communication
The team maintains a public FaceBook and Twitter Page which is to be updated with major events or going ons in the team. Sponsors are to receive quarterly newsletters at the end of summer, the end of fall VEX qualifier, the end of build season, and the end of competition season.
Website
The team website exists as a hub for communication, linking to anything the team publishes as well as general information about the team. If a person wants to learn more about the Robo Lions, the team website contains everything a sponsor, parent, student, other team, or community person would need.
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. Currently, it is under construction, so it will be available once completed. 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:
- Mission Statement
- Philosophy
- Team History
- Team Structure
- Goals/Challenges
- Risk Management
- Sustainability
- Team Specific
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.
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.