Fundraisers?

[Travis Garrison]

We're finally getting the ball rolling on fundraising over here at WWU, but still not having much luck actually getting money. I'm curious where some of you guys with the monster budgets get your $$ from. Our budgets are typically well under $10k from what I've been able to gather, and last year we only scraped together like $3k.

Do most of your donations come from alumni connections?

Has anyone here had any luck actually calling around or going door to door within their town?

Not looking for top secret sponsor connections here, just hoping for a little friendly advice..


Travis Garrison
WWU FSAE

[Travis Garrison]

We're finally getting the ball rolling on fundraising over here at WWU, but still not having much luck actually getting money. I'm curious where some of you guys with the monster budgets get your $$ from. Our budgets are typically well under $10k from what I've been able to gather, and last year we only scraped together like $3k.

Do most of your donations come from alumni connections?

Has anyone here had any luck actually calling around or going door to door within their town?

Not looking for top secret sponsor connections here, just hoping for a little friendly advice..


Travis Garrison
WWU FSAE

[Charlie]

I concentrated hard on fundraising last year, with pretty good results. It turned a budget that was 'good enough' into a budget that let us do almost anything.

For a first year team, it would be tough. But WWU has some awesome product to showcase. Use it to your advantage.

Spend time to make a good sponsor proposal. I made video or our 2002 competition, history of the team, pictures, etc on a CD-ROM. They are cheap to make. Buy the CDs and burn them yourself, print the labels on your shop printer. They are 10x better than a brochure and as cheap or cheaper.

Once you have good material to promote your team, convince your team to do it. Everyone needs to do thier part. I told everyone on the team, that we had sponsor proposals available to them, and they went to thier bosses at Co-op, thier relatives, etc. We brought in over $4000 from our team member's contacts alone. Make your sponsorship material so good, that your team members don't have to sell the idea, they just have to give the material to prospective sponsors and say 1 or 2 sentences.

We also gained several non-cash sponsorships last year. One of our best sponsors we met at an SCCA event. One of the employees was there and we got his number, called and mailed a sponsor package out and he sold the idea to the higher-ups.

Basically, it boils down to good promotion. Engineers aren't salesmen, so make good material to sell your idea, and encourage everyone to help. Get your car(s) out at SCCA and other events, you never know who will show up. We have a cool project, most people are interested. Get them hooked. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

-Charlie Ping
Auburn University FSAE (http://eng.auburn.edu/organizations/SAE/AUFSAE)
5th Overall Detroit 2003
? Overall Aussie 2003. http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[ethanL007]

raising money for a first year team is really frustrating. you cant get their money without any thing to show them, and you cant build anything without their money.

[Michael Jones]

Non-cash sponsorships are indeed a good starting point, and they sometimes lead to cash sponsors.

Agreed that it's harder to start a team than fundraise for an established team, but likely a rookie team isn't going to consume as many resources at the same time - probably best to start conservatively and work from there.

Consider talking to your alumni relations folk. They'll have good contacts of people who have donated in the past, and might be able to hook you up as part of a larger donation.

Alumni and their employers can be very generous. Check for employee donation matching deals, sometimes they exist.

Local business can be effective sponsors as well.

As for WWU, charge $50/hr for some time alone with the V8. Pimp it out, what the hell.

---
Cornell Racing
http://fsae.mae.cornell.edu

[Travis Garrison]

I wish we could fund raise by pimping out the v8...don't think that would go over so well with faculty and the students who built it http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Thanks for the sugestions guys

Travis Garrison
WWU FSAE

[Michael Jones]

Oh, and perhaps most important, consider getting people on your team who specialize in fundraising and public relations. A great role for non-engineers of all kinds, and a way of getting new people involved into the project as well. Especially suitable for those with good speaking and writing skills, a persistent and patient work ethic, and strong organizational skills.

---
Cornell Racing
http://fsae.mae.cornell.edu

[Angry Joe]

topless car wash! In our case they pay us to put our shirts back on...

The difference between racing and a crack addiction is that racing costs more and has a more adverse affect on your social life

Lehigh Formula SAE Alumni
Team Captain 2002-2003

www.lehigh.edu/~insae/formula (http://www.lehigh.edu/~insae/formula)

[ethanL007]

Angry Joe, we are actually going ot do a bikini carwash. my girlfriend, her sister, and their friends have already comitted to do it. we have about 6-7 girls for it. im trying to get it organized soon, before it gets cold up here in new hampshire. when we get done ill let you guys know how effective it was.

ethan lessard
project manager UNH FSAE

[gug]

pictures from this event had better go up on your website...
see uni qld at the indy (http://www.uq.edu.au/fsae/2002indy.htm) for an example.

http://www.uq.edu.au/fsae/Indy%20Low/i7l.jpg http://www.uq.edu.au/fsae/Indy%20Low/i6l.jpg


edit: wait up, a bikini carwash in england! shite, you must really hate your girlfriend! talk about freezing your tits off.

- if it isnt coming, you need a bigger tool.

[ethanL007]

New Hampshire, USA.
It's been close to 90 degreesF for the last two months, but itll drop to 50 a lot quicker then our car is getting done. and pics will be posted.

ethan lessard
team captain UNH FSAE

[gug]

90 degreesF = 30 degreesC
the brits would call that a heat wave!
i did my work experience in the tanami desert, which is in northern australia. average temp 45 degreesC (113F), but we had our own heat wave where it was 50 (122) for a week. you have to wear long sleeve shirts and pants though, cause the sun is alot worse than the heat. the fact that i was working outside over cynaide vats may be the reason why i took up fsae.

anyway, now that i have made us australians seem like some sort of superhero breed that can withstand extremes (btw, we arent, i very nearly didnt survive working up there), i ought to say something about fundraisers.

we have started up a uni club to rob money from the rich clubs association and give to the poor formula sae team.

hehe, here is a pic of my alter-ego: http://www.disneypins.freeuk.com/buttons/robin-hood-mickey.jpg

starting up a uni club is fun, really! i love student politicians. having an IGM was fun and full of purpose, sending a delegate to the student unions meetings is a really good use of our time, and then putting on the biggest performance of rigged elections that shakespear would have been jealous of for a bloody union representative that didnt even show up was just superb.

in case you havent guessed, i also enjoy hitting my head against walls and getting my dick caught in a blender.

y do we go through with all this pain? cause we should be able to scam AUD$5000 (US$3250) off them, since we have a club of 53 people (according to the student union anyway).


our other idea is to hold a nice classy black tie dinner at a winery in the barrossa valley. one of our team-members works there and he thinks he should be able to get a fully catered dinner as sponsorship, so we just sell the tickets. either that, or we may use that sponsored dinner as the project launch (where we invite all the people with chequebooks along and try and get them drunk).


and our most original sponsorship idea: make the brakelight in the shape of our major sponsor. ive seen many a team do it in their uni's logo (and the japanese flag for tokyo denki!), but as far as i know no1 has given it out to the major sponsor?

- if it isnt coming, you need a bigger tool.