Becoming Mansa MusaThe PARC Guide to Fundraising
Know Yourself
Establishing a Target
To get started, you should determine how much money you will need to raise. Take inventory of any funding you may already have and refer to the PARC Team Expenses detailed in the most current Letter of Notice (found by clicking “PARC DETAILS” on www.parcrobotics.org ) in order to assess all costs related to team activities that you will have to incur.
Details about expenses and your target amount of finance will guide you over the course of your team fundraising journey. It is recommended that you keep a cash flow statement or an income and expenditure account to track your finances and measure your progress. See the sample (which you can customize to your specific needs) in the downloadable to help you get started…
Creating a Team Portfolio
A Team Portfolio may be helpful in guiding you while putting together documentation and presentations to share with sponsors. Ask all team members to reflect on the following questions and then record your answers in a document:
- What is the value in participating in PARC?
- What are your desired outcomes?
- Why PARC of all other programs?
- How will your team be impacted if they do not participate in PARC?
- What has your team gained so far through participating in PARC?
- Why should others support your team?
You may also share your portfolio with PARC as we value learning more about our participating teams.
Online Presence
It is useful to leverage the Internet to spread awareness about your team and its activities. Posting on team social media pages (and a team website if possible) may serve as evidence of your projects as well as a method for sponsors to validate your impact. Additionally, it may bring in attention from media organizations that can help with attracting more sponsors e.g. radio stations and news channels.
Here are some notes to remember when setting up social media accounts:
- Tag the PARC pages: @ParcRobotics on Twitter, @parc_media on Instagram and @PARCROBOTICS on Facebook.
- Use the #PARC hashtag.
- Submit pictures and videos to be shared on PARC platforms.
Reach Out to Potential Sponsors
There are many organizations and individuals who would be willing to help PARC teams with their needs either by directly funding specific services/items (i.e. in-kind donations) or by donating some amount of money.
Who To Ask
Potential sponsors are usually more likely to help when they are asked by someone they know. Start by having a meeting with team members, parents and coaches to list potential sponsors who they have a personal relationship with.
You may also ask any current sponsors if they can suggest and even introduce/put you in contact with other potential sponsors.
Try to determine who the best person to contact at each organization is (i.e. the Point of Contact). Many firms have a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department - it may be ideal to reach out to the head of this department. If your team has a connection to anyone in the organization, they can help you decide who your Point of Contact should be.
Use your list to create a database of sponsors and monitor your partnerships by populating and updating it with basic information.
How To Ask
You may start by sending the potential sponsor a request letter along with a “Team Needs and Sponsorship Form” (see sample below), then following up with a phone call after a few days. During this call, you can then schedule an in-person meeting to present your sponsorship proposal; provide details of sponsor benefits; and give them more information about PARC.
In the downloadable file, you find more details about:
- Sponsorship Request Letter
- Phone Call
- In-person Meeting
- Saying thank you
Set up a Fundraiser
In addition to help from sponsors, fundraisers may be necessary for your team to acquire your target amount of finance.
In this section you will find detailed guides for three example fundraising projects of increasing levels of time and energy investments (School Mufti Day, Food Sale, STEM Expo), online crowdfunding advice, team membership plans (i.e. internal fundraising) and ideas about how to connect with other PARC teams to exchange even more fundraising ideas through PARCollaborate.
Mufti Day
School event where students and teachers wear "mufti" (i.e. casual) clothes if they donate a minimum amount.
Food Sale
Sell edible items to customers for a profit.
Food Sale
Sell edible items to customers for a profit.
STEM Expo
Organize an event to demonstrate STEM-related projects, experiments and fun activities. Charge an entry fee.
STEM Expo
Organize an event to demonstrate STEM-related projects, experiments and fun activities. Charge an entry fee.
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