Business Level 2 - Strategic Planning

Learning Objective

Apply Level 1's foundation to real FRC team fundraising and planning: research the sponsor and grant landscape relevant to the team using a framework built for FRC teams (like Team 167's Barriers & Bridges Protocol) instead of generic SWOT/competitive-landscape analysis, develop multi-year strategic plans with measurable objectives and performance metrics, construct sponsor tiers and write a real sponsor ask, and manage sponsor relationships through stewardship and renewal rather than abstract value propositions. This level is self-guided and typically takes a couple of months; completing it means you can perform most of the day-to-day fundraising and planning work the team needs.

Prerequisites

• Business Level 1 - Fundamentals
• Project Management Level 1 - Personal Organization

Primary Resources

• FIRST: How To -- Sponsor Relations
• FIRST: FRC Fundraising Guide
• Team 167 (Iowa City Robotics): Fundraising (Barriers & Bridges Protocol)

Tasks

1. Sponsor & Grant Research

   • Research the sponsor and grant landscape relevant to the team
   • Apply an FRC-appropriate planning framework (e.g. Barriers & Bridges) instead of generic SWOT
   • Identify realistic funding opportunities (local businesses, grants, crowdfunding)
   • Analyze which sponsor relationships are renewing vs. at risk

2. Business Planning

   • Create multi-year strategic plan
   • Develop measurable objectives
   • Design performance metrics
   • Align goals with resources

3. Financial Strategy

   • Develop funding strategies
   • Create financial projections
   • Plan resource allocation
   • Establish financial controls

4. Sponsor Relationship Management

   • Build a sponsor tier structure with concrete benefits
   • Write and deliver a real sponsor ask/pitch
   • Develop a sponsor stewardship and renewal plan
   • Build a sponsor and community support network

Level 2 Completion Requirements

• Successfully create a sponsor pipeline and write at least one real sponsor ask
• Create a comprehensive multi-year plan with diversified funding sources
• Build a sponsor tier structure and stewardship/renewal plan
• Present a funding strategy grounded in real grant/sponsor research

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