Frequently Asked Questions - Sponsors

1. What is the money used for?
2. How long has SA-BEST been doing this?
3. What kind of participation is there?
4. What kind of exposure will my company get?
5. How much should my company contribute?
6. Can I make an anonymous donation?
7. What else can my company do to help?

1. What is the money used for?
   All the money goes towards the program (the staff is all-volunteer).  Roughly 80 percent of the funds go towards purchasing the expendable materials kit that we provide to the school and towards replacement of components of the returnable portion of the kit (radio control system, motors, etc).  The remainder of the funds are used for items like game-day insurance, materials for building the field, trophies and awards for the participating schools, banners, mailings, etc.
2. How long has SA-BEST been doing this?
   SA-BEST was started in 1994.  The year 2004 competition will be our 11th.  We don't plan on going away anytime soon.
3. What kind of participation is there?
   In 2003, we had 32 schools participate in the competition.  There were over 500 student participants listed in the game-day program.  In 2004, we expect to again provide space for 32 teams.  The teams are primarily from the San Antonio area, but we currently have several teams participating from South Texas and have had a team from California compete in the past.
4. What kind of exposure will my company get?
   We publish the names of all sponsors in the game-day program in addition to listing them on our web site as well as the web sites of BEST Robotics Inc. and Texas BEST.  We include our sponsors names in the materials that are presented at Texas BEST (projected onto a large screen during the competition).
5. How much should my company contribute?
   Our goal is to raise approximately $20,000 per year. Naturally, any amount is welcome and very much appreciated.  Large companies might consider donating $2000 to $3000 per year.  For example, Southwest Research Institute normally contributes $3500 per year. 
6. Can I make an anonymous donation?
   Of course.  We'd like to include you in our program and list you on our web site, but if you'd prefer, we can leave you off the list completely, or just not categorize the amount of your donation.
7. What else can my company do to help?
   This is a question we sure like to hear!  Mentors and other volunteers are always needed.