RESOURCE LIBRARY

• FIRST Robotics Competition Mentor Guide - A guide intended to help teams with best practices for running their FIRST Robotics Competition team. 
• Effective Mentoring - This guide is intended to help new or prospective mentors 
• FIRST Robotics Competition Calendar - The official calendar for FIRST Robotics Competition which includes important deadlines. If you click on a specific calendar item, you can also download those items to your own personal calendar.
• Mental Health Resources - This document covers some tips to help ensure your FIRST Robotics Competition team has a healthy and supportive environment for teens and mentors during the build and competition season.
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) Resources - This webpage contains resources to help teams with ED&I initiatives such as gender equity, disability inclusion, well-being, and more!
  • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams ensure that all members feel included.
• Youth Registration System Overview - Youth Team Member Registration can be completed through new Express Enrollment application (U.S. & Canada) or the FIRST® Dashboard (Global) and is for youth team members who have been invited to an existing team. To register your youth, please see instructions on this page. 
• Youth Protection Program - Check out this webpage to learn more about the Youth Protection Program that provides coaches, mentors, event volunteers, employees, Program Delivery Partners, team members, parents, guardians of team members, and others working with FIRST programs with information, guidelines, and procedures to create safe environments for FIRST participants.
• FIRST Reporting Portal - Anyone can report a youth safety concern or medical incident to FIRST Headquarters using the FIRST Reporting Portal or by emailing safety@firstinspires.org. 
  • ​Note: Feedback about issues such as game play, rule changes, awards, and event management (other than medical/safety issues) are considered program related concerns and not youth protection issues and should be shared with FIRST via customerservice@firstinspires.org. Please note that match results and award results are final and that we will not review match videos.  
• Find Local Support – A page to find your local Program Deliver Organizations that partner with FIRST in each community that include Program Delivery Partners (PDPs) and FIRST Senior Mentors.

• Build Season Timeline - A very high-level schedule for how to approach the Build Season. Many factors affect this schedule including years of experience, number of students/mentors, machining resources, actual time between kickoff and your first event, etc. Teams should feel free to modify this timeline to what works best for each team as there is no single right way to how a team should approach Build Season 
  • 8.5" x 11" pdf - Aversion to print out and post in a team's shop that is 8.5" x 11."
  • 11" x 17" pdf - A version to print out and post in a team's shop that is 11" x 17."
  • The original Excel file so teams can alter the timeline if they choose (file automatically downloads)
• How To: Organize Your Team - A resource that shares ideas on how to organize your FIRST Robotics Competition team. 
• How To: Effective Leadership - A resource that shares best practices for effective leadership.
• Goal Setting by 1678 Mentor Mike Corsetto - This video discusses the history of goal setting in FIRST Robotics Competition and how teams can set their own goals and use those to improve their team. 
• Structure & Organisation Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams with organizing their team. 
• How To: Conduct Online Meetings - A resource that shares ideas on how to host online meetings for your team.
• Career Planning Toolkit - This resource assists students connecting their FIRST experience to a future career path. It has resources for building a resume, gaining Industry Credentials, and work-based learning opportunities such as Internships and Apprenticeships.
  • ​Thinkscape - This module is available to lead mentors 1 and 2 through Thinkscape on the FIRST Dashboard. Mentors will be able to add students and other mentors to the course using these instructions.

Fundraising

• Fundraising Guide - This guide was created with Team 6328, Mechanical Advantage. This guide is intended to be an introduction to fundraising for FIRST teams and covers the basics of why you should fund raise, how to prepare to fund raise, fundraising ideas, as well as information on sponsorships, grants, and record keeping. 
• Fundraising 101 - A resource that covers the basics of fundraising. An important part of being sustainable year after year is raising enough money to support your team. Fundraising allows your team to develop both technically and as a program by providing sufficient funds to grow and expand your team.
• Fundraising Toolkit - Tips and tricks to elevate your team's fundraising efforts.

Business Plans

• Business Plan Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps team create a business plan.
• Business Plan Template - This document is a template on how to create a business plan and teams can use this to create their own. (editable word doc - file automatically downloads) 

Costs & Budgeting

• Example Budget - This document shares things to consider when creating your FIRST Robotics Competition budget as well as the median budgets reported to FIRST broken into different categories as a starting point. 
  • Budget Template - Teams can use this Budget Template (file automatically downloads) to create their own team budget.
• Cost & Registration - A webpage that covers information on the cost and registration for FIRST Robotics Competition teams.
• Sales Tax Information - A webpage that describes the sales tax process for all teams and how it impacts your registration fees.
• FIRST Regranting, Process, Procedures, and W-9 - A webpage that discusses the Regranting Policy and procedure.

Sponsorships & Grants

• How To: Sponsor Relations - A resource to help manage your relationships with sponsors and ideas on what to provide them to keep them engaged.
• Sponsor Packet Template - A template, created by Bryce Hansen, to help teams create a Sponsor Template. The sponsor packet is an informational packet that gives potential sponsors an overview of your team, why they should give you money, and how you’re going to use it. (file automatically downloads)
• Sponsor Processing Template - A template, created by Bryce Hansen, to help teams keep track of current and future sponsors (file automatically downloads)
• Grant Opportunities - A list of available grants that FIRST is aware of and information on how to apply. Teams can use the filters to sort by location, program, and other filters. 
• FIRST Grants FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions and Answers related to Grants. 
• Hack Club Bank - Hack Club Bank is a full-stack fiscal sponsor for organizing anything and can help teams manage their funds.

• Inventive Outreach and Your Team by Alum and 971 Mentor Sarah Heimlich - In this video, learn about creative methods to engage members in outreach activities that best fit the resources and mission of your team.
• Hows and Whys of STEM/FIRST Outreach - This presentation was created by Hall of Fame Team 1816, The Green Machine, and covers concepts teams can use when selecting outreach events for their team to participate in. 
• Outreach Plan Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams identify and plan outreach opportunities. 
• Community Engagement Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams plan ways to engage with the community. 

• Team Recruitment Flyers - Flyers that teams can use as a starting point when creating flyers to recruit new students to the team.
  • Letter Size |  Tabloid Size 
• FIRST ED&I Student Recruitment Strategies Tip Sheet - Helpful strategies for recruitment of all students for FIRST teams.
• FIRST Mentor Network sponsored by NI - The FIRST Mentor Network sponsored by NI is an interactive platform allowing teams and interested mentors to easily find each other for virtual or in-person mentorship.

• Awards Webpage - A webpage that shows all of the current FIRST Robotics Competition Awards, award deadlines, links to the guidelines for the awards, and additional award resources not listed in this section including a Dean's List Guide, Practice Judge Questions, and more!
• Awards Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams prepare for judging at events. 
• Dean's List Award Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams pick a student, write the essay, and prepare the student for the interview. 
• FIRST Impact Award Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams organize their outreach, write the essays, and prepare for the interview.

• Game Manual & Season Specifics - A webpage hosting resources related to each season’s game including the manual, team updates, and more.
• Kit of Parts - A webpage that incudes information on the Kit of Parts (KoP) that is included with every team's registration fee.
• Safety - Learn about the importance of safety and how to implement safe practices by viewing resources including our safety manual, UL Safety Learning Portal, and more.
• Technical Resources - a webpage consisting of a collection of technical oriented resources to help teams.

• District & Regional Event Information - A webpage to help teams be prepared for attending local events. It includes information on how to preference events as well as what to expect including judging, scouting, robot inspection, what to bring to events, and more.
• Robot Transportation - General information for robot transportation, including shipping crate construction guidelines, tips for teams shipping their robot to international events, and shipping to FIRST Championship.
• Event Preparations Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps team prepare for events including reminders about things to plan, bring, and do.
• How To: Arrange Team and Robot Transportation - A resource that discusses options when buying plane tickets for large groups, coordinating drivers for shorter distances, arranging bus transportation for longer distances, communicating travel logistics with your team, shipping your robot equipment, and more. 

• What’s FIRST Robotics Competition? - A video that describes what FIRST Robotics Competition is and includes students, mentors, and volunteers explaining the program.
• FIRST Robotics Competition - How it Works - A flyer that describes the FIRST Robotics Competition program. 
• FIRST Robotics Competition - Start a Team - A flyer that can be used to help start a FIRST Robotics Competition team.
• FIRST Robotics Competition - Mini Brochure - Mini brochure that introduces new audiences to FIRST Robotics Competition and what it can do for students
• FIRST Logos and Branding Standards - Information on FIRST standards and policies when using the FIRST logo and brand.
• Season Content and Logos - A webpage that hosts season specific marketing content such as logos and more.
• FIRST Robotics Competition Promotional Photos - A collection of promotional photos that can be used only for the following purposes; celebration, advertisement or promotion of FIRST programs, events, or scholarships; or, for journalistic needs.
• Student Participation Certificates - A4 and Letter
• Imagery for FIRST Teams - a resource created by Hall of Fame Team 1902, Exploding Bacon, that shares helpful recommendations for teams when teams are deciding on imagery/branding for their team
• Imagery Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams identify their team identity and branding. 

• Team Blasts Archive - Archive of FIRST Robotics Competition team email blasts.
• FIRST Robotics Competition Blog - Blog posts from the director of FIRST Robotics Competition and guests on a variety of topics relevant to teams. 
• Alumni - Participants and alumni of FIRST programs gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life. Check out the Alumni webpage for more information. 
• FIRST Robotics Competition Social Media
  • FIRST Robotics Competition Facebook 
  • FIRST Robotics Competition Twitter 
  • FIRST Robotics Competition YouTube