My Nonprofit Reviews
bernice1
Review for FIRST, Manchester, NH, USA
FIRST is an amazing organization. The premise is to encourage young folks to pursue fields in science and technology. FIRST initially started as the FIRST Robotics Competition (FTC). Then they believed that children needed to get excited about technology prior to high school, so they teamed up with LEGO and had the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) for middle schoolers (9-14 years old). Now it has expanded to Junior FIRST LEGO League (6-9 year olds) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) an alternative to FRC for high school-aged students. FIRST focuses on "Gracious Professionalism." In practice, what this means is that team members will work with other teams to assist them. That includes sharing robotics parts, helping them program the robot, and even borrowing a robot when one was dropped during a competition event. Gracious Professionalism is a wonderful concept to instill in young people.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
...the number of girls involved and excited in science and technology. Increasing the number of girls interested in technology has been a focus of mine for over 20 years and this is the one venue where I have seen a marked increase.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
...try to figure out how to get more money to fund more teams and sponsor more regional events for the teams.
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
...the outreach they have to the community: the focus on reaching out to underserved and minority populations.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
...absolutely fabulous! Everyone has so much energy, is extremely friendly and accommodating, and all working toward the same goals: trying to get children interested and excited about science and technology.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
...do amazing things!! The outreach and financial support for underserved and minority populations could be expanded, the training of children and coaches could be expanded, the number of events could increase -- oh, the possibilities are endless!
Ways to make it better...
...I had more time to really spend on recruiting teams, fundraising, and providing support (financial and training) to the teams and coaches.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
...the available funds to help support teams and the event hosts.
One thing I'd also say is that...
...this is a fabulous organization that truly makes a difference in the lives of thousands of children and in the communities in which they reside.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every month
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
