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Welcome to GEARED UP 2026: Mentor Conference! Join us at James Madison University’s Festival Conference & Student Center in Harrisonburg, VA, for two days of learning, connection, and community.

You power 10,000+ students across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. This day is built for YOU. Whether you’re a rookie coach launching your first team or a 20-year veteran looking for fresh ideas, you’ll find sessions, workshops, and conversations designed to sharpen your skills and recharge your passion.

Proudly presented by Aramco Americas. See you in Harrisonburg.

Type: Fundraising And Planning clear filter
Saturday, August 8
 

10:15am EDT

From $250 to Five Figures: Grant Writing That Works - Find the opportunity, write the application, win the award. For every program and every budget.
A workshop on writing successful grants, from identifying opportunities through application to award. Framed explicitly for all budget scales — from small FLL coach grants through five-figure FRC team sponsorships — because the underlying principles are the same regardless of program.
Speakers
avatar for Shelly Stoddard

Shelly Stoddard

Vice President, FIRST Chesapeake

Exhibitors
Saturday August 8, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Conf Room 7 (165) Fundraising & Planning 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

11:30am EDT

Your Team's Story Is Your Best Pitch - Finding sponsors, making the ask, and keeping them for the long haul, through storytelling, smart tiers, and stewardship.
The best sponsor pitch doesn't start with a budget. It starts with a story. In this practical session, Alex Bryant shares what actually works when it comes to finding new sponsors, making the ask, and keeping them for the long haul. We'll talk about how to turn your team's success into something a business genuinely cares about, how to build sponsor tiers that make sense, and how good stewardship keeps partners coming back season after season. Whether you're rebooting your fundraising plan or starting from scratch, you'll leave with a sponsor strategy built around the one thing every team already has: a story worth telling.
Speakers
avatar for Alex Bryant

Alex Bryant

President, FIRST Chesapeake
Alex Bryant is committed to serving his communities. Bryant graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Music and a minor in Biology. He currently works for FIRST Chesapeake, an arm of the International FIRST Inspires, a global robotics community preparing young people... Read More →
Exhibitors
Saturday August 8, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm EDT
Conf Room 7 (165) Fundraising & Planning 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

1:30pm EDT

Project Management Tutorial
Explore how readily available software can improve your team's project management and lead to a smoother, more productive build season!
Speakers
avatar for Bonnie Crites

Bonnie Crites

Senior Program Manager, FIRST Chesapeake
Saturday August 8, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Conf Room 2 (35) Curriculum 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

1:30pm EDT

Your Team in 30 Seconds - A repeatable pitch framework that works on sponsors, school boards, parents, or a stranger in an elevator, and that you can teach your students to deliver.
A practical session on crafting a compelling, concise pitch for your team — whether the audience is a potential sponsor, a school board, a parent, or a stranger in an elevator. Focus is on a repeatable framework that mentors can teach to students.
Speakers
avatar for Laurie Gray

Laurie Gray

mentor, FRC 10224
avatar for Alex Bryant

Alex Bryant

President, FIRST Chesapeake
Alex Bryant is committed to serving his communities. Bryant graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Music and a minor in Biology. He currently works for FIRST Chesapeake, an arm of the International FIRST Inspires, a global robotics community preparing young people... Read More →
Saturday August 8, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Conf Room 7 (165) Fundraising & Planning 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

2:45pm EDT

Scenario Planning for Nonprofit Leaders - Building Resilience and Sustaining Impact
No matter how good your robot is, managing the team accounts will always be a critical part of your job as a mentor. Sit down with a representative from YPTC Non Profit Accounting Services to run down the basics of maintaining, managing, and documenting a healthy financial base for your team.

Learning Objectives:
1. Illustrate and define strategies for building scenario plans that can help your nonprofit continue to focus on its mission.
2. Introduce revenue diversification solutions that support financial sustainability.
3. Review best practices and questions to ask during the scenario planning process.
Speakers
avatar for Patti Withington

Patti Withington

Director, YPTC Non Profit Accounting Services
I am a Director with YPTC. I first joined YPTC in 2011 as an Associate and then made the switch in 2014 to lead YPTC’s sales activities until 2017, when I left to become CEO of a local Boys & Girls Club, a youth development nonprofit. I returned to YPTC in 2023 and assumed my current... Read More →
Saturday August 8, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT
Conf Room 7 (165) Fundraising & Planning 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807
 
Sunday, August 9
 

9:00am EDT

The Ask: Sponsor Prospecting, Cold Outreach, and How To Find the Funding
A complement to the grant writing session: how to identify potential sponsors, build a cold outreach approach, and structure the ask. Grants are institutional and sponsors are relational — this session covers the relational side and the mistakes the presenter wishes they had avoided.
Speakers
avatar for Alex Bryant

Alex Bryant

President, FIRST Chesapeake
Alex Bryant is committed to serving his communities. Bryant graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Music and a minor in Biology. He currently works for FIRST Chesapeake, an arm of the International FIRST Inspires, a global robotics community preparing young people... Read More →
Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Board Dining (40) Team Management 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807
 
GEARED UP Mentor Conference
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