Dashboard Hustle

The November dashboard hustle is here! Everything that was vaguely on the radar is now getting bigger, moving closer, and pinging louder—and new tasks keep appearing. Let’s start checking them off.

Here’s your dashboard checklist to tackle before mid-November:

1. TEAM INFORMATION

   Your team profile should already be mostly complete, but now is the time to update sponsors, contact information, and anything else that has changed.

   Also, notice how easy it is to update your team name. If you decide to rebrand down the road, don’t let the dashboard be what stops you!

   
   

2. TEAM FINANCES:

   • Set up or confirm your financial guarantor, if needed. If your team plans to pay by purchase order or use a sales tax exemption certificate, it needs an associated financial guarantor. The guarantor is your school or supporting organization; the person managing that account is the organization administrator. You may be able to serve as that administrator if your organization authorizes you to do so. Coordinate with your finance office to get the correct EIN and supporting documentation.

   • Follow up on grants. Track the grants you’ve applied for, expected award dates, and any deadlines or requirements for applying those funds toward registration. A pending grant and a posted payment are two different things—know where yours stands!

     
     

3. TEAM ROSTER

• Make sure Lead Coach 1 and Lead Coach 2 have accepted their dashboard roles and completed all required Youth Protection steps, including annual training and background screening.

• Screening takes time, so the best time to start was yesterday. The next best time is today. If you’re struggling to find a Lead Coach 2, reach out! We might be able to figure out a temporary solution.

• Use the Team Roster section to manage your team’s leadership roles, and make sure the person you invite actually accepts the invitation and completes the requirements.

• Both lead coaches must have the required clearance before your team can access its youth roster or participate in event preferencing. Check the dashboard’s outstanding tasks and resolve anything preventing your team from becoming Event Ready.

  

  LOOK FOR the green readiness indicator. If you still see red flags, there’s work left to do!

  
  

4. TEAM EVENTS AND AWARDS

• Register for your competition events.

Open Team Events & Awards to review your registered and waitlisted events. Use Find an Event to explore available options and follow the registration steps.

The Bayou Regional is pretty awesome, just saying.

Handle this early. Events can fill, and your backup plan could turn into a much bigger travel-planning adventure than you intended.

LOOK FOR This button will bring you to where you can see the events you are registered for or waitlisted and there is another "FIND AN EVENT" button

Don’t forget to click Submit—and verify your registration status afterward!

• Register Kickoff Event

The 2027 FRC Kickoff is Saturday, January 9 (it typically falls around the 2nd Saturday of January).

Complete your Kickoff Selection in the dashboard, including your attendance plans and how your team will receive its Kickoff Kit.

Go to a Kickoff event. Trust me!

Watching the game reveal together builds excitement, sparks ideas, and helps students feel connected to the larger FIRST community.

Choose your location. Personally, we love heading to the INFINITY Science Center near NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Pearlington, Mississippi. Check the available locations and host instructions before making your selection.

Bring your whole team, if the venue can accommodate everyone. Kickoff is for the students! Yes, it’s for us coaches too, but they should experience the moment the new challenge is revealed.

Plan for kit pickup. If you select local kit pickup, leave room in your vehicle for several large boxes or totes. Confirm this season’s package sizes and pickup instructions before you go.

LOOK FOR this button to sign up for Kickoff Selection

One more time: don’t forget to click Submit!

5. Go To FIRST Storefront

   Before you do, make sure you have all the above steps completed and that you are ready to apply the financial pieces.

   Once ready click on "shop"

   You will see multiple options to choose from for the same price. For rookies wanting to work with a KitBot then you want all the green checks.

   
   

   

   
   

   /The other options allow advanced teams to opt out of some of the things so that they can use vouchers to purchase things other than the KitBot. /

Notice, that you do NOT need to also pay for an Additional Event Registration unless you plan on going to more than one event.