Splish, splash, let’s make a fundraising dash! If you’re looking for a fun and effective way to raise funds for your school, non-profit organization, or cause, hosting a car wash fundraiser might just be your golden ticket. Get ready to soak up some tips and tricks to ensure your car wash fundraiser is a wave of success.
Why Have a Car Wash Fundraiser
First, it’s a hands-on and engaging fundraising activity that allows volunteers and supporters to actively participate. Cleaning cars provides immediate results that both volunteers and donors can see, which gives people a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Second, car wash fundraisers are highly visible and can attract a wide audience. This visibility helps raise awareness for your cause and it’s also a service many people need and appreciate. It offers a unique opportunity to connect with the community, have a positive impact, and raise funds while making a splash – literally.
Planning and Running a Successful Car Wash
Pick a Convenient Date and Time
Choose a time for your car wash fundraiser that makes sense for your volunteers, neighborhood, and local weather. The late spring, summer or early fall is typically a great time. Think about when your community members are out and about and most likely to drive through your event. Weekends, around midday, are usually a convenient time.
Establish Your Location
Picking your location is critical to running a good fundraiser. It should be somewhere you will have access to a lot of cars and also enough space that you won’t disrupt traffic. I’ve personally had success with using the large parking lot of a grocery store as well as a mall located on busy street corners because they naturally attract a crowd.
For a school fundraiser, you could use your school parking lot and wave traffic from a busy road onto your site.
Determine Cost of Service
How much money do you need to raise and how many cars are you expecting to see in attendance? Those factors will help you determine how much to sell each car wash for. You should also take a look at how much a car wash costs in your local area. If a self-serve car wash is between $2-$4 and a higher-end full service car wash is $20, you could charge something in the middle like $5-$10 per wash.
Consider Selling Additional Items or Services
Every additional item you can include is more profit for your cause. One idea is to order some air fresheners in bulk, another is to consider selling swag with your logo or school mascot on it. Or, instead of other items, add more services like tire-shining for an extra fee so you can charge more money for washing cars.
You could also add food sales like hot dogs, or a bake sale to make a little additional money.
You may even want to consider raffling off door prizes or adding a 50/50 raffle as an easy way to boost your profits.
Check City, County, and Environmental Laws
Some communities have strict policies about how and where car washes can take place as well as what type of products can be used. The excess water often goes into storm drains. Make sure you’re allowed to run this type of event where you live and go with an eco-friendly soap option.
Create and Scatter Advertisements
Create a welcoming car wash fundraiser flyer to encourage people to come. Place these signs strategically around your community, near major intersections, and in shopping areas to direct traffic to your car wash. If you’re allowed, put them in the ground at eye level or use A-frame signs on sidewalks.
Take advantage of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Create posts, stories, and events to spread the word. Share fun and light-hearted content, like behind-the-scenes videos of your volunteers getting ready for the car wash or car-wash-related memes.
On the day of the special event, use signs to drive traffic to the spot you’ve set up in.
Tips for Making Your Signs and Flyers
Use bright colors and catchy images to grab people’s attention. Highlight your cause and why it’s worth supporting. Include your organization’s logo and any relevant graphics.
Keep the text concise and easy to read. Use playful language to make it more engaging. Remember the essential details: date, time, location, suggested donation, and contact information.
Create an Organized System for Volunteers and Consumers
You’ll need a couple of stations at your event to make sure things flow smoothly. You can use these ideas and add to them as needed.
Greet and Inform Customers:
Have volunteers greet customers with dirty cars as they arrive and explain the purpose of the fundraiser.
Provide customers with information about the suggested or required donation amount and the services offered. You can collect the funds at this point before the washing starts.
Car Preparations:
Ask the car owners to pull ahead to the designated wash area, turn off their engines, and roll up their windows.
Ensure that the car’s antenna is lowered, and any non-standard accessories (like bike racks) are removed if necessary.
This station can also direct cars into two lines so you can serve more people and sell more washes.
Car Washing:
Have volunteers ready to scrub with soap, water and sponges at the washing station. You should plan to have two or more cars in your wash zone at a time. This area should include a window cleaner who has a squeegee.
Car Drying:
Have volunteers ready to dry cars with a dry, soft cloth. If you had two lines for car washing, you’ll likely also need two stations for car drying.
Traffic Control:
Have some of your volunteers set up as traffic control to make sure customers can come and go easily and no accidents occur.
Collect and Gather Supplies
Before your big day, collect the supplies you’ll need. Take into account the number of washing stations you’ll run at a time as well as the number of volunteers you’ll have to make sure they all have the necessary equipment and materials.
Here are some things you’ll need:
- Long hose (Ensure your location has a water source/system)
- Soap
- Buckets
- Sponges
- Cloths
- A rack for drying cloths
- A secure place to store money
Proper Washing During Your Car Wash Fundraiser
It’s a good idea to pay attention to how you’ll do the actual washing so you don’t scratch your customer’s paint or leave cars streaky with soap. If you need a refresher on how to do a car wash, here are the steps you can teach your volunteers.
- Rinse the Car:
- Use a hose to rinse off loose dirt and debris from the car’s exterior. If you don’t have a hose that reaches far enough, you’ll need multiple buckets of water which takes more time.
- Wash the Car:
- Fill buckets with soapy water and use sponges to wash the car from top to bottom. Start with the roof and work your way down.
- Pay attention to problem areas, such as bumpers with bugs, tree sap, or bird droppings, and gently scrub them.
- Rinse:
- Rinse off the soap thoroughly to avoid streaks.
- Dry the Car:
- Use clean, dry towels or microfiber cloths to dry the car’s exterior, preventing water spots.
Have Fun Staying on Task
A positive and enjoyable atmosphere can make a big difference in keeping volunteers motivated and ensuring the success of your car wash fundraiser. You need to find a balance between keeping volunteers upbeat and happy as well as making sure they are on task and working their way quickly through the line of cars you’ll have.
Here are some ideas to keep things fun.
Create a Lively Atmosphere:
Play upbeat music to keep energy levels high. Washing with a good set of tunes helps people have a fun time. Consider having a playlist ready that both volunteers and customers will enjoy.
Decorate the car wash area with colorful banners, balloons, or signs that reflect the fun and festive nature of the event.
Themed Attire:
Encourage volunteers to wear fun and themed clothing. For example, Hawaiian shirts, funny hats, or superhero costumes can add an extra element to the event.
Frequent Breaks:
Ensure that volunteers have the opportunity to take short breaks when needed. This allows them to recharge and maintain their enthusiasm. You can also create a shift schedule to rotate volunteers through stations so they don’t get tired of their role.
Refreshments:
Provide snacks and refreshments for your volunteers to keep their energy level up. Consider offering water, single-serve bags of chips, or even a sandwich station for a lunch break.
Customer Engagement:
Interact with customers in a friendly and cheerful manner. Thank them for their support and engage in small talk to make their experience enjoyable. The event shouldn’t just be fun for the volunteers, the customers should have a great time too!
Fundraising Car Wash FAQs
What Are Alternative Ways to Raise Money Instead of a Car Wash Fundraiser?
A good car wash can be a lot of hard work. If you’re looking for additional or alternative ways to raise money for your nonprofit organization, there are a ton of other helpful fundraising ideas right here on Room Mom Rescue. Here are a few of my favorites to help you meet your fundraising goal.
Food Truck Fundraiser:
Hungry for a creative fundraiser? Host a food truck event! Gather a lineup of delicious food trucks in one spot, and people will come for the tasty treats. You get a portion of the proceeds, and everyone gets full bellies. It’s a win-win!
Chinese Auction:
Think of this as a raffle on steroids. Guests buy tickets and then use them to bid on various prizes displayed at the fundraising event. The catch? They can distribute their tickets among the prizes they want most. It’s a bit like a bidding war, but everyone has a shot at winning.
Penny Wars:
Ready for a friendly fundraising rivalry? A Penny War fundraiser pits teams against each other in a battle of the coins. It’s a fun way to turn spare change into a big win for your cause.
Live Auction:
Turn fundraising into a show! In a live auction, an auctioneer hypes up the crowd and gets people bidding on exciting items and experiences. It’s like a game, where the highest bidder wins. The excitement in the room is electric, and it’s all for a good cause.
More Fundraising Ideas
- Looking for more unique fundraising activities? Try these:
Is Holding a Car Wash Fundraiser Worth My Time?
Yes! You can make quite a bit of money with a car wash fundraiser if it’s well planned and carried out. Car wash fundraisers provide a fantastic opportunity to engage with your community. It’s a fun and interactive way to involve volunteers and supporters in your cause. People tend to enjoy getting their cars cleaned, and they’re often more willing to contribute when they can see the immediate results of their donation.
In comparison to some other fundraising activities, they tend to have relatively low overhead costs. You’ll need basic supplies like soap, sponges, and buckets, which can be easily sourced or donated. If you have a dedicated team of volunteers, you can keep labor costs to a minimum.
Especially on a sunny day, it can draw a lot of attention. It’s a highly visible event, which can help raise awareness for your cause. Passersby might not only get their cars washed but also become interested in your organization’s mission.
How Long Should My Car Wash Fundraiser Last?
Most people find the best time for this type of event is between 10 am and 2 pm. This sweet spot falls right in the middle of the day. It’s when folks are out and about, that means more potential customers coming your way.
This mid-morning to early afternoon slot often lines up with nicest weather of the day, too. In order for your drying cloths to dry out and be reused, the weather needs to be warm.
A four-hour stretch like from 10 am to 2 pm is usually doable for your volunteers. Longer events might tire them out; a shorter event like this will give you happy workers.
If you’re in need of more engaged parent volunteers, try hosting this VIP Tea event!
Should a Car Wash Fundraiser Offer Interior Car Cleaning?
Although it’s possible to offer interior car detailing as part of your car wash fundraiser, it has many more logistical concerns than exterior car washing. For a typical charity car wash, I would advise against interior car cleaning.
Interior car cleaning is more time-consuming, requires additional equipment, has safety and privacy concerns and adds complexity to managing your volunteers and resources.
Where Are the Best Locations to Hold a Car Wash Fundraiser?
High visibility and enough space are two things that make for the best car wash locations. The third essential thing is access to water. Make sure you ask the business owner or property owner and have the right permits no matter which spot you choose. Here are the best location ideas:
- Church or School Parking Lot
- Local Business Parking Lot
- Shopping Centers or Malls
- Sports Complexes and Parks
- Community Centers
- A Gas Station
- Fire Stations or Police Departments
Car Wash Fundraiser – The Bottom Line
Car wash fundraisers offer a valuable opportunity to engage the community, raise funds, and support a worthy cause. Grab a great group of volunteers, a good location and come up with a solid game plan.
Whether you choose a school lot, a bustling business, or a sunny spot near the park, it’s all about making a positive impact and having a little fun along the way. Just like our recent Career Day event, this car wash fundraiser is all about community support and learning. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get involved.
Remember to plan well, engage your community, and, most importantly, enjoy the ride!