Things You’ll Need To Host a Car Wash Fundraiser

Written by  //  2020/12/16  //  Money Management  //  Comments Off on Things You’ll Need To Host a Car Wash Fundraiser

car wash

In high school, there is a seemingly never-ending list of things you may have to raise funds for. There are extracurriculars such as sports teams or performing arts groups, summer camps, or local causes in the community. One of the most popular ways to fundraise has historically been setting up a car wash. After all, they’re cheap, effective, and can be run even with limited automotive experience. Whatever cause you’re championing, here are several things you’ll need to host a car wash fundraiser.

A Location

The location is probably the trickiest thing you’ll need for a car wash fundraiser. The perfect venue has to have all of the following:

  • Street access
  • Access to a waterline
  • High visibility in a public area
  • Access to a restroom for volunteers
  • A safe area for volunteers to work

If you are doing the fundraiser for an organization, often one of the best choices is to host the car wash in the parking lot of the school, church, or rec center that hosts the organization. Otherwise, you can speak to owners of local businesses or services, such as the police station or library, to see if they would like to offer their parking lot. If all else fails, you can do it in a neighborhood or local park that has access to a hose line.

Wash Supplies

Any fundraiser can tote out dish soap and an old rag and call it a day. But a good car wash will take it the next step to offer people a wash they won’t find anywhere else. Have everyone chip in to buy car soap and car wash mitts. Although these are a little pricier, they will ensure you don’t scratch the cars of the people who come for a wash. Try bringing two buckets per wash station as well, one for washing and one for rinsing. This will keep the water from getting too dirty after cleaning several cars in a row.

Dry Supplies

Although it may be tempting to let the cars air dry, especially on a sunny day, doing this can leave the cars with watermarks after they drive away. If your car wash is an annual event, you don’t want your customers to leave your station with that kind of bad taste in their mouth. Have your volunteers take the time to dry the cars before sending them off. If they dry them with microfiber towels, you can be sure you’ll be kind to their paint job as well.

Signs

No fundraiser is complete without advertisement, and the bigger the signs, the better. Make sure that both the event and the cause are written big enough that they can be seen at a distance. Even if your potential customers aren’t interested in a wash, they may be interested in the cause you’re supporting. Also, consider creating several smaller signs on posts that can be stuck in the ground and scattering them around town. That way, you can get the whole community involved.

image credit: twenty20.com

Comments are closed.