How to Run a Successful Booster Club Car Wash Fundraiser

Introduction

A car wash is one of the most common ways to raise funds for any nonprofit organization. Running a successful booster club car wash fundraiser is really no different. That being said, organizing a successful booster club car wash is not all that simple. In order to maximize the proceeds that a car wash fundraiser can generate, it is critical that it be properly planned. To help you run a successful Booster Club Car Wash Fundraiser, we have a put together a step by step guide to help you through the process.

Create Your Booster Club Car Wash Supply List

The first step in planning your Booster Club Car Wash Fundraiser, is preparing a list of materials and items that you need to run the car wash. A lack of proper supplies can severely impact the productivity of the car wash and in turn cause you to miss your fundraising goal. Here are some of the most important items that should be on the list:

• Hoses – to rinse the cars and fill buckets
• Sponges – to softly wash the cars
• Buckets – to hold water to wash the cars
• Dry towels – Get plenty of these, for drying cars
• Shammys – We suggest these as they can be used and re-used all day to dry cars (while towels get wet and damp)
• Washcloths – to wash harder to get at areas (ie. Hubcaps)
• Soap – Bring plenty and make sure it is designed for cars, and if you want to go one step further, make sure it is ecofriendly.
• Brushes – (optional) car wash brushes for washing and getting into hard to reach areas
• Glass cleaner – If you are offering interior cleaning glass cleaner is necessary
• Vacuums – again if you are offering interior cleaning, this is necessary
• Optional – Sell car air fresheners as an extra revenue source!

With a complete list and the needed quantities of each item, you can now approach your booster club volunteers and parents of kids in your club to lend the needed items. It helps to assign one volunteer to be in charge of making sure that all items are covered for the event and that those items arrive for the event and are given back to the proper club lender. Between all of the booster club volunteers and parents, there should be ample items to cover the car wash.  In the event there is a shortfall, the club may have to purchase some limited items.

Make Sure the Booster Club Car Wash Fundraiser Goals are Clear!

Now that you have decided to hold a booster club car wash fundraiser, you need to make sure that the goal of the fundraiser is clear to both your booster club supporters and the general public. Whether your fundraiser is organized to support the educational funding, send children to a competition or buy equipment; everyone involved through volunteering or paying for a car wash wants to know what their time and money is being utilized for. Furthermore being clear about your booster club fundraising goals for the car wash will usually lead to larger donations from car wash patrons and in turn help you meet your fundraising monetary goal faster!

Hold Your Booster Club Car Wash In A Busy Highly Visible Location

The golden rule of real estate is location, location, location!  This rule comes in handy when locating a place to hold a successful booster club car wash fundraiser. You want to find a busy location that can accommodate a good amount of traffic in and out.  The busier the location, the better! Shear volume of car traffic will massively increase your chances of attracting enough cars into your booster club car wash to meet your fundraising goals. Another advantage of a busy location is that the volunteers and students promoting with signs can easily attract new customers and supporters without having to go too far away from the car wash location. When you add in a low or donation based cost to a high traffic area, you are sure to run a successful booster club car wash fundraiser.

Ensure Your Booster Car Wash Location Has Access to Water and Hose Hook Ups

A common mistake that people make when choosing a highly visible location, is forgetting to ensure that they have proper access to water!  Many times car washes have to move or be cancelled due to something as simple as not having water access. When you are talking to a potential location, make sure that they have hose hook ups (ideally more than one) and that your booster club will have access to those hook ups on the day of your car wash. In some cases, a local business agrees to allow the car wash, but is closed the day of the car wash and there is no external water or no external handles for the outdoor hose hook ups!

Promote Your Car Wash Fundraiser With Posters & Flyers

Now that you have the supplies and location, you need to make sure you promote your booster club car wash fundraiser! We recommend you create posters and flyers to promote the date, location and cost of your booster club car wash fundraiser.  With a flyer and poster design in hand we suggest making 10-20 prints of the poster, and around 300 flyer prints to distribute around the community. In addition to promotional posters and flyers, you should also plan on making a few CAR WASH FUNDRAISER signs with arrows on them that volunteers will hold on the busy streets around your booster club car wash location.

Share Your Booster Club Car Wash Fundraiser in Advance on Social Media

If your booster club has social media profiles (which it absolutely should) – you should promote your car wash fundraiser on them well in advance. Just like the flyers, to ensure you have a successful booster club car wash fundraiser you need to make sure that your social media posts include all of the important information related to Car Wash Fundraiser. Whether you are using Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, or all three, let all your followers know about the Car Wash Fundraiser so they can support by having their car washed or support by working the event! We recommend starting to post 3 weeks before the date of the car wash. Make sure you then regularly post about it up until the car wash happens to be sure that all of your followers know.

Make Sure Your Booster Club Works Closely with Student and Club Volunteers

With promotion for your car wash fundraiser running, you need to finalize your team to run the event. It is important to have students, volunteers and booster club managers participate in the fundraiser. In fact you should plan to over staff the car wash to make sure that you have enough workers if someone gets sick, forgets or can’t make it for any other reason. As you select your team, make sure to divide the tasks so everyone is very clear regarding who is handling which duties. Depending on how well you know your students and volunteers you may even want to assign car wash jobs based on individual skills.

A successful booster club car wash fundraiser is one of the best ways to generate club revenue in short period of time. Even though there are clear steps to success, the truth is a car wash fundraiser can be organized in a few days and held on a regular basis around your community to generate donations on consistent basis for your booster club.  When you are looking for ways to keep donations coming into your booster club, don’t forget about the car wash – a simple fundraising tool that can work in any community!