Fundraiser - washing cars at a car wash.

[Killer_Rush]

A local baseball team asked me to use my wash as the staging area for their car washing fundraiser.


That's like asking Burger King if you could sell burgers in their parking lot.

They want to do it on Saturday from 9 to 12. That's like the busiest time and day for me to make money.


What would you do?

 

[Waxman]

i have done fundraisers like this;

1. group advertises heavily
2. group shows up on chosen day
3. carwash runs normally all day
4. group offers " towel dry for tips" which they self manage
5. group has bake sale etc at wash for extra $
6. i did a pre- determined split of gross revenue for the day, reconciled with group leader at end of day.

easy. keep it simple.

 

[washnshine]

Exactly. Let them use your lot and customers to enhance the service. If they do their part with advertising, you should have more business than usual and the split up of the profits at the end of the day takes care of your rental of the facility to the group for the day. Win - Win.

 

[Wash4Life]

I believe a balance can be found between a car wash and a fundraising entity. I mean, I wouldn't want the fundraiser handwashing cars on any of my sites. I feel Waxman and washnshine offered some great ideas.

I do have a funny story. My dad and I had a hyperactive employee named Stanley. He had a great corporate job at Aamco and gave it up to pursue nursing. He was enrolled at the local community college. He became the president of the Resident Nurses Club on campus.

Stanley approached my dad and asked him Dad would be willing to host car wash fundraiser for the Resident Nurses Club. He spat out a vision of them towel drying cars completed in the tunnel. He asked Dad for 50 cents per car.

"Stan, we're washing 100 cars this time of the year,," my dad said. "You'll make 50 cents, and these people don't tip." I must note that we used to scrub down cars during an earlier form of our car wash, and you would be lucky to get a buck out of hundreds of cars washed. "I"ll just write your club a check for $200."

 

[Eric H]

"I"ll just write your club a check for $200."

I think I’ll just do this whenever asked. I feel like I have to be on site for these events so I don’t host them. I’ve only been asked 2-3 times over the past 20 plus years.

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

I think I’ll just do this whenever asked. I feel like I have to be on site for these events so I don’t host them. I’ve only been asked 2-3 times over the past 20 plus years.

Yep. Add on top the liability you assume. Anything from damaged cars to a kid getting run over. No thanks

 

[soapy]

I used to let them sell tokens for the automatics. buy 3 get the fourth free and they kept 75% of the money made. The first couple of groups that did it made a lot of money. Now days the kids are to lazy to even do this. When I do see them doing a parking lot wash it is more of a get together grab a.. session with nothing getting done.

 

[sjb]

If it is a good corporate alliance to cultivate and develop, then find a way to make it work…. Future customers

What I love is when it is a group of “unsactioned” bimbo’s that show up and feel entitled to run their scam on the premises… but I digress

We have a biz policy that allows the customer to hand wash their own cars as long as the meter is running while they are in the wash bay….

You can use it as a good teaching opp on how to properly wash their own cars….

9/10 understand and comply, the other 10% are in cahoots with the Bimbo’….

Let us know how it evolves

 

[Earl Weiss]

Never wanted potential liability . I had coupons for a wash at my place (Tunnels) they could sell. Some used a 2 part coupon -That way one was a raffle so it served a dual purpose. Coupons were redeemable for a 2 week period. The group kept 100% of the proceeds. Also would donate some tp groups doing a silent auction. 1. This avoided rain out issues as well. They could also make a lot more $ . If they had 20 members and each sold 20 washes that was a lot more than they could make washing cars.

 

[liftheavy]

i dont know if this applies for ss/iba, but there are platforms by optspot and welcomemat where you orgs can set up a stripe account and you can set them up a website where customers can buy your washes online -- 50% goes to you, 50% goes to the organization of choice automatically. wash coupons are sent to the customers via text, and you also get to collect their phone number for future drip marketing. these are the only fundraisers i do now.