Car Wash

Since the invention of the water hose, people have been doing car washes to raise money. –Okay, maybe not that long… If you have never done a carwash, you should do at least one.

Rather than rehash how to do a car wash, let me offer a few different ways of doing it that I have had success with.

SET PRICE – This is the oldest way of doing a carwash. You gather people and hoses together at a certain location and wash cars. The price is advertised and non-negotiable. Everybody pays $5 or $10 or whatever price you have set. I have found this method to be the LEAST profitable to do a carwash.

DONATION – There is some money to be made with this method IF you are in the right location. You obviously do not want to do this next to a place where mainly youth age kids are hanging out. For many of them the word “donation” will translate into $1. Try to choose a place that has fairly good traffic with mostly adults. Try to get near restaurants where adults and senior citizens go. Make sure that you have a sign showing who you are and what you raising money for. I have seen some groups that even put out a chart showing how close to their goal they were. (If you do this, it is a good idea to move the money to another location frequently.) Profits are unpredictable, but it is usually much better than having a set price.

ADVANCE SELL – Have members of your group sell car wash tickets in advance at a discount price. If you plan to charge $5 for the carwash, sell the tickets in advance for $4. Many people will buy tickets in advance with no intention of showing up to have their car washed. If you do manage to sell 100 tickets in advance, be prepared to wash 100 cars (plus the ones that just drive up) if they show up. I suggest that you include the date and times of the carwash on the tickets. Also include an alternate date in case of bad weather. This method has proven itself to be the MOST profitable way of doing a car wash.

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Several things will affect how successful your carwash is. The primary factors are weather and location. The weather can be difficult to predict, but there is usually going to be one time of the year that is friendlier than the others. In general, your carwash will be more successful in the parking lot of a restaurant of shopping mall than at the church. An added benefit is that you are sometimes able to use somebody else’s water for free.

Another factor is the number of people available to wash cars. People are usually not going to wait a half an hour or more to give you money. Make sure there are plenty of workers scheduled to get the cars washed and people out as quickly as possible. Schedule several adults to help and don’t forget to keep a couple of them dry in case they are asked to move a car.

Remember that you are representing your group and your church. Few things are worse than going to a church sponsored car wash where people are inappropriately dressed (do I need to explain?). Make sure the actions and language of your group are in-line with the image that you want to portray of your church.

Safety is a top concern. Watch out for other cars and people. If you have made a lot of money, have it moved somewhere safe. I would never keep more than $50 in cash at the site of the carwash. If a car needs to be moved, have it done by an adult.

Don’t forget to do a good job on the carwash! The quality of your work will be remembered!