Fundraising is not only a great way to raise money for your FBLA chapter, but is also a great way to get more of your members involved within the chapter! This month, the fundraising idea that we will be highlighting is “Carwashes”.
As the hot days of summer pass by and the cooler days of winter arrive, you’ll find that less and less people are wanting to wash their cars by themselves. That alongside the fact that kids now have school, everyone’s schedules become incredibly busy. However even with all this going, cars are still getting dirty, and there’s a demand for people to wash them. This is where your FBLA chapter can step in.
The key to a good carwash is dependent upon three things: location, date, and advertisement. The first step is to talk to local car washes, and find a manual carwash station that is willing to sponsor your event. The hook for them is that they simply have to provide you with their facility and they get recognition alongside a large customer base. Remember to pick a location that isn’t too far away from your community and is easily accessible to most people.
The second step is to figure out a date that works for both your members and people. Scheduling a carwash the day of a big parade or concert will result in a minute amount of people attending your event, and will ultimately lead to a failed effort. On the flip side, choosing a date where people may be free but your members aren’t means that you have no one to run your carwash, again leading to a failed effort. The trick is to find the balance. Attempt to schedule your carwash on weekends, where there aren’t any big events and you know that most people in your community would be free, and where your members would be able to come out and run the effort.
The third and final step is to advertise, advertise, advertise. Even if you have the perfect location and the perfect date, if no one knows that there’s a carwash that day, you won’t have any customers! Start planning out those details a few weeks in advance, and give yourself around a week or two to advertise. This means printing out flyers, having school announcements, sending out emails to car dealerships and local businesses. Regardless of the manner of communication, the more you get word out about your carwash, the better your fundraising effort will be.
Doing all this may seem daunting at first, but remember, you’re not alone! You have your chapter adviser and the chapter leadership team to help you out. If executed properly a carwash can be a great way to raise money for your school and get many of your members involved!
