FUNDRAISING CAR
WASH-A-THON
1) Find a good location
that will let you have a car wash, and schedule it at least 4-6 weeks
in advance. (Have a rain date as well.) We were able to use a local
bank (closed on Saturday). Other places to check include stores like
Wal-mart or churches on busy streets. (This was the hardest step for
us.)
2) Create paperwork. Make up some donor receipts. The receipt includes
the date and location of the car-wash-a-thon. Give each girl an info
sheet, a donor tally sheet and an envelope to collect the donations.
(The donations are a direct gift to the GS troop.)
3) The girls ask friends, neighbors, and family members to donate
to the car-wash-a-thon. The car wash is FREE (donations are accepted,
of course.) Suggested donation is $5. Encourage all donors to come
for their FREE car wash.
4) The girls prepare posters for the FREE car wash. Put some near
the car wash location on bulletin boards, and have some for girls
to hold up on the sidewalk during the car wash to alert passers-by.
5) One girl makes a nice donations collection can/box. Have a card
table to place it on. Have a girl prepare a "customer hospitality
center". Set up some folding chairs for customers to sit on while
they wait. You can serve coffee or lemonade and GS cookies (from the
freezer if necessary) to customers while they wait.
6) Get all your washing supplies - hoses, buckets, car wash detergent,
sponges, rags, towels. (Thrift stores that take donations are a good
place to ask for donations of rags and old towels. Yard sales are
another good low-cost source.) Schedule girls and parent volunteers
to work shifts. (Don't forget sunscreen!)
7) Hold the car
wash. Some customers are previous donors, but many are just passing
by. Most everyone who stops in will also donate money.
8) Send a nice thank you card, signed by all the girls, to your location
sponsor!
(GSUSA suggestion : we may need to be more flexible re. dates,
given the vagaries of the British climate, but the idea is still sound!)
(See also the downloads
page, where you will find lots of other fundraising ideas in downloadable
format.)
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