Fundraising by Car washing ...Does it work?

So after Tom and I passed the Amazon 2020 selection weekend, we realised that £5000 is a lot of money and it is going to take quite a bit of effort to raise this figure, not to mention the fact that both of us want to do it (we realised the possibility of partly funding the trip by means of the bank of mum and dad wouldn't be an option!).

As we had already gained experience of using car washing as a means of raising funds, we thought we should give it a go to fundraise for the Amazon. But each of us knew that it would mean a lot of cars and a lot of work to reach th £5000 target.

Over a duration of around 8 months, every other weekend we would be out in our local village cleaning cars. It was hard work but proved to be effective to start our fundraising journey. During that time we learned a lot about what car washing is like as a fundraising activity. In our opinion, car washing was a great way of raising funds but there are pro's and cons you should consider before diving straight into it.

So firstly why should you car wash?

> efficiency - rather then spending loads of time travelling to get to a job, you can just go out in your local area and start cracking on with it. It generally takes 1 hour per car to do a proper job and often we would be fundraising considerably more per hour through car washing then if we choose to raise funds via part time work.

> flexibility - with car washing you are the boss - you decide when and where you can do it. The amount of cars you do is determined by the amount of time you can commit to doing it. Its not like a 9-5 job where you have to do a certain number of hours during the day. Also, we were generally able to fit car washing around our school studies and also allowed ourself often a 1 hour lunch break (what frenchman i know!).

> demand - a lot of drivers forget to clean their car or just don't want the inconvenience of going somewhere special to get their car cleaned. However many people like their cars to be clean and looking in nice condition, especially working professionals.

> socialising - car washing can be a great way to chat with the people, learn new things and get to know your local neighbour with the added bonus that sometimes you might even get offered a cuppa tea and a selection of biscuits on the job!

> respectable form of fundraising - your are providing a service to people as a means to fundraise rather than solely asking people for money. Our fundraising experience has found people really endear to this. Additionally, car washing over several months taught me that money doesn't come out of thin air. You really have to work for it.

> easy to learn, easy to do - the internet is a a great place to find out how to wash a car properly. A couple of youtube 'How to' videos and attempts of putting the skills you learn in practise will be enough to turn into a car washing beast. Remember, you DO NOT have to be a car washing expert to do a grand job and make people happy. As long the car seems free from the majority of dirt (including bird poop) and has some what of a shine then 9/10 it will be fine for the client.

Alllright so before you run out the door, rags in one hand and buckets in the other after reading this, we would like to share some of the problems with car washing as a fundraising effort:

> motivation and deterimination - car washing takes effort to do well, and not only that, it can be hard to muster the confidence to knock on peoples doors in the neighbourhood and ask residents whether they would like their car washed. Many a time I would get rejected and feel disheartened or i simply didn't enjoy it. You will get that, and although it can be rare , some days you will find that not many cars need to been cleaned (especially if you have cleaned the majority of them in the past several weeks). If you do get rejected, don't take it personally. Keep trying and you will get there. There will always be generous people who would love their car cleaned and contribute to their cause. When you feel tired and reluctant to carrying on, remember that every car you do will reach you further to your goal.

> equipment - while most of the equipment is relatively inexpensive, if you want to do a really awesome job, you may need to invest in a power washer if a resident doesn't have one. Second hand in my opinion is the way to go....ebay or gumtree is a good place to look for this.

> weather - the effectiveness of car washing does depend on the weather. Rain is an issue and will prevent cars from drying. In contrast, really sunny conditions may cause cars sun spots in the drying process. Tom and I found that the best kind of days for car washing are warm, have a strong breeze but not too sunny.

> enjoyment - i found as i went along my fundraising journey, car washing got quite laborious and I felt i needed a change. It involves a singicant amount of physical labour. Believe me rubbing dirt off wheels can drain the life out of you on bad days.

Car washing and valeting at a local garage

Other tips:

- dry the washing towels straight after use

- don't use lint rags as these will tend to leave microfibres on the bodywork. Fine to use on the wheels though

- you don't need the best cleaning agent - budget halfords car shampoo will do perfectly fine

- do the roof first and work your way down. This is will save you time and effort, trust me.

- why not bring your mates along! Often car washing can be a great way to spend time with friends and have some fun in the sun, providing you get the job done at the end of the day.

Please note: no customer cars were involved in this video. Boredom overcame us staying indoors so we decided to hit the streets.

Wrapping up, car washing is a brilliant way to fundraise. Its simple, reasonably reliable and an effective source of funding for any trip. At times it can be tedious but then soo can a 9-5 hour job. Whilst we don't do as much car washing now due to preparing for our final exams and partly wanting a change in how we fundraise, if your starting out your fundraising journey and don't know what to do, it can be a great way to rack in those first installments. I suggest just give it a go!

So that's all from me this week. Hopefully I have helped share my experience of doing car washing as a fundraiser and helped you decide whether it's the right thing for you. Do keep your eyes peeled for more fundraising and adventure tips as well as future sustainability posts and fundraising updates. All the best guys.

Harry