The school and team fundraiser guide: raising $3,000 in a Saturday

In June 1993 my grandmother June let the Dundee Elementary PTA set up folding tables in our lot. They raised $1,140 and she decided we should do it every weekend someone asked. Since then we have hosted more than 600 charity wash days for schools, teams, churches and shelters, and the program has passed $418,000 raised.

Some groups raise a few hundred dollars. Some raise over three thousand. The difference is almost never the weather. It is planning. Here is what the top groups do.

How our fundraiser program works

Your group brings volunteers to hand-dry cars, hold signs and collect donations. We provide the location, the tunnel, towels, soap, printed signs, a donation jar kit and a share of every tunnel wash sold at that site during your event. You keep 100 percent of cash donations.

• $3 from every tunnel wash sold during your four-hour window.
• Printed yard signs and a digital flyer with your group name.
• Clean microfiber towels, gloves and water for volunteers.
• A Hometown crew lead on site to keep everyone safe.

Pick the right date and time

Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm is the sweet spot, especially in April, May and September. Avoid holiday weekends and big Husker home games unless your group is fine with a quieter lot. Apply at least four weeks ahead because spring dates fill up fast.

Promote like you mean it

Start two weeks out

Share the flyer we send in parent group chats, church bulletins and team social pages. Ask every volunteer to text ten people directly. Personal invitations outperform posts every single time.

Sell pre-paid wash tickets

The highest-earning groups sell $15 pre-paid tickets for The Works in the week before. Grandparents and coworkers who cannot come still buy them, and every ticket counts toward your total.

The Benson High band sold 140 tickets before their wash day even started. They raised $3,130 and played the fight song for every tenth car.

On the day

• Assign shifts of 90 minutes so volunteers stay energetic.
• Put your most outgoing people at the lot entrance with signs.
• Have a Venmo or QR code sign as well as a cash jar.
• Thank every driver by name if they are wearing a team shirt.

Safety matters. Volunteers stay in the drying area and never step onto the conveyor or into traffic lanes. Our crew lead will walk through the rules at the start.

After the wash

We send your donation check within ten business days with a total of tunnel washes sold. Post a thank-you with your total and tag the families who came. Groups that do this get noticeably bigger turnouts the next year.

Ready to plan yours? Apply on our community page and our fundraiser coordinator will call within two business days.

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