Given the nice weather during summer, it would be an excellent idea to combine a birthday party with a car wash fundraiser! This is a particularly good idea if your teen is interested in having fun with his or her friends, as well as giving back to a favorite charity. Who knows, this act of generosity may catch on with your teen’s friends, making a real difference within the community.
Here are some top tips for organizing your own Car Wash Party:
- Have your teen decide what charity the donations will go to.
- Call and ask the charity about your plan and what they need. For example, if it is a favorite local library, do they need more books? If it is the humane society, do they need pet care items? Of course, they could always request monetary donations as well.
- In your invitation, explain the aim of the car wash. Ask the guests to bring an adult with a car to the party for washing. Instead of bringing a gift, have the parents pay for their car wash with items that the charity needs or a donation in whatever amount they would like to give.
- Also, ask everyone to dress appropriately for the car wash. They are going to get soapy and a bit wet, so bathing suits, board shorts and flip flops are a good idea!
- Set up in the driveway of your home and place “car wash” signs all over the front yard.
- Have everyone work together to wash the cars thoroughly and in quick time.
- Have a special place for the payments, such as a bucket for cash donations or a large box for items being donated. Decorate this container with the logo of the charity.
- If you want the adults to know a bit more about where their donations are going, provide a flyer with this information as the receipt for the car wash.
- After the car wash is complete, the kids can even hold a water balloon fight!
Hopefully, this idea will catch on since everyone wins: The birthday teen has a fantastic charity in mind to support; everyone gets to work together and have fun washing cars, listening to music and playing water games afterwards, the adults feel good about their donations going to a worthy cause, and, ultimately, the organization benefits from the party. Everyone wins with this party theme, and it is really budget-friendly as well.
*Lisa Kothari is a kids' party planner and expert. Check out her site Peppers and Pollywogs for more fun party ideas!
