Charities & Fund Raisers

One of the questions I always get when talking to new detailers or tinters is why I'm so big on doing charities and fund raisers. You can think of it as being a good community citizen or being a great business development tool. Either way you benefit by working with charities in your area.

Your church is a great place to start. If you don't have one, find a local church that runs bingo's and silent auctions. Basically, you donate certificates for full value detailing services. Make them full boat top of the line "Ultimate" packages. I always gave $250 top of the line packages and the church loved it because they auctioned them off at nearly face value each time. The church benefits because you just made them money that they can use for operations. You benefit because where do you think they are going to tell people to go to for your services? Who do you think the other members of the church will think of when they need their cars cleaned after winter? Those nice guys who donate to the church is who they will call. Many times your Priest or Minister will even place your company name in their weekly bulletin and that gives you even more exposure.

Here's an added bonus. At the end of the year, all of this is a charitable contribution to the full value of the service you provided. So if you gave them four $250 Ultimate packages to raffle or auction off, you just got a $1,000 write off. They come in handy when you stop buying so much equipment after your first few years in business. That's when you start making big bucks and need to find as many write-off's as possible. Plus, keep in mind that it's really not costing you anything. I always make sure the charity work is done by me just so you get your face out there and can promote the business more. So labor cost isn't a factor and what are your costs on doing a detail? Really hardly anything. The benefits are far greater to you in tax benefits and good will developed for you in the eyes of your local community.

So donate generously to your local church and non-profits that can use the help. It's a great way to get your name out there and believe me when I tell you the customers you get from it are very loyal to members of their church.