Test Drive Fundraiser

BMW of Northwest Arkansas in Rogers, Arkansas offered folks a chance to test drive a BMW. For every mile driven, the BMW corporation donated a dollar to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. This is an easy fundraiser! Obviously the car dealers want folks to drive their cars in hopes they will make a sale. They do this every day from their showrooms. Since your organization will be providing free advertising and hopefully getting more “test drivers” to their dealership, a local car dealer in your area may offer something similar to BMW.

A school in Princeton County, Kentucky held a “Drive for the Kids” fund-raiser in conjunction with the primary/elementary PTA fall festival. Parents and guardians who test-drove vehicles earned money for the schools. The fund-raiser was sponsored by a local automobile dealer and the manufacturer. The manufacturer donated a fixed amount toward expenses involved in hosting the event to the PTA, plus $5 for each test drive of a vehicle with a completed evaluation form.

A high school in Burlington, Wisconsin held a “Drive One 4 UR School” fundraiser. Miller Motor Sales of Burlington and Ford Motor Company donated $20 to the school’s athletics department for every person who test-drove a Ford vehicle on a designated Saturday at the school. As of May 2011, since the start of Ford’s Drive One 4 UR School program in 2007, more than 275,000 test-drives at more than 1,500 events have generated over $5 million in donations for high schools nationwide.

We have included a number of do-it-yourself fundraising ideas in this section that offer a break from traditional product sales. They were developed by groups just like yours in an attempt have a little fun with their fundraiser. Some of them are tried and true while others show a lot of creativity … and even wackiness in some cases. All of them are obviously not appropriate for every group, but sometimes, with only a little modification, your might find some fund raising ideas that are perfect for your group. If you have an idea for a do-it-yourself fund raiser you are willing to share with others, please send it to us via email. Include anything and everything you would want to know if you were hearing the idea for the first time.