Car rally
Events, functions and fundraising activities
Car Rally
A car rally fundraiser can be run in two different formats, each with differing levels of work required for their success.
Multi-day Car Rally
This format takes an incredible amount of work to ensure its success. A Multi-day Car Rally can be run similar to the famous “Bourke Bash”; stopping at country towns in dressed up cars that can help attract attention and fundraising along the route.
Each entrant is required to run a specific event each evening to help raise funds. This is a major event and runs over a large distance with substantial technical requirements from the entrants. It is also the organiser’s responsibility to ensure safety and any mechanical or health assistance required is available at all times. This event is a massive undertaking and requires 1-2 years planning, the detail required is beyond this website, we suggest contacting the Variety Bash organisers or The Great Endeavour Rally – both have been run for many years.
One-day Car Rally
This format is much more manageable for clubs to undertake on their own. Club members and friends are encouraged to join forces in a car, travel to various destinations and undertake a variety of tasks. Points and prizes are awarded for the winners.
The Format
A Car Rally has a set course to navigate over a day with tasks to be completed at each checkpoint. Clues are picked up from checkpoints that will lead the driver and team to their next destination and task. Tasks and clues can be as creative as you like… Puzzles, flags, riddles.
Participants should have to collect photographic evidence and also bring back relevant items from each checkpoint as proof of completing the task.
It is important to set a realistic finish time so that cars can finish well within time. Your club might also like to have a gathering at the conclusion of the event to relive all the excitement and announce the winners. This can be held at the club rooms or at a local restaurant or pub.
It is very important that participants understand this is not a race and that they are not awarded points based on competition times. This is imperative to ensure there is no pressure to make unsafe choices when driving on the roads.
Why Car Rally?
A car rally does take significant planning, organisation and support. It can be a great event that is also used as a social event and team building exercise on your club’s calendar.
It is important to be aware that this fundraiser does call on your club community to donate and doesn’t give an great opportunity for fundraising dollars to be made from external sources. This can be lessened by allowing your members to bring friends and family along for the ride.
When should I hold this fundraiser?
A car rally can be held at any time of the year but considering weather and road safety conditions is important. It could also be written in the calendar as one of the major, yearly social events at the club.
Key Activities
These are the tasks you will need to consider assign to volunteers at our club:
Before the Day
- Decide a date for the Car Rally fundraiser.
- Promote the fundraiser.
- Organise the stops and activities at each.
- Organise volunteers to help.
- Organise any food and beverages that will be for sale.
- Organise any raffles or auctions that might run at the same time.
- Sell tickets and help facilitate the grouping of teams.
On the Day
- Ensure the stops and activities are ready to go.
- Brief Volunteers of their roles.
- Monitor the event.
- Take lots of photos.
After the day
- Publicly thank everyone involved
- Announce the amount of money raised in club newsletters, on social media, website and around the club.
Who can help?
It is important to engage your members and community to help in the running of your fundraiser.
For a Car Rally event you could approach them to help:
- Promote and sell the tickets
- Help secure sponsors and prizes
- Help come up with stops and activities
- Help logistically on the day
Recruiting your people
It is important to create a culture of volunteering at your club to help not only with fundraising but also across the day to day running of your club. For more on how to create this at your club, click here.
Using technology to making it easier
You may like to consider using technology to reduce the workload on your volunteers and increase your fundraising dollars. For an event like this, you may like to sell tickets using a platform like TryBooking.
TryBooking lets you sell tickets, take payments and donations for events online.
This takes care of a great deal of the work that is usually left to volunteers and automates the ticket selling process.
You can set up and customise your own event page and a unique URL in minutes. This lets you easily share the event online and engage members and supporters. Your club may also like to use social media, email newsletters and your club website to promote the event.
Financial Considerations
A Car Rally itself is very inexpensive to run as most costs are incurred by participants (petrol, food, etc). The main cost to consider for your club is prizes. It is a great idea to try to source prizes from club sponsors or local businesses.
The main fundraising dollars come from the entrance fee to join the rally but you may also like to offer the sale of food and drinks or a raffle.
For additional fundraising opportunities your club might like to seek sponsorship from local businesses for the rally, for example “The Soccer Club Car Rally, Proudly sponsored by…”
Promotion
Car Rallies are best promoted in-house using:
- Club website
- Newsletter
- Noticeboard
- Signs around the club (especially the canteen)
- Blackboards
- Club Facebook and Twitter.
Communication considerations
Effective communication is important for your Car Rally event. You can use social media to build excitement, sell tickets and countdown to the day.
You can also live stream the event on the day so that those in your community that can’t attend can be part of the event.
It is also important to consider how participants will communicate safely with your club during the event.
Social, Moral and Ethical Considerations
Supply of Alcohol
It is important to consider whether your club will allow the sale of alcohol at club events. Events can be alcohol free or limits or restrictions set in advance. Clubs need to consider how they will manage the risks of binge drinking as well as the Responsible Service of Alcohol.
This is especially important for your Car Rally event as there is driving involved.
What can go wrong? (Risk Management)
Financial Risks
There are obvious financial risks if enough tickets aren’t sold to cover prizes and set up costs.
Participant and Road Safety
The health and wellbeing of those who attend your event should be a focus at all times. It is important that your club takes time to consider all possible risks and how to minimise these. There are additional dangers to consider when road safety is involved and these need to be made clear to your participants. You may consider a code of conduct for drivers or a disclaimer agreement for them to sign. It is also important to ensure that no stops that are a “race” or time dependant as this may encourage participants to take unnecessary risks on the road.
Weather
The weather can make the day difficult to run should their be extreme heat or extreme rain. Alternative arrangements should be discussed and decided on prior to the day should they be necessary.
Licenses and Permits
It is important to be clear to all entrants that all drivers need valid licenses and cars need to be roadworthy and insured. Clubs need to speak with their insurance company to check if there are any further requirements that need to be satisfied and whether participants need to sign a disclaimer agreement prior to the event.
Clubs also need to check with their state or territory regulatory body to make sure they have all the required permissions to run a Car Rally.
Additional Revenue Opportunities
It is a great idea to encourage your club community to bring their friends for a fun time! The more people that attend the greater the opportunity to raise even more fundraising dollars for your club.
It is also a good idea to film some of the action for promoting the fun in future years!
This links to other pages that have fundraising ideas that can run simultaneously, should the club like to.
Suppliers/Links
Any specific suppliers or links for this particular fundraiser. Could be used for 3rd party advertising in the future.
Disclaimer
This procedure should be treated as a guide only. Your club should seek advice specific to the needs of your club and event. Seek further details from authorities and service providers; especially in regards to insurance, licences, permits, spectator and participant safety.