Helping Hands Fundraising Program
The Helping Hands Fundraising Program was started in 1994 and quickly became the keystone of Cloister's community service efforts. Over 2,100 participants, from a three county area, earned more than $2 million to help support their organizations. Cloister covered the marketing and administration costs, so participating organizations kept every dollar they made.
Participants would sell any combination of Cloister's four wash packages or oil service packages at the published retail price. Typically, the organization would keep half of the proceeds, but Cloister often gave back more than 50% when the need called for increased generosity.
Typical participants would be sports organizations, Lions Clubs, Rotaries, business associations, and schools. Many of the participants did the program year after year, and it was not uncommon for participants to raise $10,000 in a single year, and $100,000 or more over the many years they participated.
Helping Hands benefited Cloister, too. By investing in the community Cloister built good will, and many people who worked for the organizations that used Helping Hands became lifetime customers of Cloister.
Cloister received many letters of appreciation from participants. They talked about the money they made, the great product Cloister delivered, and how welcomed and comfortable they felt when they came to a wash. A thank you letter from a Children's Learning Center sums up what Cloister wanted this program to be about…
"Excellent program. We thank you wholeheartedly. We raised enough to sponsor one child for a year. Thanks again"
– Victor Frederick, 32 Degree Children's Learning Centers
Helping people and being a good corporate citizen was the goal of the Helping Hands Fundraising Program.
