Do Car Dealerships and Auto Companies Donate to Local Events?

Yes, and the decision is usually local. The two dealerships in our directory, Illinois Harley-Davidson and New Orleans Harley-Davidson, each consider donation requests for events in their own area. Beyond dealerships, AAA Club Alliance considers written requests in its service area, New Hampshire Motor Speedway gives non-monetary donations to 501(c)(3)s, and the car wash chain Quick Quack offers a wash-pass sale instead of donated prizes. For a dealership near you, ask the dealership itself, in writing, for something specific.

Dealerships: ask the store, not the brand

Both dealership programs in our directory are run by the dealership, for its own community:

• Illinois Harley-Davidson donates to organizations and events in the areas around its store. Request through the online form on its website, which asks for your organization's information, contact details, event information and what you are looking for. It does not donate to individuals or to events run for profit.
• New Orleans Harley-Davidson considers requests from nonprofit or charitable organizations and events that improve the educational, cultural or civic life of the New Orleans area. Submit its Donation Request Form by fax or in person at least 45 days before your event. It reviews requests weekly and does not consider monetary requests.

New Orleans Harley-Davidson publishes the three questions it asks of every request: is the organization or event clearly nonprofit or charitable, will it improve the community's educational, cultural or civic life, and does it touch the dealership's priority areas. Those questions make a good test for any dealership request. Answer them in your first paragraph, whoever you are asking.

Our guides to who approves donation requests and asking a national company versus a local store explain why starting with the local decision-maker usually gets a faster answer.

What to ask a dealership for

Neither dealership page lists set items, so the ask is yours to shape. Ideas worth raising, none of which any dealership has promised:

• An item from the dealership's merchandise or apparel counter for a raffle or auction.
• A service certificate from its service department.
• A gift card, if the dealership offers them.
• Volunteers or a display at your event, if that fits what you are running.

Name one thing and say how it will be used, such as a door prize or silent auction item. A specific request is easier to approve than "anything you can give." Do not ask for cash from a program that says it will not consider it.

Other auto-related programs

• AAA Club Alliance, which AAA Mid-Atlantic's website now leads to, considers written requests for charitable and in-kind contributions from tax-exempt nonprofits in its service area, with priority for groups in which its associates are active. It says its budget for in-kind contributions is limited. The request goes by mail on letterhead, with your IRS tax-exempt ruling, a board list, current corporate contributors and an audited financial report covering the last two years. It does not fund repeat annual grants or multi-year in-kind contributions.
• New Hampshire Motor Speedway reviews non-monetary donation requests from 501(c)(3) organizations. Submit its online form at least 60 days ahead with two PDFs, a request letter on letterhead and your IRS determination letter. Event dates within 30 days of the Speedway's NASCAR weekend are not considered, and organizations are limited to one request per event per year.
• Garmin takes requests for product and other support through one online form, and one of the market categories it asks you to choose is Corporate/Auto. Garmin says it cannot support every request, and review can take up to six to eight weeks.
• Quick Quack Car Wash does not list a prize or product donation program. What it offers schools and groups is a wash-pass sale through its partner SuccessFund: your group sells single wash passes online and keeps 50 percent of every pass sold, with no minimum. When a new location opens, Quick Quack also holds a Preview Fundraiser for a nominated local cause.

Our automotive category lists every auto-related company in the directory.

A dealership request checklist

1. Find the dealership's own donation form or page first; if there is none, ask the front desk who handles community requests.
2. Send the request in writing, at least six weeks ahead unless the dealership states its own notice, such as New Orleans Harley-Davidson's 45 days.
3. Say plainly how your event serves the local community.
4. Ask for one specific item and say how it will be used.
5. Attach your 501(c)(3) letter or tax ID if you have one; our rundown of what companies require before they donate covers the usual documents.
6. Say how you will thank the dealership at the event, and then do it. Our guide to how to thank a company for a donation covers the follow-through.

For wording, our donation request letter guide and the restaurant and local company ask sheet work just as well for a dealership as for a restaurant.