Tips for making a
Charity Car Donation
Donating your car to charity is a great way to change the lives of others for the better. A charity car donation is a way of helping the needy that not only will pay you back moneywise, but also give the peace and satisfaction of knowing you’ve made a difference for someone. But bear in mind this is possibly the largest donation you’ll ever make, and it pays to do a little research. Here are a few tips to help ensure that your charity car donation is a pleasant experience.
First of all, obviously you need to decide what type of car donation charities you’d like to benefit. Today there are charitable organizations that accept charity car donations in every corner of the country. So pick one that will benefit a mission you’d be proud to support… a car donation doesn’t have to be just about helping a specific organization or group of people, it can also be about supporting what you believe in. There are numerous organizations reachable via the web, and you can also browse through the organizations listed in our directory.
If you decide to use an intermediary organization for your auto donation, be sure to research what percentage of the sale of your vehicle will actually go toward helping your favorite charity. These organizations will keep a portion of the proceeds to go towards their administrative costs… you can’t forget that there are expenses to keep any organization running. Still, because these organizations vary in what they keep from the sale of your vehicle, it’s a good idea to shop around to ensure that a respectable percentage of the sale will go toward your favorite causes.
Perhaps one of the most important things when considering a charity for a car donation is to verify that they are indeed classified as an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) organization. Otherwise, you won’t qualify to claim your car donation tax deduction. That’s not to say that an organization that’s not classified as such won’t try to help the needy… but there are loads of organizations that are classified as 501(c)(3), and donating to them will put you on the road to a nice deduction on tax day.
Finally, to help avoid incurring liability, make sure you sign the title over to the receiving charity before they pick it up, and remove your license plates from the vehicle. Just because the tow truck leaves your home with the vehicle, doesn’t automatically mean you’re cleared of all responsibility. Laws and policies vary from area to area, so check with your attorney for details relative to your specific used car donation.
By making a charity car donation, your vehicle you can help improve the lives of others while getting a nice tax deduction for yourself. And by doing just a little research, you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing the process through and through.
Looking for a nationwide list of agencies accepting car donations?
Visit our Charity Directory page!
There you'll find organizations from coast to coast, including listings by state, to help you narrow the list of candidates to whom you'd like to donate.