Before Donating a Car - By: joanwrites

Before making a car donation, there are a number of factors which must be carefully considered. First, picking the right charity to make your donation to is a vital part of the process. Contrary to what most people assume, not all charities are ideal for your donation. For one thing, a good number of charities are not approved IRS 501(c)(3) organizations, so donating your car to them won’t get you a tax deduction, no matter how much the car is worth. Therefore, always make sure you are donating to a charity that will qualify you for a tax deduction.

Don’t use middlemen
It’s advised that charities which involve intermediaries be avoided at all costs. The main reason for this is that when middlemen get involved, their own fee is removed from your donation. And their share is not insubstantial: Some donation intermediaries take nearly 75% of the value of the car donation. Only about 30% actually gets used for the charity’s programs. This means that the middlemen are actually the ones who benefit the most from your donation, a lot more than the needy people you intended to help.

Get a receipt
Most, if not all, charities these days give receipts to donors as evidence that the donor actually donated their car to support the charity. However, especially if there is some unscrupulous activity going on, a charity might not give you a receipt. Don’t let them get away with that. You must insist that you want a receipt or some other proof that you donated a car. The receipt must say what you donated, and if possible, the value of your donation. Keep the receipt safe, because if any disputes or questions arise later, the receipt will be your proof of donation.

Track it
The last step is taking the initiative of tracking your donation. Car donation scams are not rare, and the last thing you want is to realize that you have been a victim of such a scam. Follow up on the donation process until the very end to see to it that the people in need really benefited from your donation. The receipt and other necessary paperwork will help you track your donation.

About the Author

For more details visit Heritage for the Blind.

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