Donating a car to charity

[WiscMomof2]

Does anyone have experience w/donating a car to charity? I'm looking for any advice/opinions. I've heard of Kars for Kids and Make a Wish, but don't really know how it all works.

Thanks!

 

[mousehockey37]

NPR (National Public Radio) and probably PBS do something with donations of cars... There's a radio show that I listen to from the Denver area every 2 weeks and they talk about turning your car into jazz and donating your vehicle...

I don't have any personal experience doing this, but there's more outlets than just the one you found...

 

[HopperFan]

I have will post when on computer but we found great difference in write off by who you use.

 

[debsters41]

Another idea, we had someone donate a car to our high school band so they could have a fundraiser "pay five bucks to take a swing at the car with a bat" type of thing. The school would probably have a tax code so you could claim it if you needed to. Maybe there is another local charity group in your community like a Junior League which could also arrange something

 

[HopperFan]

What we found is that most these "Donate a Car to Charity" were middle men that collected your car and sell it at auctions or to junk yards for parts, giving some money they made back to a charity. It makes sense because obviously most charities do not have the ability to handle the transaction. The issue was, after checking several, we were only going to get a value for write off of a few hundred dollars and IF they made more they might re-value. Would not hold my breath. While our car was older it was a Volvo in excellent condition with major under the hood work and brand new tires. The tires were worth almost as much as what they were going to give us to write off. I continued to research and found that the best option is to donate it to a charity (501c3) that was going to re-purpose the vehicle and would give you a better write off amount. We have a local group that operates a thrift shop, food bank and offers financial support to get folks back on their feet. They accept working cars that will be given to a family in need that has a job but no car. We took them the car and several ebay comps and they wrote up our IRS paperwork and donation letter to the comps. We are getting to write off 10x what the middle men were willing to do - and better yet I know we helped a family that really needed a car.

https://www.charitywatch.org/charitywatch-articles/tips-for-donating-a-car-to-charity/42

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/pub4303.pdf

 

[Mary2e]

Whichever organization you go with, check them on www.charitynavigator.org. Some of these places spend very little of what they receive on those in need.

 

[dromio42]

I work at a 501-C and have donated our last 3 cars. To get the blue book value of the car as a tax write-off, you need to donate to a not for profit that will use the car and not sell it for parts. You should get a thank you letter noting the year, make and model of the car as well as mileage. You determine the deduction amount for your taxes. PM me if you need clarification - or if you live near Western MA and want to donate to a theater company. We use the donated cars for actors going into schools to do Shakespeare with kids!

 

[kymom99]

I donated to St. Vincent DePaul. I was given a receipt and told to look up the KBB value for tax purposes. They also told me they had a client they were going to fix it up for. They took care of everything.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We have donated two cars to charity. We were not looking for a tax write off as both cars probably had blown transmissions.
Make sure you ask the charity if they take cars not in running condition if that is the case.
Our van was over 10 years old with a blown transmission - donated that to Teen Challenge because our church supports that mission
And ds 1 car blew the transmission in Connecticut while he was on a trip. It also had other major issues so
thanks to the DISers here I asked what places took cars not running in Conn. since we live in NY and I got 2 places. I cant remember but one was a breast cancer place and that is what we chose.
The whole donation was a logistical nightmare because my ds had to take a ferry and then ask the tow truck guy to drive him back and forth and show him where the car was parked etc. Take off plates,scrape off stickers etc.
They will give you a paper stating if they just junk it or sell it at auction. I think one was $500 so that was just junk and one was $1000???
I cant remember.
Best of luck and hope it works out for you.

 

[stsomewhere]

We don't an old van to a Boy scout camp and an old car our fire dept for practice with jaws of life

 

[WiscMomof2]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! The car we're looking to donate is not currently running. It seems the places I've read about online give a standard write off amount and will take it regardless if it runs or not.

 

[supersnoop]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! The car we're looking to donate is not currently running. It seems the places I've read about online give a standard write off amount and will take it regardless if it runs or not.

The law changed a few years ago because people were donating broken-down cars and claiming their full values for tax purposes. The charity will provide you a statement listing the actual amount they receive for the vehicle for you to claim on your taxes. Donating a car isn't some magical way to get more out of it. You'd be in the same position if you sold the car yourself and donated the cash.

 

[MillauFr]

I donated two cars to charity. They just e-mailed me the amount the car sold for at auction so I was able to deduct it.

 

[davper]

Be sure to get a proper bill of sale showing transfer of ownership from you to the towing company or charity.

I wasn't home when it was towed and didn't get a bill of sale. The car was left on the side of the road. Because I was the last registered owner, I was charged by the state for an abandoned vehicle, towing and storage fees.

I didn't know this until a couple years later when I went to renew my license and couldn't because the fees and fine were unpaid. Nothing like a 1500 dollar bill to ruin your day.

I had absolutely no recourse because I had nothing to prove I gave the car away.

 

[disneylove69]

I donated to a local Homeless shelter. My car ran but the brought a tow truck. I handed them the pink slip and keys. I received a receipt for the charity. In California they said the car would be auctioned or junked. Junked I would get $500 write-off. If auctioned for more I would get that as a write-off. Only got the $500.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I used American Red Cross, because I knew it was legit. They sent me the appropriate tax paperwork. I did look up Kars for Kids, interesting group.

 

[Mary2e]

Interesting group to say the least. I have questions about any charity that can spend that much money on nearly constant radio advertising. When I looked them up, they were answered.