Donating points to charity auction? Is there a guide?

[searavens]

We're thinking about donating points to a charity auction for the first time but I don't want to go too far down that road without solid guidance on how to do it. Has anyone done this successfully? Is there an online guide to it? Thanks for any tips or pointers.

 

[com_op_2000]

The one time I did this, I booked a stay in my name there by setting the dates of travel. Then gave the reservation paperwork to the charity along with an explaination (talk with whoever is leading the event) of what I needed to change it to the winning bidders name. No problem, occurred after that.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We're thinking about donating points to a charity auction for the first time but I don't want to go too far down that road without solid guidance on how to do it. Has anyone done this successfully? Is there an online guide to it? Thanks for any tips or pointers.

You know you can't write it off as a donation, right?

 

[searavens]

You know you can't write it off as a donation, right?

We were not thinking about a deduction, just wanted to have something to donate. But what's the reason it's not deductible as a charitable donation? Thanks.

 

[eliza61]

After 9/11 we donated our points to at a silent auction to raise money for a local firemans family.
We did not consult disney but simply coordinated the visit with the winning bidder.
We did not try to take a tax deduction.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

We were not thinking about a deduction, just wanted to have something to donate. But what's the reason it's not deductible as a charitable donation? Thanks.

IRS says so...(partial interest in property)

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p526/ar02.html#en_US_publink1000229702

They even give a good example:

Mandy White owns a vacation home at the beach that she sometimes rents to others. For a fund-raising auction at her church, she donated the right to use the vacation home for 1 week. At the auction, the church received and accepted a bid from Lauren Green equal to the fair rental value of the home for 1 week. Mandy cannot claim a deduction because of the partial interest rule. Lauren cannot claim a deduction either, because she received a benefit equal to the amount of her payment. See Contributions From Which You Benefit, earlier.

As for what most organizations would do with a donated week...well they would probably auction it off at a silent/open auction as most would have no use for it (even Make-A-Wish has no use for one). Another option is you could rent your points on a board like this and donate the cash. But the cash still would not be tax deductible as you would also have to claim the income received.

 

[chuckg0413]

We have done this a couple of times, however, we are no longer going to.

The biggest reason is trying to work with the 'winners' to schedule the trip, we have been working with the last winner for over a year. Even though we had the 'restrictions' clearly stated, (studio, Sun thru Fri) etc. We left open the time of year.
The winner is trying for the most popular times, (Sp break, xmas, etc.) and giving us too short a notice. We are even looking at upgrading them to a one or two BR just to get the time they want, or can use.

The second reason we are no longer doing it is the amount of money bid on the DVC stay is usually much lower than the value. We are going to just rent a week, at the going rate, and donate the money from that, the charity will get more money, and we will be able to 'pick' our renter. This will work out better for all concerned.

 

[jamn]

We wanted to donate our points one year, but after talking it through with the organization (school related) there were too many potential problems working with the "winners" to schedule the trip. Even though all rules and restrictions would be presented before the bidding sometimes people just are not paying attention or maybe had a little to much to drink (it was at a fundraiser dinner/dance) to completely understand those rules and restrictions. We decided that it would be better to donation something else instead.

 

[searavens]

You answered many of the hesitations I had -- namely, how to decide what to offer (a week? a specific week? a specific type of room during a specific season?), because there are too many variables to just say "Disney vacation". And there is also the variable that the bid would probably be less than the value of the stay, ie., the school would be better off if we just gave them money. So we will probably find something else to donate. Thanks, everyone, for mulling it over with me!

 

[Dean]

I'd just make a reservation and offer the time with no suggestion of any possibility of a change.

 

[DisWitt]

Keep in mind, though, that a LOT of those auction items go unused, too. So if you put a "travel must be completed by" and a "must be booked by" restriction on it, the points essentially could remain yours. I have participated in a lot of charity auctions and rarely have actually used the vacations because of restrictions and such... a popular one is "only for use Sunday-Thursday".

 

[mla1977]

Glad someone sent me over here. I still might consider using my points for a raffle, but will take all these comments into consideration.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I called Give the Kids the World and offered a weekend stay at OKW to a volunteer of their choosing. It was my way of letting that organization know that I think they do good work! The weekend was used and appreciated.

Bobbi

 

[materise]

I actually may also end up with some points..Is Give the Kids the World a local charity in Florida ( I will try to look it up after I sign off)... I thought Make a Wish accepted them I hate to just let them go also.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I actually may also end up with some points..Is Give the Kids the World a local charity in Florida ( I will try to look it up after I sign off)... I thought Make a Wish accepted them I hate to just let them go also.

I think that sometimes Make a Wish clients stay at Give the Kids the World Village because GTKTW have special housing for the kids/families that need it.