Baltimore Car Donation

Hundreds of charities have begun to adopt car donation programs as a way to raise funds or to provide themselves with no-cost vehicles to help operate their programs. But rather than managing the car donation programs themselves, they will often turn to fundraising organizations to actually handle the donation and auctioning of the vehicles. And that policy can mean a problem for you.

If you run an Internet search on car donation programs, you will get hundreds of hits from fundraisers who claim that they will let you choose from among a group of charities to which the proceeds of your car’s sale, of not the car itself, will go. And they will give you the paperwork you need to claim your car donation as a charitable deduction on your IRS return.

Taking Advice From The IRS
But the IRS itself, in recent years, has become alarmed at the proliferation of car donation programs run by fundraisers which end up keeping the bulk of the proceeds they receive for donated cars. The IRS recommends that it you are considering any of the car donation programs, you contact the people running it and get a clear answer as to whether they are charity officials, or private group acting for the charity.

If you find that they are a private group running the car donation programs of several charities, find out exactly what they plan to do with the car you donate. Will the car be repaired and given to the charity to help in its work? Or do the fundraisers intend to auction the car off and if so, how much of the proceeds will go to the fundraisers, and how much to the charity?

Car donation programs which cannot, or will not, give you clear answers to these questions are not those on which you can depend to see that your ca, or the money it brings gets, to the charity of your choosing. And if the charity does not directly receive the car or its value, you do not have the right to claim the value of the car as a deduction.

Legitimate car donation programs greatly simplify the process of connecting you with a charity which will benefit from your gift. But it’s your responsibility to research the various car donation programs in you area and ensure that as much a possible of your car’s value will be channeled to the charity, and that the charity itself is one recognized by the IRS. Otherwise, your well-intended car donation may turn into a big problem at tax time, when you attempt to take an unwarranted deduction!

Car Donations: How to Make Your Next One Easy

Each day, someone in the United States makes the decision to donate one of their vehicles. Although a relatively small number of individuals make the decision to donate their cars, many more think about doing so, but end up not. One of the reasons for this is because many individuals think a car donation is too much work, despite the good that could from it. The reality is that car donations are only difficult if you make them. There are a number of ways that you can go about making your next car donation a smooth and easy one.

Perhaps, one of the reasons why many individuals assume that a car donation is too much work is because they try and donate their car on their own. With this, you must find and contact local charities or non-profit organizations. This could be extremely time consuming and there is even a chance that you will not find anyone who wants to accept your car donation. However, there is a way that you could make your next car donation count, a much easier way.

Instead of trying to donate your car on your own, you are advised to seek professional assistance. That assistance should come from a car donation program. Car donation programs exist all across the United States. Their goal is to make sure that non-profit organizations are given cars or, at least, the money for those cars. They do this by, personally, collecting the cars themselves. Then, they will spend their own time trying to find a non-profit organization for your car donation. Essentially, this makes donating a car as easy as it could possibly be.

As previously mentioned, most car donation programs will arrange for the pick up of your car donation, but not all will. For car donation at its easiest, you are advised to request a pickup. If one is not available, you will want to find a program that offers this additional feature. You will find that it will not only save you time, but even gas money. A well-known and reputable car donation program or center should be more than willing to pickup your donation for you, even if they do not outright advertise that they will.

If you plan on using your car donation as a deduction on your taxes, you will need to get the proper documentation. When using a car donation program, you will not always be provided with these documents upfront; they will often be sent to you after your vehicle has “officially,” been donated. To ensure that you do get the proper credit for your car donation, you are advised to request a small certificate of donation or pickup. This will ensure that you will be protected, in the event that anything should go wrong with the car donation program that you used. Although it is almost guaranteed that everything will go right, you are advised against taking any unnecessary risks.

By keeping the above mentioned points in mind, you should be able to donate your unused or unwanted vehicles with little or no hassle. It is likely that your donation will be greatly appreciated, by whoever gets it.