Important Tips To Remember When Donating Your Car To Charity

Donating a car to charity can give you a great feeling because you know you're doing something to help someone else in need. However, today, many organizations are posing as charities when they are not—they take donated cars and sell them for profit. To avoid donating your car to an untrustworthy "charity," follow these tips.

Research Charities That Claim "All Proceeds Go To Charity"

Taking the time to learn more about that charity and about the charitable needs it supports through the sale of donated vehicles and other property is a good idea. If you would like your donated car to go directly to a needy family, locating a charity that will do so is important.

Be Certain The Charity You Choose Is A Real Charity

Learning more about the charity you are considering for donation is vital for making sure it is a real charity. In many cases, people have donated their cars to an untrustworthy dealer when they thought it was going to needy cause or a family, the donated car instead sold for the dealer's profit. To learn whether or not a charity is real, you can check with the IRS about them here and learn if you will be able to file a deduction with your donation. If you donate a car with the intention of filing it as a deduction on your taxes, you will not be able to if the charity was a fake.

Driving Your Donation To The Charity Is The Best Way

Many charities operate on a non-profit platform and have to budget their money strictly for being able to provide for people with certain needs. If the car you are donating is running, driving it to the charity can help them avoid a fee for having it towed. In this way, you can also show the charity workers how well the car runs.

Do Not Do Any Charity Any Title Favors

If a charity asks you to leave any lines blank about assigning new ownership of your donated car, do not do so. In a case like this, you might look for another charity. Signing the title over to the charity is the best way to go.

When you are able to help a needy family or a charity that does, it is a wonderful feeling. Take the time to learn more about the charity you are considering can help you ensure no one takes away that feeling from you.