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Step 1
Find out what happens when you donate your vehicle. Most times, a charity auto auction is held so that the charity can raise money for their cause. In other cases, a vehicle is given to a family that is in need of transportation. In either case, you can choose the charity you wish to give to by going to an automobile donation site and picking from a variety of charities. These donation sites handle all of the details for you.
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Step 2
Choose a charity. If you use a donation site you will be able to choose from their list of charities that will receive your donation. If you want to do it yourself, call the charity you wish to donate to and find out exactly what the steps are in that individual charity.
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Step 3
Fill out a charity donation application. You can either do this online or call the phone number provided for the charity you are seeking or the donation site online. If you do it online, the online service will provide the questions they need answered such as your name and address, what year, make and model your vehicle is, the VIN number, mileage, if it is a running vehicle and the color. This is the same information they would ask you on the phone.
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Step 4
Your information is now entered into a computer system and forwarded to a towing company in your local area. The towing company will contact you about picking up your vehicle. You must have the title to your vehicle available when the towing company arrives to pick up your vehicle. They will provide you with a receipt once the vehicle is picked up, usually within 24 hours.
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Step 5
Keep your receipt for tax purposes. The general rule is that if your vehicle sells for under $500, the receipt that was given to you by the tow truck driver is sufficient to use when filing your taxes. If it sells for higher than $500 or is worth more than that you will receive a supplemental receipt as well. This will come to you in the mail and is important to prove your donation when filing your IRS tax forms.
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Step 6
Be sure of where your money is going. If you use an online service to handle your vehicle donation, be sure to see how much of the funds from the sale of your automobile is used for charity. Some services charge up to 50%. If you wish to make sure all of your charitable donation goes to the charity you choose, you will want to handle the donation yourself and not use a donation service.
