How to Donate a Car to a Christian Charity
If you have a used car, you may want to consider donating it to a Christian charity. Few people are willing to donate their cars. However, donated cars can be an enormous blessing to those who need them. Donation can also be a good way to get rid of an old clunker. There are several ways to make a car donation but the following steps should provide you with the most reliable way to donate your car.
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Instructions
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Clean out your car. Part of making a donation includes taking care of the product so its new owners do not have to do so. If you are donating your car, chances are that it might not be in the best of shape, but it should be clean. If possible, wash the car and vacuum it. The less work you make for the people at the donation center, the happier they will be.
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Go directly to the charity. If you send your car through a third party there is a good chance that you will not be donating as much as you initially thought you would be. Third-party groups often take a cut of the money from the charities. Even for-profit organizations with a good reputation will keep at least 50 percent of the car's value. If you make your donation directly to the charity, the charity will be able to keep 100 percent of the profit.
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Drop your car off at the donation center. Although this is not always required, you do not want to make the people from the charity organization come to your home to pick up your car. This is a waste of their time and money. Finding a Christian charity close to your home can ensure that dropping off your car will not take long.
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Make sure the title of your car is transferred properly. If the charity does not require you to fill out paper work, http://www.charitynavigator.org suggests that you take your vehicle elsewhere. If the title is not transferred properly, you will still be charged with parking tickets and all other charges placed on the car.
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Check to see if the charity is a 501(c)(3) organization. This means that the donation that you make will be tax-deductible. If you do not wish to go through an organization such as this, you will need to fill out the appropriate IRS paperwork. If you do not fill out the paper work it will not count as a tax deduction.
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Tips & Warnings
It is a bad sign if a charity does not ask you to fill out the paper work to transfer the title of your car. You may want to look into donating your vehicle to a different charity.
