How to Start a Car Donation
Donating your car to charity is a relatively easy way to get rid of a non-working or low value vehicle. You can start the donation within 15 minutes on the Internet or by calling a charity directly. After you've started the process, many organizations will arrange to have your vehicle picked up the next day.
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Instructions
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Choose your charitable cause. Many reputable charities, such as Meals on Wheels, the American Red Cross and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, (see Resources) will accept vehicles as donations. If you plan to use this donation as a tax deduction, check with the Internal Revenue Service (see Resources) through its online version of Publication 78, Cumulative List of Organizations. It allows you to enter the organization's name, location and deductibilty code in your search. Through this website, you will find a list of organizations that are eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable donations.
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Evaluate the condition of your vehicle. Charities will often request this information during the donation process. If you are claiming this donation on your tax return, also calculate fair market value of your vehicle. This can be done with Kelleys Blue Book website (see Resources) by entering the vehicle's year, make and model or category into the site for an estimated value.
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Call your chosen charity or visit their website to start the donation process. Expect to answer questions about your vehicle, such as make, model, mileage, year and vehicle identification number. Some charitable organizations have a simple online donation form that can take just minutes to complete. Whether calling or completing the online donation form, you will need your vehicle's title handy to complete some of the questions. After starting this process, your car may be picked up as early as the next day.
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References
Resources
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