Car Donation Charities

If you never did this before, you may think that donating your car is a simple task. “I’m just giving it away for free and it’s for a good cause; what else could I be required to do?” Luckily, I have already been through the process to donate my car and I will be more than happy to share a few tips with you.

Finding out Your Car’s Worth

Your first step is to get a snapshot of your car’s value. Determining this will allow you to see the monetary benefit of donating versus selling your car.

You can go to KBB.com (Kelly’s Blue book) and it will provide you with your car’s blue book value for its present condition. All you have to do is fill out some preliminary questions about your vehicle.

What if My Car Doesn’t Run?

Depending on the place you want to donate your car, this may not matter. Most charities or organizations that accept donated cars do not mind the car not running. However, if the towing costs are more than what the car is worth-these companies may reconsider. If you have a vehicle that doesn’t run, your best bet is to do some research with companies in your local area or online and check out their guidelines for receiving donations.

Items Needed Before the Transaction

Most companies will want you to have the keys and the title information available, however, if you do not have these items, there are many companies who will make other arrangements allowing you to still make the donation.

What is Next?

Once I found out about my car’s worth and gathered information pertaining to it, the process to donate my car was very simple. Most companies will pick up vehicles in all 50 states. At this point you can just sit back and relax. A towing company will stop by to pick up your vehicle and everything is done after that! All you need to do now is write this transaction off on your taxes. The organization you donated your car to should provide you a receipt showing proof of your donation.