A lot of people don't realize just how helpful it can be for a charity when you donate a car. Whether the car donation is an older car or a car that's not even roadworthy, you can help out a charity with your donation.

A car donation can do many things for a charity such as:

-Be auctioned off to raise funds for the charity
-Be given to a family who desperately needs a car for work, for medical appointments or other reasons
-Provide people with the ability to learn a new and marketable skill through fixing an older car in a training program

How To Donate Your Car

How do you go about a car donation? If you want to make a vehicle donation, there are charities that accept cars directly and there are car charity organizations that will make arrangements for you. Dealing with a vehicle donation center is a very good idea and can save you time and effort.

Once you've found a suitable contact, they will pick up the car from your location and will provide you with a tax donation receipt. For some companies, they'll even give you the option of which specific charity your car should go to so you can decide exactly who you want the donation to benefit.

A car donation organization can arrange for free pickup of your vehicle quickly and can often give you a tax donation receipt estimate on the phone or by e-mail depending on the condition of your car.

Not only will you get a tax receipt but the value that the car can generate for the charity is often much higher than the value you'll get when trading the car in. Trade in values can be quite low in contrast to the life changing implications of providing a car donation to an organization that has touched your life, your heart or your own community in some way, shape or form.

In many cases, the tax receipt you'll receive will be in excess of the trade in value, even if the car donation is not drivable. So, if you're mulling over whether to sell your old car privately or trading it in but are considering car donation, it can be very helpful to charities and directly impact your own community as well. If there's a car sitting in the driveway that's in the way, consider how the fact that donating a car to a needy charity will not only get it out of your way but can help you feel good about yourself too.