Most people hear about charitable donations at the register when purchasing goods or during the winter holidays when charities are helping groups in need at the end of the year. But that doesn’t mean charities aren’t accepting donations at other times and in forms other than spare change.
Now more than ever, car donation is a vital way charities receive donation assistance. But why do people donate vehicles? Here are the two main reasons people gift cars to charities.
Being Able to Give With More Than Just Money
Most donations that people contribute or hear about from charities are monetary donations. For some, these donations are impossible or otherwise undesirable. Instead, gifts like car donations can be much more beneficial to both the donor and the charity.
How Cars Can be Used by Charities
If you donate a vehicle to charity, they have much more freedom and use for it than a regular cash donation could give them.
Some charities can use donated vehicles as part of their charitable services. Donated vehicles can be used by some charities to deliver goods to people in need or can go directly to families that need a car but can’t afford the upfront cost to buy one.
Other charities can use donated vehicles to teach students how to work with cars to build a sustainable future career. Some charities can fix and sell vehicles to put the proceeds toward mission work that regular cash donations wouldn’t be able to help with.
How You Can Benefit
Just like other charitable donations, a car donation can be tax deductible. So, in addition to helping a charity of your choice, you can save some tax money!
There are specific regulations for how to donate a vehicle – and what the value of the donation will be – for it to be tax deductible. Check the IRS website and speak to the charity you intend to donate to for more information.
Not Having to Deal With The Vehicle Yourself
For many, selling an old vehicle can be too challenging to deal with reasonably. For those people, car donation is the perfect opportunity to help others while taking the burden off yourself.
By donating your car, boat, or plane to charity, you still get the end result – no longer having the unwanted or unneeded vehicle – while also getting to help your community or a charity you feel strongly about. No ads, showings, or negotiations are needed to donate a car to charity.
And there you have it: the two main reasons people donate cars to charity are that car donation is more simple than selling, and you get to give to charity in a way that benefits you and the charity more than a cash donation.
So if you’re considering donating to a charity and have an unwanted vehicle, consider making that vehicle a charitable donation at Newgate School or another charity of your choice.
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