29SepCan Car Donations Ever Work?

Charity Development Answers Questions

Car donations have the potential to be a win-win-win situation, a win for the donors, a win for the charity they donate to, and a win for the community. Sometimes they are exactly this. But too often, the value of a car donation is dissipated on its road to charity.

And this is what I want to talk about in this Charity Development blog. Where do some of these car donations go astray? And can we find a way as a fundraising community to make sure car donations achieve their purpose?

Let me first say that the over-riding purpose for car donations, in my opinion, is to raise money for charities. Period. That is why we’re in this business of collecting car donations and taking on the responsibility of finding the most effective way to sell the vehicles; it’s all about raising money for our charities.

Car donor Benefits

As a side benefit, vehicle donations also serve the interests of car donors. Think about why an individual donates a car in the first place. In my experience, I’ve found that most donors have a deep interest in the charity they donate their vehicle to, and the more valuable the vehicle, the more sincere interest they have in that charity.

It’s true that car donors get a nice tax write-off for their charitable giving. That’s a motivating force, too, to turn the car over instead of selling it at the nearest used car lot. The Grassley Bill that limits deductions and the current legislation under discussion notwithstanding, car donors do expect to benefit from their donations.

Community Benefits

When the system’s working right, we all as a community benefit, too. Here’s my thinking on that: when we as private citizens contribute to the work of our charities – feeding and sheltering the homeless, mentoring our youth, funding disease research, and more – then government funds are free to go to other community requirements, for everything from education to maintaining highways. We all benefit from a government running under a healthy budget.

Fundraising System

So, what does all this have to do with the car donation fundraising professionals that keep the system going? Lots. It’s up to us to make fundamental changes in the standard operating procedures of the car donation system. We need to educate charities on how to get the best value for their car donations. We need to create a transparent system, so charities can make informed choices.

And that’s what you’ll find in this blog: discussion for informed choice.

— Tim Finnigan