Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Why You Should Consider Donation Of Cars To Charity Green Bay Programs

Some people in Green Bay, Wisconsin may be wondering why they would consider giving their car away to charity when they could just sell it and use the money themselves. Thinking that way doesn't necessarily make you a selfish person. After all, we're all struggling to make ends meet these days, and sometimes the little bit of extra cash you could get from selling your car could help to make your life a lot easier, by assisting you in paying for important bills and purchases or even giving you a much needed treat.

However, selling your car isn't as simple as you might think. In fact, a lot of people find that they actually spend months trying to sell their cars, watching their old vehicles go rusty as they wait for someone to respond to their costly advertisements. There are practical reasons for considering donation of cars to charity Green Bay programs.

You Get to Save on Expenses

If you don't have the time and money to spend on listing your car for sale and waiting for an offer, then a car donation could be the ideal alternative. With a car donation, you don't have to worry about paying for the expense of marketing your car, and even paying for the insurance premiums that you might need to cover while you're waiting for it to be sold. Instead, you can focus on enjoying the money savings that you'll get from your charitable donation.

You Get a Tax Deduction

When you donate a car to charity, you not only do something wonderful for your community and help people in need, you also open yourself up to getting a significant tax deduction. Because you can put your donation on your tax return, you can enjoy a deduction that could be equal to the amount that you would otherwise earn from a sale. In other words, you save some money without having to spend more on advertising and maintaining your car while you wait for a sale.

Charitable car donations are quickly emerging as one of the most popular ways to offer your assistance to non-profit organizations. As more groups are willing to take cars that are less than in perfect condition, you could find that donating your car makes your life much easier than having to sell it yourself.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

The City as a Whole Benefits When You Donate A Car To Charity Madison

If you live in Madison, Wisconsin, you probably love your community - and for good reason. It is a great place to live and a city where everybody wants to help each other whenever they can. Well, you now have the opportunity to do just that. This is because when you can donate a car to charity Madison, you benefit the entire city. So how does this car donation process work?

You Can Help Young People and Their Families

Rawhide is a Christian charity that accepts car donations and it provides services for young people and their families who are at risk of slipping through the cracks. They equip these young people with skills in math and English, teamwork, communication and more, thereby once again putting them on the good path. The Rawhide Ranch, meanwhile, is an intensive center where young boys can stay and be immersed in the important work that the charity does. Full details are available on their website at rawhide.org, as is the information necessary to begin making your donation.

Rawhide Accepts Any Type of Vehicle as Donation

Rawhide will accept any type of vehicle. If you let them know that you have a vehicle available, they will arrange to pick it up from where it is located at a convenient time. After that, some of their service users will have the opportunity to work on the vehicle, fixing its problems where possible, and thereby learn some important skills. Once all of the repair work have been completed, the vehicle will be sold at auction and the money will be used to finance the services of the charity.

You Benefit Too by Means of a Tax Deduction

Rawhide is a 501(c)3 registered charity. This means that the money raised through your vehicle is tax deductible. It is also a very efficient charity, which means that most of the money you give to them actually goes directly to the service users, and not towards overhead costs, such as management or advertising and marketing. So this is a charity that you can donate to with confidence.

You Help Build the Madison Community

But the most important thing is that you will help build the community. Those young people at Rawhide will become contributing adults. In fact, many of them will end up becoming volunteers at the charity when they become of age. The positive effects, therefore, can be felt for generations - but only if you choose to donate a car to charity.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Looking For A Boat Donation Program Wisconsin Residents Can Trust

If you have a boat that you no longer use, and you want to donate it to a charity, you will be making a really big difference to the community. Charities perform important work and receive little to no government support, relying instead on the kindness of people to help them with their financial needs. Looking for a boat donation program Wisconsin residents can trust may prove to be a bit difficult, because of the presence of certain people and organizations who would like to use such high value donations for their benefit.

How to Find a Good Charity

The first thing you have to do is consider the cause that you want to support. There is no such thing as right or wrong in this; it will be a completely personal decision. You could focus on a charity like this one, which works with young people, or you could focus on a charity like the Alzheimer's Society, which works mainly with the elderly. There are environmental charities, animal charities, health charities, and more. Only you can decide which one is worthy of your support.

Make Sure the Organization Is Efficient and Properly Registered

Two things bring all good charities together, however. The first is that they must be 501(c)3 registered. This means that they are not only nonprofit, but that they also can't use their funds or influence to lobby the government. If your chosen charity is 501(c)3 registered, it means that you can deduct the value of your donation from your taxes as well.

The second thing is that good charities are efficient charities. What this means is that, for every dollar that is donated, at least 85 cents goes directly to the service user. The higher the efficiency rating (listed as a percentage), the better. Charities with low efficiency ratings tend to pay management a lot of money, hire fundraisers, or pay for a lot of advertising and marketing. People who support a charity essentially want to support the cause, not the organization itself.

Make Contact with Your Chosen Charity

Once you have found a charity that is 501(c) registered and has a good efficiency rating, like Rawhide, all that is left to do is find out whether they accept boat donations. They will explain exactly how the process work, guiding you through it. They will also help you with your tax deduction afterwards.

Monday, August 21, 2017

A Checklist For Donating Boats Wisconsin Residents Must Know

If you are interested in donating boats Wisconsin charities will be more than happy to accept them. Doing so is a great opportunity for you to rid yourself of something you don't need or want anymore, stopping the storage and maintenance costs as well. Furthermore, making a donation is really easy and it gives you the added benefit of knowing you've done something good for the community.

The Checklist

You do have to make sure that the benefits from this donation are maximized, which means you will have to go through the following checklist:

1. Choose a charity that you know. You have to make sure that you agree with the charity's mission and vision. Do also check that it is a 501(c)3 registered charity, so that you can make a tax deduction. Know the efficiency rating of the charity and find out exactly where the money goes to and how. One example of a charitable organization to consider because it has such qualifications is Rawhide.

2. Make sure you actually own the boat and that you have proof of this. Unfortunately, it is not unheard of for people to donate boats and other vehicles that still have finance on them, for instance, in the hopes of transferring the responsibility for those payments. This is, of course, completely unethical. Hence, check your title, even if it is just so that you don't accidentally do this.

3. Find out whether there are exemptions. Not all charities that accept vehicle donations also accept boats. Some will only take cars, for instance. You have to make sure, therefore, that a boat is acceptable and, if so, how they will take possession of it. Some can pick it up, others will expect you to take it to them.

Choosing the Charity

These are the key things to think about when you want to make a boat donation in Wisconsin. At the end of the day, only you can decide which charity is worthy of your support, since that is a personal decision. However, do make sure that you look into the three issues above, so that the charity can get the most out of your donation, and so that many people can benefit from it as much as possible at the same time.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

How to Determine Fair Market Values for Car Donations

How to Determine Fair Market Values for Car Donations
When making car donations, it's really important to research and identify the fair market value of your vehicle before you decide to donate. Why does this matter so much? Gone are the days when, no matter what happens to your car after you donate it, you can still deduct the value listed in the Kelly Blue Book.

Now, only if your vehicle is going to be kept by the organization to which you donate are you able to base your deduction on the actual fair market value. However, charities that accept car donations Madison and then sell them destine you to only be able to deduct the actual sale price. The only exception is when your car sells for less than $500. In such an instance, your fair market value becomes important again, because you are able to deduct that amount (up to $500), even if the sale price was lower.

Steps to Fair Market Value for Car Donations Madison

The fair market value of your car is based primarily on these five factors:
  • Make
  • Model
  • Year
  • Mileage
  • Condition
Most of these points are quite easy to evaluate, as they're objective (make, model, year, and mileage). However, condition is somewhat more subjective and requires the evaluator to be realistic and attentive to detail. If this is something you're attempting yourself, you'll need to know the accident history, note any surface damage on the exterior, and check for any problems with the interior.

Where to Look for the Actual Numbers for Car Donations Values
There are two main resources that people use to check fair market value. The most popular is Kelly Blue Book. It is generally considered easy to use, with fairly accurate pricing information. The other is the National Automotive Dealers Association site. This is the guide most commonly used by dealerships when setting trade-in pricing. Experts often suggest that individuals attempting to establish fair market value check both sources and assume your vehicle sits at slightly below the top end of the pricing spectrum for its condition category.

Whatever you do, remember that car donations Madison can be a great way to personally benefit from gifting your vehicle, and making sure the community benefits, too.