Tips For Those Who Want To Donate A Car To Charity Madison

If you have an old car rusting in your garage in Madison, Wisconsin, perhaps you may want to consider donating the car to charity. A rusting car is harmful to the environment in many ways. For example, it could be leaking oil into the ground, or the rusting metal could have been recycled instead if the car is beyond repair instead of simply sitting in one place and gradually breaking down as time passes. It is definitely a good idea to donate that old car to charity, so this article offers some tips for those who have a vehicle available and may want to donate a car to charity Madison.

Avoiding the For-Profit Middlemen

Many charities have realized that people who have old cars can donate them, so many of these organizations have joined their competitors and have begun accepting cars as donations. The problem is that some of the for-profit companies have also realized that they can make some profit off of those who are simply trying to help others. What they usually do is contact charities and offer to do the advertising for them. Then, the "middleman" organization will receive the donated cars, auction them off and get the proceeds, only handing over a small percentage to the charitable organization. Specifically for this reason, it is advisable to check to ensure that you are dealing with a charity and not with a middleman from the get-go.

Check the Efficiency and Registration of the Charity

The efficiency of a charity indicates how much of the money from the donations will be used directly for the benefit of the service users. It is suggested that donors choose a charity with an efficiency of at least 80 percent, just like Rawhide. This organization has established proper operating procedures and handles the entire vehicle donation Madison process themselves.

After ensuring that the efficiency is not lower than 80 percent, you will also need to make sure that it is 501(c)3 registered with the IRS. If it doesn't have such a registration, you will not be able to claim a tax deduction for your donation. Even though many donors want to do something nice for those in need, there is nothing wrong with trying to do something good for themselves, too. 

Check on the Required Documents Before You Donate a Car to Charity Madison

It is often the case that the charity will inform the donor of the documents that are needed to process their donation. If not, make sure to the ask your charity to ensure that the donation is legally done and that all information can be provided when necessary. In some cases, this information will be available on websites, but in other instances, donors will need to ask their point of contact.