Stop Dragging My Car Around
Many of you are familar with programs that assist you with donating cars to charity. With so many groups vying for your donation, how do you know if the cause is legitimate, or more so, the agency accepting the vehicle is really collecting the vehicle for the charity? Charity Dispatch has a checklist on their website that you should consider:
Is the organization’s name familiar or is it a name that just sounds not quite right?
Is the organization local?
Is the organization an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit? If they answer yes, ask for their federal identification number.
Do they have a web site?
What happens to the vehicle after it is donated?
What percentage of the vehicle’s proceeds actual goes toward mission work?
Is the mission work local or in another state or country?
Is the title signed over to the charity’s name?
The Philadelphia Red Cross Car Donation program is one of many that Charity Dispatch handles. However, on their website you can choose from a wide range of national and local charities. From the perspective of operating a charity, there are a variety of services that you will receive for your donation program. Charity Dispatch will prepare IRS forms, send checks to the organization monthly, as well as handling collection and sale. As far as consumer interface, they also offer an answering service where trained staff will answer 24/7 or during business hours. They will answer questions and offer a professional attitude and prompt response that increates donations.
I cannot tell you how many times I sort of had to “chase down” a group, when I identified who I wanted to donate to. The memory has wedged the “Weird Al” song Stop Dragging My Car Around in my head (It is to the tune of Stop Dragging My Heart Around). Many times I ended up donating elsewhere just because I could not reach anyone to ask them questions, or the person acted like I was a bother. Therfore, a service that will handle all aspects will make your charity or organization look really good. Good luck in your donation drive!
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