If you are at all honest with yourself, then you need to take a hard look at the reasons why you give to a charity. With something like the American Red Cross, your motivation will primarily be trying to help a good organization that has some excellent programs. But car donation is a big deal, and it can’t be done without an intense amount of thought. With that in mind, you need to understand the underside of the American Red Cross’s car donation program.
What is that underside that I’m talking about? It’s what people don’t talk about. It’s what is in it for you.
It might be a little bit uncouth to talk about what you get out of any type of philanthropy, but with car donation, you have to take notice. In fact, car donation is one of the new donations that can really give you some financial advantages. When tax time rolls around, the fact that you donated a car to charity will come in handy with write-offs. You can typically write off the sale price of the car, which for the American Red Cross will be a substantial amount.
In addition to that, you need to think about the fringe benefits that happen when you donate your car. What if it is an old clunker that was sitting on the side of your property? If you had that car removed on your own, it would cost a great deal of money. When you go with car donation, the Red Cross comes and gets the vehicle for you.
These are things that might seem awkward to discuss, but they certainly matter when it comes down to the financial reality of the situation. You should be getting something in return when you help out a company like the American Red Cross, and with vehicle donation, you do.
