Donating a Car

Advantages

• Donating your vehicle emancipates you from the hassle of selling it. Avoid those phone calls at all hours of the day and night.

• No need to spend your time showing the car to strangers and accompanying them on awkward test drives.

• No haggling for a fair trade-in value with quick-talking car salesmen, or reticent buyers.

• You can choose the charity of your choice, and feel like a true pillar of society.

• Most donations are tax-deductible.

• Most charities provide either free pick-up service or convenient pick-up locations.

• You don't need to replace your vehicle's pocked windshield or cracked timing belt. Most charities will accept your vehicle, regardless of condition.

Disadvantages

One word: fraud. Due to limited state and federal oversight, con artists have stained the integrity of the process under the camouflage of false charities. The repercussions don't reach you until tax time, when you discover that your expected tax deduction has been rejected.

How to Protect Yourself Against Fraud

• Read our article on the donation process.

• Do some research. The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Publication 78 is a superb resource for determining a charity's legitimacy and tax-exempt status.

• Read this pamphlet, also from the IRS, with helpful tips about determining a fair-value for your car, and the kinds of written documentation required for proper recordkeeping.

• Check with either Montana's Attorney General's Office or Secretary of State's Office for access to a specific charity's financial filings.

A Few Charities

• American Diabetes Association

• American Independent Business Alliance

• Children's Wish Foundation International

• Handicapped Help Line

• National Children's Cancer Society

• Outreach Center