Donating a Car

Donating Advantages

• Donating your vehicle emancipates you from the hassle of selling, freeing you from advertising and getting badgered with phone calls at all times of the day and night.

• You can choose the charity of your choice, allowing you to 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.

Donating Disadvantages

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

How to Protect Yourself Against Fraud

• Do some research to protect yourself. The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Publication 78 serves as a superb source for determining a charity's legitimacy and tax exemption status.

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

Taking the Donation

Before you fill out your tax forms, download the IRS's Donor's Guide to Car Donations. It has valuable information, such as how to determine your car's worth (it's not the same as the Blue Book value), which forms you'll need to fill out, and even a phone number to call if you have questions.

A Few Vermont Car Donation Charities

• America Diabetes Association

• Good News Garage

• Kars 4 Kids

• Outreach Center

• Teddy Bear Cops