Charity Car Donation - Which Charity Should You Choose?

Jill Brennan
May 28, 2006

If you have done any research into the area of used car donation programs then you will know that there are many charities that are able to receive your car as a donation. Many are eager to take your vehicle from you but you can’t decide which one is right charity to donate to. After all you only have one car to donate and you want it to make a difference. So how do you choose which charity is going to be the worthy recipient? There are a few different approaches you can take. You could:

Pick a random charity The dartboard approach may be as good as any, especially if you believe that all charities are equally deserving of the money and will all put it to good use. Then your only choice is whether you would prefer to select a national charity or one that is solely focused on the state or city you live in.

If this strategy appeals then bring up a list of charities that accept car donations for the region you’re interested in and settle on the first name that jumps out at you.

Select one you have an affinity with If your Aunty Betty died from cancer then you may feel that donating your car to a cancer research foundation to enable them to continue the ongoing search for a cure is a meaningful outcome for your used car donation. Or perhaps you have had a health scare yourself and would like to think that if you did happen to develop the disease that all available resources were being devoted to a cure or remedial medicine.

Or perhaps you have dabbled in drugs and know what a slippery slope that can be and so decide on a charity that runs drug rehabilitation programs.

Choose the used car charity donation program with the simplest conditions If your vehicle is not running then that may limit the charities that you choose to donate your car to. You may want to check out their pickup service to see if it is going to be convenient to use the charity you’ve selected.

You could pick the charity that will handle your car in a way you feel comfortable with Most charities will sell your car and use the proceeds for their organization’s programs but some will use the car to give to others that are unable to afford a motor vehicle. If you like the idea of your car being used by someone else that needs it to get to work then look for charities that handle car donations in this way.

Unless you have a firm choice in mind then you are best to read up as much as you can about car donation in general, then focus on charities that accept car donations and come up with a shortlist of say 3-4 charities. Next get on the websites for each of the charities on your shortlist and narrow down the field to one based on their car donation program conditions, how you feel about the work that they are doing and your overall feelings about the organisation.

Donating your car to charity is a great idea but it can be difficult to know where to start. Get the best information so that you can be comfortable knowing you've made the right decision. For more information visit Charity Car Donation