The Donating Process
The process of donating your car to charity is simple: Call the charity and someone will come and pick up your vehicle, or tell you where to bring it. However, with so many charities to choose from and so many people trying to scam the innocent, picking the right organization is not always easy.
What to Do First
Before you hand over the keys to your car to a charity, the IRS advises that you:
Research the charity.
See if you will receive a tax benefit for your donation.
Look up the value of your car (however, you can only deduct the actual amount the charity sells your car for).
Ask if you, as a donor, have any other responsibilities.
In addition, you may want to consider:
How will your car be used?
Will the money from the sale of your car be used locally or outside of your community?
Which programs or services within the charity will receive funding from the sale?
What is the efficiency rating of the charity? (A lower rating means more of your donation goes toward administrative costs, not to the programs and services you want to support.)