Charitable Car Donations - Choosing The Right Charity

Choosing the right charity for your car donation (or when you plan to donate a car) can be overwhelming sometimes and you want to make sure your choice is the best and right choice for you.  The following advice and information is general tips that you can use when donating anything to any charity whether it is material goods or money. it's important to know that you are dealing with a reputable charity  and a charity that has a low 'pass through' -- that is it keeps a large percentage of the money for actual charitable work.

Charitable Car Donations and Charitable Donations In General - What You Must Know Before You Give 

You may have contributed some of the $212 billion raised for charities in 2001. Unfortunately, a portion of that amount may have been misused or ended up in the pockets of fraudulent solicitors. With more than 700,000 federally recognized charities soliciting for charitable contributions, it pays to be cautious when making a donation.

Your charity dollars are an investment in your community, the nation and the world. It’s wise to use just as much caution when making your charitable giving decisions as you do when making other decisions affecting your overall financial picture.

Paid Fund-Raisers
Some charities find it efficient to pay professional fund-raisers — to handle large scale mailings, telephone drives and other solicitations — rather than use their own staff or volunteers. Professional fund-raisers are in business to make money and are entitled to keep a portion of the money they collect. If you’re solicited for a donation, you may want to ask if the caller is a paid fund-raiser and what percentage of your donation the fund-raiser will keep. If you’re not comfortable with the amount, you may want to donate to a different organization, or send your donation directly to the charity so that they benefit from the full amount of your check.

Reducing Telephone and Direct Mail Solicitations
If you feel overwhelmed with direct mail requests for donations, you can help to reduce the number of those solicitations. Typically, when you donate to a charity, your name is placed on the charity’s mailing list. The charity uses this list to re-contact you and often rents it or exchanges it with other organizations. You can stop the sharing of your information by including a note with your donation asking the charity not rent, sell or exchange your personal information and donation history. You also can ask a nonprofit organization to limit its donation requests to once or twice a year. If the organization fails to honor your requests, you may wish to find a different charity to support.

The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Telemarketing Sales Rule applies to telemarketers who make calls across state lines on behalf of charitable organizations. The Rule restricts calling times to the hours between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. The Rule also requires telemarketers to promptly identify the charitable organization they represent and disclose that the purpose of the call is to ask for a contribution. Telemarketers may not mislead or lie to obtain a contribution. A consumer who does not want additional telephone calls from a paid fund-raiser can ask to be placed on the fundraiser “do not call” list. If the fund-raiser calls again, they may be subject to a fine of up to $11,000.

The federal government has created the National Do Not Call Registry — the free, easy way to reduce the telemarketing calls you get at home. To register, or to get information call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register. You will receive fewer telemarketing calls within three months of registering your number. It will stay in the registry for five years or until it is disconnected or you take it off the registry. After five years, you will be able to renew your registration.

Many states have their own regulations regarding charitable solicitations. Some require paid fund-raisers to identify themselves as such and to name the charity for which they are soliciting, even if the call is in-state. To learn about the law in your state, check out links to state charity regulators at the National Association of State Charity Officials Web site. Legitimate direct mail solicitations often list the contact information for regulators in the states they solicit.
The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service lets you opt out of receiving direct mail marketing from many national companies for five years. When you register with this service, your name will be put on a “delete” file and made available to direct-mail marketers. However, your registration will not stop mailings from organizations that are not registered with the DMA’s Mail Preference Service. To register with DMA, send your letter to: Direct Marketing Association, Mail Preference Service, PO Box 643, Carmel, NY 10512.

So in regard to charitable car donations choosing the right charity for your car donation (or when you plan to donate a car) does not have to be overwhelming and you want to make sure your choice is the best and right choice for you.