The Cars 4 Causes Blog. Car Donation Program Nationwide.

As we head into our busiest season and therefore into the holidays (again?), Halloween looms at the end of this month, and you know what that means! Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the bend.

Cars 4 Causes® gears up each fall and zooms along at breathtaking speed to the all-important year-end. What makes it so important? Our donations increase in the last quarter of each year, sometimes as much as 100% as donors finally make that long put-off decision to donate before the end of the tax year 2008.

We have been busy training new vehicle donation representatives and improving the customer-care skills of our staff so that all of our donors can have a fantastic donation experience. From the donation takers in the call center, to the tow department and DMV processing staff, our employees do their best to ensure that your donation experience is a pleasant one. From the feedback that we receive from our repeat and referral donors, I believe we are able to meet and exceed their expectations. We do not plan to rest on those repeats and referrals, though. We are constantly striving through internal audit,and additional training to improve even more. We don’t want to be merely a good vehicle donation charity, we want to be the best!

Once you make your decision to donate your car, we want you to have an experience that you will want to recommend to your friends, family and business associates. If you have questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Help us to improve our service to you, our most important person in any season! Remember to make your vehicle donation by December 31st to receive your tax deductible receipt for 2008. Thank you for choosing Cars 4 Causes®.

Tags: Donate Your Car by December 31

There are so many “cars for this” and “cars for that” companies out there, it can be extremely confusing. Once you decide that it is time to donate your car, you then have to decide where to donate it.

You may have heard a radio advertisement saying you can win a free vacation, or get cash and a tax break from donating your vehicle. So many billboards, TV and radio ads citing help blind children, give your car to fight cancer, fight poverty, give to the kidney foundation, or alzheimer’s research, to find a cure for breast cancer; the list is seemingly endless.

Wow ! So many worthy causes, how do you choose? How do you pick a car donation charity that will make the most of your donation, and won’t leave you holding the bag for liability and hidden costs?

We have heard many stories about how in previous experiences, donors have received parking tickets, towing and impound fees, DMV costs etc. after they have donated their car and assumed they would never hear anything about it again. Except of course when they will receive their tax receipt only to find that once tax time rolls around, the donation program turns out to be unreachable, or simply vanishes.

These negative experiences color the potential donor’s decision about what vehicle donation program to use.

There are some people, however, that let their philanthropic hearts lead them, and we commend them for being brave enough to try it a second time. Here are some suggestions to assist you in making an informed choice.

How do you know which companies you can trust and which ones to steer clear of?

1. Do your homework!

Research. Go online. Check with your local charity registries. Talk to friends and family members about experiences they may have had donating their vehicles. Call the program you are interested in and go to their website, if they have one.

Find out all you can about how the process works, and if there are any hidden fees or costs. Make sure you understand all of the steps involved in making a vehicle donation.

2. Find out how much of the value of your car will actually go towards the cause that you want to support.

Make sure you understand the difference between gross and net payments. Ask how much of your charity dollar actually goes to the charity itself, and how much of your dollar will go to administrative costs and overhead.

Be wary if the administrative cost is too high. If the charity cites more than 20% to administrative costs, your donation might be better utilized elsewhere. Also, find out what they do with your car. Will it be salvaged? Given to a needy family? Will they auction your car “as is” or repair and sell it wholesale or retail?

The dispensation of the vehicle will determine the amount of potential tax benefit to the donor.

3. Contact your State Dept.of Motor Vehicles.

Find out how to assign your title to the vehicle, and what your responsibility is and how to release liability for your vehicle. It is important that you take responsibility and don’t simply assume that the donation program will take care of everything for you. Many organizations do not have staffing reserves in place to handle DMV paperwork and transfers of title.

4. Find out about how towing and paperwork is handled, and by whom.

Who will be making the arrangements to pick up the car? Will you need to be present to release the car? How will the DMV forms be handled? Will you be receiving a receipt for the donation? Is the tow driver an employee or a contractor of the donation program? This may be important if there is an accident or the vehicle is damaged in the towing process(many donated vehicles are uninsured). How would the donation program handle such an issue?

5. Tax Receipt
The organization you donate to must be a non-profit in order for you to get tax deduction for a charitable donation, and that company must provide you a receipt for that purpose. If they are not willing to prove their tax exempt status, or give you their Federal Tax ID number, that should be a red flag warning that they may not be a true non-profit and beware.

Make sure you are clear on the follow up to your donation regarding how much of a write off you will be able to claim for donating your car. IRS guidelines have changed within the past few years, and you should be informed as to how that works. Obviously, you want to maximize the potential tax benefit available, so finding out how the sale of your vehicle is handled is very important. Keep the organization updated with current contact information so that a tax receipt can be sent to you in a timely fashion.

It is very important that you make an educated and informed decision about where your donation will do the most good because after all, isn’t that why we give?

Tags: choosing a vehicle donation program

I wanted to participate in Blog Action Day for 2 reasons. The first is that I am a blogger, and working in the non-profit sector, I am curious to see how many of my fellow bloggers will participate and what the impact will be. The second reason is that I have been seeing more and more people in this wealthy area of Southern California that I live and work in falling into poverty, and have recently had conversations with people I know that disturbed me greatly. These recent experiences make me want to raise awareness about this topic.

Poverty is affecting all of us, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. The easy thing is to give in to apathy, to continue in our daily lives and never even think about something so unseemly and ugly as poverty. It makes life so much easier when we can pass by that homeless person on the corner, and just not care. Why should we? We work, we pay taxes, and contribute to society. What do we care about some bum, or addict, or drop-out from society? My answer to these questions has a strange answer.

In this troubled economy, poverty wears a different mask. The face of a single mother trying to raise kids on a minimum wage job; a grandmother trying to survive on Social Security, a family whose sole provider is laid-off or injured, and can no longer work. A man who, after 30 years on the job finds out one day that his company has shipped their business overseas, and along with it, his retirement and medical benefits.  These are all the face of poverty in America today.

The most disturbing aspect of poverty I see in America is that for many people who are able to make a living and sustain themselves; the sad reality is that many of us are only a lost job, a storm-damaged home, a medical crisis, or a broken car away from total devastation. We think it cannot happen to us, but through no fault of our own, and a series of negative circumstances, we too could end up in poverty. Ask yourself; would there be somewhere for me to turn for help if it happened to me?

With the economic crisis we as a nation are facing, and several months to wait before the financial rescue is in place, families unable to pay their mortgages are being foreclosed upon at an increasing rate. Where will these families go for help? How will they house and feed their children? What about Seniors? Who is looking out for them?

These people on the brink need you and others like you who still have a heart and a mind to give. We know that volunteers make a difference, and so many organizations are working so hard behind the scenes to fight poverty, disease and ignorance. Silent heroes are making a real difference in the lives of hungry and hopeless people around the country.  Programs like Senior Nutrition, and Meals on Wheels exist in some cities, and there are local shelters and food banks in place throughout the U.S.  The problem is; most rescue missions, food banks and soup kitchens are donor funded, and rely on gifts to keep them open and volunteers to staff them.

I could quote a bunch of statistics about hunger and poverty, demographics and Census data.  What I really want to do is to prompt people to give more!  How do you make a nation grow a CONSCIENCE? I still haven’t figured out how. I can only hope that  my small contribution will make a difference to someone who reads it.

I feel my mission as an online representative of my charity is to interest people in possibilities. To prompt them to think, and to give.  I want people to realize that even the smallest gift will, when added to other small gifts, become someone’s life changing salvation.  I want to help people develop a giving spirit, knowing that their gift is making a difference where ever they give it.

So, I issue a challenge to you, after all, Blog Action Day, denotes taking some sort of action, doesn’t it? I challenge you to take action. If you are not currently doing anything to help with the problem of hunger and poverty in your city, start! Everyone has something to give. If you don’t have money, give of your time, talent, and other resources. Start a food drive in your office, do some hours in your local shelter or soup kitchen. Give to a Senior nutrition program. Hold a fund-raiser for a local charity that helps the homeless. If  you are a professional, give free consulting services to non-profits who can benefit from your particular expertise.

There are so many ways you can help. Find one that you can feel passionate about.  Whatever you give, you will make a difference!

If you are already giving, volunteering or donating money, give more! Those of you who are doing well are needed in all areas to help impoverished people and those on the brink. Apathy is a killer, and nothing is just that. Do something, give more!

Tags: Blog Action Day

In Part one of our blog we talked about the steps of recycling a car. Today we will tell you about a few of the items that are made from recycled car parts.

New and innovative ideas are being brought forth constantly, and we are happy to say that there are currently many uses for your recycled auto parts, and with increases in technology and innovation, there are bound to be increasingly more as time goes on. The answers to many of our questions on how to sustain our environment, and combat climate change and global warming lie in finding new and innovative ways to re-use and recycle more existing materials and finding ways to reduce manufacturing of new materials. Recycling just one car saves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone.

AN ABUNDANCE OF CAR TIRES
220 billion car tires are discarded each year in the U.S. More than 80% of these are pulled from the waste stream and recycled. In the State of California alone there is estimated to be 32 million scrap tires taking up landfill space. This is a concern as the tires become breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry diseases such as West Nile Virus.

Caltrans is finding solutions to these problems by incorporating recycled rubber into pavement base aggregates that are built into new highways and roadways. Base layers currently contain 8% recycled rubber from auto tires. Up to 50% of Caltrans base aggregates for roads contain recycled rubber. This is an improvement to previously used materials. Due to the elastic nature of the material, the roads made with the partial rubber are stronger, provide more stability and reduce cracking according to a Caltrans 2006 report. This material is slightly more costly per ton, but will need less repair in the long term.

California State Parks Department is also looking at a recycled rubber crumb material to use as footing along State Park trails and footpaths in wilderness areas. Environmental impact reports are still being done due to concerns about run-off and contamination of underground water sources or ingestion by animals. In the construction industry, recycled car tires are being turned in to carpet pads for flooring.

Rubberized AC (asphalt/concrete) is being used for roads and building materials. This material has some drawbacks in that it is costlier to buy,(about $29) per ton than conventional AC (about $14 per ton), and road workers state that the mixture has a “gummier” consistency that makes it harder to work with when heated than the conventional mixture. On the positive side; it takes less rubberized AC to perform equally well and lasts longer than conventional asphalt concrete.

RECYCLED AUTO GLASS
Tiles are made from recycled auto glass. It is used in flooring, landscaping materials, counter tops and porcelain. Auto glass is traded overseas in the secondary commodities exchanges. Indonesia and Southeast Asia imports auto glass to be used for making art glass beads and jewelry. Every ton of recycled glass avoids using 1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone and 151 pounds of feldspar according to EarthWorks Group. Using recycled glass to make new glass cuts related air pollution by up to 20% (wmich.edu). Mining and transporting raw materials produces about 385 pounds of waste for every ton of glass that is made. If recycled glass is substituted for even half of the raw materials, the waste is cut by more than 80%! Recycling 1 ton of glass saves the equivalent of 10 gallons of oil. Most bottles and jars manufactured today contain at least 25% recycled glass. Glass never wears out and can be recycled forever.

RECYCLED CAR BATTERIES
Nearly 99 million wet cell lead-acid batteries are manufactured annually. New batteries currently contain up to 90% recycled batteries.Most places that sell automotive batteries will also accept them to recycle, 100% of the batteries turned in will be recycled. 60% of the world’s lead supply comes from recycled car batteries.

RECYCLED STEEL AND SCRAP IRON
More than 14 million tons of steel from end-of-life vehicles is recycled annually. That is the equivalent of 13.5 million automobiles! A 60-watt light bulb can be run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling 1 pound of steel.

India and China are the biggest importers of scrap steel and iron in the world. The chances are good that your recycled car could end up on the other side of the world as construction materials or other manufactured products. According to AMM (American Metal Market), which trades scrap metal worldwide; the prices for scrap metal have risen from $72.50 per ton in June of 2001 to $515.00 per ton in June of 2008.

67% of all steel made in the U.S. is made with recovered steel. This process uses only a fraction of the energy required to produce steel by tradition methods. This allows the U.S. steel industry to be able to compete more effectively in the global marketplace. The amount of energy saved each year from steel recycling is equal to the electricity needs of 18,000,000 homes per year. That’s enough energy to last Los Angeles residents for eight years according to the Steel Recycling Institute.

RECYCLED CAR PARTS
Many of the parts from your car that the dismantler removes in the 2nd stage of the recycling process are re-sold through wholesale and retail outlets all over the world. This reduces the need for the manufacture of new parts and the savings are passed onto the consumer with lower pricing for the used or reconditioned parts.

In addition to the energy saving benefits to recycling, there is an added benefit to the economy. While traditional waste management creates relatively few jobs, the recycling industry  employs more than 2.5 percent of manufacturing workers. Nationwide recycling and remanufacturing activities account for approximately one million manufacturing jobs and more than $100 billion in revenue.

Tags: Recycled Auto Glass, Recycled Car Batteries, Recycled Car Parts, Recycled Steel, Scrap

Automobiles are currently one of the most recycled commodities. The average vehicle is made up of about 65% steel. The steel industry recycles more than 14 million tons of steel from end-of-life vehicles annually. Even fluids such as oils or greases, and coolants and refrigerants from the air-conditioning units may be re-used by the recyclers or sold to a licensed facility for re-use. Rubber automotive tires are re-sold, some are removed to stockpiles for later recycling. Recycled rubber is part of many end-products that contain rubber components. There are three major steps taken when recycling a car.

Step One – Drainage and Removal of Fluids

Preparing the vehicle for dismantling is vital to proper recycling. Fluids must be drained and properly disposed of. Gasoline is drained out, and the gas tank removed; to be used for the recycled metal. The average car contains about 19 liters of operating fluids. These need to be properly handled to avoid contaminating the environment. Dangerous chemicals such as the mercury in trunk and hood light switches and automotive batteries require special handling. The tires are also removed and recycled in this stage.

Step Two- Parts Removal for Re-Use

Many parts, depending on the age and condition, can be reconditioned for re-use. The car is dismantled and the re-sale parts are identified. Recycling car parts decreases the need for the manufacture of new parts. Some examples are whole front and back ends, body panels, wheels, windows and windshields. Parts that are related to the emissions systems are not re-used.

Step Three- Materials Recovery/ Recycling of Materials

Once the fluids and reusable items are removed, the car is crushed. The flattened hulk will be shipped to a shredder that will shred the car in a matter of minutes into small handfuls of metal. This generates three streams that are magnetically separated into iron, steel, and non-ferrous metal such as aluminum and what is known as Auto Shredder Residue(ASR), or “fluff”. This non-metallic material is composed of rubber, plastic, glass, foam, and electrical wiring. This is why it is vital to ensure that all hazardous materials are removed prior to this step in the process.

There is a huge market worldwide for secondary commodities. Many of these are automobile parts. There is even a commodities exchange that sets prices and trades these materials on the world market. The largest markets for scrap metal and steel are currently in India and China.

My next post will talk about a few of the items that are made from recycled car parts.

Tags: Recycling Cars