The Cars 4 Causes Blog.

The expression – think global, act local – comes to mind when we ponder some of the ways that car donation could help charities. And that’s because many of our charity partners are international organizations. So, when car donors to Cars 4 Causes® choose the charities they want to benefit from their donations, many decide on charities with a global focus.

Some of the organizations are well known, such as the American Red Cross and the United Way of Ventura County and of Los Angeles. You’ll also find Doctors Without Borders on our list of approved charities. (See our Supported Charities page for links to these and others.)

A car donation here can help people in India

Some of the other international charity organizations are less well-known. For example, you may not have heard of the India Rural Development Fund, a California–based organization that works in partnership with other like-minded non-profits to enhance the lives of underprivileged people living in rural India. You can donate car to Cars 4 Causes® and designate the donation to benefit this rural Indian fund.

Your car donation can help build micro-business in Africa

Or, you might want to point your vehicle donation toward Africa. Another organization, the Bridge for Africa, promotes self-sufficiency and the dignity of work in rural Africa. This organization partners with African artisans to design, create and market handmade items. Proceeds from the sales of these goods go towards community development, job creation, training, and toward paying the artisans living wages.

Car donations can help children in need around the world

Another organization, the Firelight Foundation, supports and advocates for the needs and rights of children in Sub-Saharan Africa who are orphaned or affected by HIV. The foundation does this by increasing resources to grassroots care organizations in the communities.

It’s amazing to us to think that the simple act of donating a car here in America can profoundly affect the lives of struggling people on the other side of the globe, but it can. We’re humbled to know that we can be part of making this happen.

Cars 4 Causes® carries the tagline, The Charity That Gives To Charities ® because it describes so well what we do. We have more than 13,400 charities for you to choose from when you donate your vehicle to Cars 4 Causes®. (If you don’t see the charity you want to support with your car donation, call us; we’re only able to fit a partial list on our website, and we are always happy to consider new charities.)

Wondering what happens to dear old Betsy once you donate her? Judging from our phone calls, many people do want to know where their old car goes, so we thought we’d share what happens here when a car donation arrives. Whether it’s a relatively new car or a very old family friend, it gets star treatment at Cars 4 Causes®.

When you donate, you determine what charity benefits from your vehicle donation, and we make sure we make the most of the donation for both you and your charity. (See our list of over 13,400 charities.) Some cars not designated with a charity enter our Give-Away Program that directly benefits needy individuals.

Choosing the Best Route for Your Car Donation

We have our own sales locations where we evaluate the car to determine its route.

• When it is cost-effective, we make major or minor mechanical repairs, and then we detail the cars and advertise them for sale. The cars, vans, trucks and other vehicles are sold, and then they move on to their new owners.
• Some cars go to auction, as this is the best route for them, for the best return.
• If the cars are not road-worthy, we recycle them through salvage and scrap channels. The scrap is recycled, turning up next in a surprisingly wide array of products – your new bicycles, your new appliances, new cars.

Your Tax Deduction

At the completion of any of these sales processes, you receive a tax deduction receipt for the donation. And, because of these evaluation and sales processes, Cars 4 Causes® The Charity That Gives To Charities® receives the highest average return for you in the industry! You benefit from this success in your tax write-off, and your charity benefits with a corresponding donation.

So, whether it’s old Betsy or that slightly used car in the garage, your donation is honored and appreciated all along the donation route.  Thank you for your generosity.

In the aftermath of one of this nation’s worst tragedies, the 2001 attacks on The World Trade Centers in New York City, the hearts of Americans opened up and arms reached out from all over the world to help those who lost loved ones, their livelihoods, and their security.

This year, President Obama’s I Remember. I Serve. 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance was created “to reignite the spirit of unity and service that inspired Americans in the days after the September 11, 2001 tragedy.” As individuals, we’re inspired to help through our non-profit organizations and community service.

Over the last eight years, too, many organizations have stepped up their efforts to help those who help keep us safe — our military men and women and their families. We’re happy to say that some of these are Cars 4 Causes® Charity Partners. (They’ve designated Cars 4 Causes®, a 501(c) (3) organization, as their vehicle donation facility, and people wanting to donate their vehicles can choose these charities when they donate to Cars 4 Causes®.)

We can’t name all of the organizations here, but we urge you to check our List of Approved Charities to see if you find your favorite non-profit there. Here are just a few of those serving Military and Veterans – We list them today, with our thanks:

Operation Homefront – A national organization offering emergency assistance, support, education and morale-boosting programs for deployed military and their family members, and returning wounded warriors.

Project Hollywood Cares – A Hollywood-based organization that gives copies of current movies and products of the entertainment industry to support and boost the morale of America’s military personnel for their dedicated service and sacrifice.

American Legion – With a membership of nearly 3 million, the American Legion is the preeminent community service organization for war-time veterans, with nearly 15,000 American Legion posts worldwide, and a host of programs for veterans and their loved ones

Operation Gratitude. Based in Encino, Calif., Operation Gratitude sends individually addressed care packages to lift the morale of American service members deployed in hostile and difficult conditions throughout the world.

We’re grateful to these organizations for the work they do in support of our troops, their families, and of all of the people serving in our armed forces. In their responding to tragedy with courage and compassion, we see the best of our American spirit — our heart, our strength.

Thank you, one and all.

– Pat Jessup, president, Cars 4 Causes®, The Charity That Gives to Charities®

There comes a day in the life of almost every recreational vehicle when it begins to spend more of its time in the storage lot or parked behind the fence than it does on the road. The family grows up, recreational passions shift to something new, and you move on.

Not using your summer vehicles? Donate RVs, boats, trailers and other recreational vehicles to charity.

If you’re at that point, then this year, as you put away your summer toys – the motorhome, trailer, fifth wheel, toy hauler, tent trailer or RV of any kind – consider the cost of winter storage. And consider donating your RV to charity.

You’ll be eligible for a vehicle donation tax deduction. And you’ll be generously helping the charity of your choice.

Many people do not realize that they can donate lots of kinds of vehicles – not just cars and trucks.

At Cars 4 Causes®, we accept donations of many varieties of recreational vehicles, from motorcycles to off-road vehicles to motorhomes and trailers. Call us if you think it’s time to talk about donating your summer vehicle – from kayaks to RVs.

And see our FAQ video, too, for lots of examples of charity donations.

We’re sometimes absolutely amazed at the variety of charities that benefit from car donation to Cars 4 Causes®. They cover almost all categories of philanthropy, and they stretch from coast to coast and internationally as well.

The program is quite straightforward: Charities designate Cars 4 Causes® as their vehicle donation charity through our Cars 4 Causes® Charity Partners Program. Then, our donation team works with them, taking care of their vehicle donations.

Connecticut and Virginia

A Cars 4 Causes(R) Charity Partner, Everybody WINS Connecticut

One of the recent additions to Cars 4 Causes® Charity Partners is Connecticut-based Everybody WINS Connecticut – a reading tutor and leadership program for youngsters. One of the creative things this charity does is pair middle school children with younger ones, to serve as ‘reading role models’.

In Lorton, Virginia, the Methuselah Foundation is dedicated to extending healthy human life, working for strategies that promote long-term health and to finding cures to age-related diseases.

From Georgia to California

In Atlanta, Georgia, our Charity Partner, the Ahimsa House, helps victims of

Ahimsa House, in Atlanta, Georgia, is a Cars 4 Causes (R) Charity Partner

domestic violence by providing care for their pets ; in Austin, Texas, My Healing Place helps people through grief and loss; and the Reno, Nevada-based Koinonia Family Services helps find foster and adoptive homes for children. In Los Angeles, Calif., A New Way of Life Reentry Project provides reentry support and sober living housing to previously incarcerated women and their children.

Coast to coast and beyond, charities are benefiting from donations to Cars 4 Causes®, the Charity that Gives to Charities®.We encourage you to visit our list of over 13,400 charities that benefit from donations to Cars 4 Causes®. We think you’ll be as amazed at the variety of helpful philanthropies as we are.

And come back frequently. More charities are joining the list every week.