The Cars 4 Causes Blog.

Recently, one of Cars 4 Causes’ generous supporters donated a rare 1947 Ford Business Coupe and asked that we share the proceeds from its sale with the Wounded Warrior Project.  Wounded Warrior Project is a complete rehabilitative effort to assist our servicemen as they recover and transition back to civilian life.

To get the greatest proceeds from this incredible classic, Cars 4 Causes will auction it through McCormick’s Palm Springs Collector Car Auctions on Sunday February 24, 2013 at 12:10pm. We are expecting great things from this sale to help us support the Wounded Warrior Project.

This 1947 Ford classic, sports a 427 Ford engine with a whopping 400 horsepower and MSD ignition.  Its equipped with 2 ½” headers and exhaust, a C-6 Transmission, 8” Ford rear end, 3:50 gears, independent front suspension, power steering, 4 wheel power disc brakes, chopped, shaved door handles, electric windows, air conditioning, heater and stereo and disc player.

Whether it’s a classic car, like this one, a fine motor sailor or a luxury yacht, Cars 4 Causes® and Boats 4 Causes® are fortunate to receive several similar unique donations throughout the year that benefit the charity, church or school that holds a special place in each donors’ heart.

Our in-house experts are proud to be selected by our donors to maximize the proceeds from these vehicles that can be used for charitable purposes.  In many cases, the donors’ have tried to sell their vehicles themselves before donating, but in the end, Cars 4 Causes and Boats 4 Causes have a loyal and unique following of buyers that allows us to, not only find a buyer, but also find one that will allow us to get the maximum value from the donated vehicle.

By: Lori Singmaster

After fourteen years of living on the Cars 4 Causes website, the Boats 4 Causes boat donation program is finally moving out and getting a place of its own!!

Since 1997, when we launched Cars 4 Causes, we accepted our 1^st boat donation and have been quietly accepting boat donations all this time from around the United States.   Currently, we have so many boat donations each month and such a tremendous following of buyers interested in purchasing our donated boats that it only makes sense to give Boats 4 Causes  its own website, www.boats4causes.org.

Our new website addresses the specific needs of those wishing to donate their boat, offering each donor complete transparency into our process, resulting in the highest price for the sale of their boat donation.   The donation process is simple and can be accomplished by filling out an online donation form from the new site or calling one of our donation specialists at 855-800-2628(BOAT).

The process of donating a boat is a little more emotionally complicated than that of a car donation.  Boat donors tend to be a little more attached to their boats and they want to make sure that their “baby” is passed on to the right organization.   Often times, it takes a boat donor 30 to 60 days to make the decision to donate once they have first made contact with Boats 4 Causes.

With each boat donation, our team creates a unique relationship with the donor, understanding the ins and outs of their boat donation and enjoying the memories and good times that each donor has had on his boat.

Many times donors are parting ways with their vessel because of a death or illness of a spouse.  The process of getting rid of their vessel is usually very emotional and hard for the donor.  Usually there is nothing wrong with the vessel, they just are unable to use it any longer or there is a lot of emotion tied to it.

Many donors also come to us after they have tried selling their vessel themselves, only to find it difficult, frustrating and sometimes failing to receive any bids at all on their prized possession.  Boats 4 Causes can sell that same boat in 7 days and many times a bidding war ensues.  

We are a national brand and we have buyers from across the United States checking our website daily for new listings.  This is the result of fourteen years of hard work in cultivating the selling side of each boat donation. 

When a potential buyer sees a Boats 4 Causes listing, they trust that we have done our best to be as thorough and accurate as we can when evaluating the boat and its contents and know they will receive a fair and honest deal from Boats 4 Causes. 

Boat donations are tax deductible, so the higher price we obtain from the sale of a boat donation, the greater tax deduction value for the donor.   Our donors realize this and appreciate all of our hard work and brand equity that Boats 4 Causes brings to the table.

We hope you will come to us when the time is right to sell your “baby”.

By Pat Jessup, Executive Director

Ever wonder if your vehicle donation really makes a difference?   Well, take a look at this letter we recently received from Ericka Bigger of Project Understanding, and you might just be convinced that it does.  The name of the family, and family members, have been changed in the interest of privacy.

Hello Pat,

My name is Ericka Bigger from Project Understanding and your organization helped us about 8 months ago with a car for one of our homeless families who entered our Transition House Program.   I wanted to give you a follow up on how [Jennifer] has been doing since being blessed with the vehicle your organization donated to her and her children.

Before the vehicle [Jennifer] was struggling to complete any goals such as gaining employment or finishing her high school diploma since she also has 3 small children with her. Since getting the vehicle [Jennifer] has been attending school regularly at the Ventura Adult Ed and will be graduating in June!! Her teachers and I are very excited as is [Jennifer].  [Jennifer] believed that she would never be getting her high school diploma since she had so many barriers to accomplish. Yet with your great donation it allowed her to get to school everyday to make this goal come true! Also [Jennifer] is working part-time and attending school full-time. As soon as she completes her high school diploma she will be working full-time and will be deciding what her next goal is. Since also being in our program [Jennifer] has saved over $2,000 and continues to save. [Jennifer] has one year left with us and we know she will continue to make us proud.

I did want to share her success with you since your organization’s donation gave her motivation and the tool to continue in her goals.

Thank you for everything

Ericka Bigger

Transition House Program Manager

We receive letters like this every day from many wonderful organizations that are doing great things to help those in need.   If you have been considering donating a vehicle but weren’t sure if or how it would help, rest assured there are people and organizations that Cars 4 Causes works with that depend on these generous donations to improve the lives of many families and individuals in need.  So don’t hesitate, please donate today!

By Patti Palmer

Effective NOW, when you donate your car, boat, motorcycle or RV to Cars 4 Causes^®, you’ll be entitled to receive a FREE Cash Rebate Voucher that grants you access to the Cash Rebate Mall for one full year where you can earn up to $3,000 in cash rebates from over 800 of your favorite online retailers like Target, Kohl’s, Macy’s, the Gap and Walmart.  So what does this mean for you?  By purchasing products from your usual favorite stores, like a new DVD player from Best Buy or some linens from Target, you automatically get money back in the form of a prepaid Visa card!!

The Cash Rebate Mall is an easy-to-use shopping program that offers YOU as our donor the highest rebates available from hundreds of major merchants.   Cash Rebate Mall also provides special offers, coupons and other added discounts to help you save the most money.

We wanted to give our donors something they can actually use in their daily lives, especially at a time when most people are working hard to get back on, or stay on, their feet financially.  Many companies offer “Free” gimmicks that often come with unforeseen costs like hidden fees and obligations down the line.  But that is definitely not how we work here at Cars 4 Causes.  Instead, we wanted a way to reward our generous donors with something that provides significant and tangible benefit and most of all is absolutely FREE!

The whole program is very simple too!  Donate your vehicle, we’ll send you a notice to claim your Free Voucher online, redeem your claim within thirty (30) days and then go to Cash Rebate Mall.com to start shopping!  How easy is that?

What’s even better! The program has no effect on the value of your vehicle tax deduction.  So not only can you earn up to $3,000 in cash rebates, you receive a valuable IRS Tax deduction from your vehicle donation – all of this in addition to doing a wonderful deed by helping those in need.  Everyone benefits!

On February 17^th The Make-A-Wish Foundation Tri-Counties, an organization that grants the wishes of children with life threatening medical conditions, held a silent auction at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA.  The local event garnered over 100 participants and included dinner and live music.  Cars 4 Causes donated $10,000 worth of items to auction off at the benefit, and our very own President Patti Palmer and Executive Director Pat Jessup attended and Cars 4 Causes was acknowledged for donating $368,000 to the Make A Wish Foundation to date.

All in all the night was a great success, and we’re thrilled to report that Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties raised over $70,000 from the auction!

Here are some of the items that Cars 4 Causes donated for the auction:

• Joe Namath autographed lithograph 25^th anniversary super bowl III
• Ken Norton autographed boxing glove
• Harmon Killebrew autographed Twins Baseball Jersey
• 20 Skating Plus skate rental tickets
• 3 couple massages at Stress Busters Massage
• 10 Channel Islands Sports Fishing certificates for 2 people
• 15 Channel Islands Ice Skate Canter certificates
• 2 secret garden Inn and Cottages 2 night Bed & Breakfast stays
• 2 cases of Mick Fleetwood 2002 cuvée Premium Red Wine

If you would like to support Cars 4 Causes, you can do so by donating your car, boat, motorcycle or RV today.  Just fill out our online donation form or call us today at 1-888-488-9949.  ” It feels good helping others.” and your donation will make a difference!