The Cars 4 Causes Blog.

Fundraising for education is dear to the heart of Cars 4 Causes®. As most of our car donators, friends and fans now know, our first efforts were all about raising funds for schools. Our story began in the classroom and then branched out into so many worthwhile directions that we became known as “The Charity That Gives To Charities(R).”

We have been amazed by the many charities that serve people and causes around the world and proud to be partnered with so many of them. There are many that provide help to schools and fill other educational needs. You’ll find several on our webpage listing of charities.  We think they’re all terrific, and here are a few examples:

Donating Cars to Education

The Youth Science Center helps kids explore and learn to love science and math, with exhibits, interactive learning programs, and hands-on learning experiences. The Center offers math, science and technology classes for students grades K-8, all with the goal of improving math and science education.

What’s In Your Lunch Box is a collaboration of doctors, professionals, interns and students who provide support to families living with autism. The organization hosts interactive education and training workshops on diet and nutrition, adaptive physical exercise and advocacy, all designed to help families manage and overcome the unique challenges and barriers of feeding children on the Autism Spectrum.

Harley School is a Rochester, New York, independent private school for children from the nursery through Grade 12. Harley School focuses on nurturing the unique strengths of each student, while striving to foster a love of learning, creative imagination and a desire for intellectual achievement.

These are three very different charities with one thing in common that touches every parent’s heart: they all exist to help our children. So do the many other educational institutions and organizations listed in our list of charities. Take a look, and see the many ways a car donation can make a difference in a child’s life.

We love cars, from classic cars to new hybrid cars, and even more, we love how those cars, when donated to charity, can help those in need. As part of today’s national Blog Action Day on climate change, too, we’ve been pondering the role that car donation can play in cleaning up the environment.

We think car donations can play a big role and a multi-dimensional one in helping to clean up the planet.

When a car donor calls Cars 4 Causes® wanting to donate an old car that’s spewing and sputtering fumes into the air – one that cannot pass a smog test, one that is a high polluter – then a whole chain of events is set in motion. We pick up the car, which gets it off the road; we feel good about that because we’ve removed a source of pollution.

The car donor chooses a charity to benefit from the donation. And maybe she chooses one of the many environmental organizations on our supported charities list. Maybe not. There are many ways to help the environment, and some of these are by bringing relief to people threatened by climate-related disasters such as famine, flooding, and drought.

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse

We scrap and recycle the old donated car. Some of its parts get salvaged and reused. The bulk of it gets recycled, turning up later in faucets, doorknobs, refrigerators, washing machines, bicycles, and of course, in new (more environmentally friendly) vehicles. The process of recycling a vehicle is another link in the chain that does its part in reducing the human impact on our environment.

Charities Doing Their Part to Clean Up the Environment

Most of the car donations (and other vehicle donations too) that come to Cars 4 Causes® are still viable transportation. But we realized early in our life as “The Charity That Gives To Charities(R)” that part of our work would be dealing with cars that were simply not roadworthy. We set up our Clean Air Program® to take care of this segment of car donations.

We’ve recycled thousands of cars off the roads over the years, and as we ponder this day when bloggers throughout the world are thinking about climate change and humanity’s role in it, we know our efforts are just a small piece of a larger global consciousness. We’re delighted that so many people around the world are pondering our planet along with us today. So what are you waiting for? Donate car today!

Our small, individual efforts add up; together, we can make a huge difference.

In July we talked about a Cars 4 Causes® car donation that keeps on giving – a specially equipped van that was donated by Laura, whose husband had ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease).  When he passed away, Laura started a string of generous donations when she donated the van to Cars 4 Causes® and stipulated that the van be given to someone with ALS.

This Honda Odyssey van, equipped with a chair lift was donated with the stipulation that it go to a person with ALS.

The van is a 2007 Honda Odyssey outfitted with a chair lift and it was given to Norris, whose wife, Loretta, told us that it made an enormous difference in his last two months of life, making it possible for him to get out of his house and enjoy a drive through the countryside. When he passed away, Loretta donated the van back to Cars 4 Causes®, continuing the stipulation that it go to someone with ALS.

It was given to Sherry, who had ALS and who – on the day she received the van – said she would donate it forward to someone with ALS when she passed away. Sadly, that day came recently, and the van was donated back to Cars 4 Causes® to continue its journey of helping people in need.

The Honda Odyssey has now been delivered to Ronald, who also has ALS. He’s using it to get him to work four days a week, and we hope he’s going to be using it for a long, long time.

When we first talked about the van in July, we mentioned that it’s been dubbed “the car with angel wings”.  We still call it that. And we send our heartfelt thanks to the courageous people who have used it and donated it to others in need. Make a car donation today! Your donation will support thousands of people who need your help.

Fall is in the air. The wind is blowing today and the temperatures dropping. The weather is telling us that it’s autumn and we’re entering the fourth quarter of the year, which here at Cars 4 Causes® is one of our busiest times. This is the time of year when many owners think about donating their vehicles to meet end-of-year tax deduction deadlines. And it’s a time of year when donations to charities are on peoples’ minds even more than usual.

Getting Your Tax Deduction

If you’re considering car donation to charity, please check out our FAQ’s for insight into the donation process. This year is an especially good year to donate for many of us. See our July blog explaining additional 2009 tax incentives.

You’ll find our general explanation of tax deductions in our FAQs. In brief, it says:

Donations to a non-profit organization or charity that is classified under 501(c)[3] are often tax deductible. Cars 4 Causes® is a 501(c)[3] and therefore donations made to us may be utilized as a tax write-off, allowing you a car donation tax break. (Everyone’s tax situation is different, so we do advise you to consult with your tax professional to determine tax benefits from your car donation.)

The best and most compact resource we’ve found to describe the rules around car donation tax write-offs is A Donor’s Guide to Vehicle Donations. It’s a 16-page brochure and is downloadable. We recommend it as an excellent resource because it comes straight from the source: the IRS.

We’re also here as a resource for you, available toll-free by phone at 800-766-2273 and by online chat. We’re always happy to share our expertise.  As The Charity That Gives To Charities®, we make it easy for you to choose a charity to benefit from your generous donation. If you’re thinking of making a vehicle donation, call now. Get your tax deduction and make your charity donation, too.

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.)