Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Donate A Car To An Animal Shelter

Donating a car or other vehicle to an animal shelter can be great way to help a shelter raise money used to house, care for and adopt out animals in need of homes. For example, the Oregon Humane Society raises more than $300,000 per year through vehicle donations. Not all animal shelters are able to accept car donations, but those that do generally make the process as easy as possible for donors. In addition, donors may be able to take a tax deduction for donating their vehicle.


Instructions


1. Contact your local animal shelter to find out if it accept car donations. The Animal Shelter website, linked below, lists animal shelters by state, and gives their websites and phone numbers where applicable. Keep in mind that large animal shelters are more likely to accept car donations than small, specialized shelters, such as rescue groups for particular breeds.


2. Make sure the animal shelter is a 501(c)(3) organization, or qualifies as a charity with the Internal Revenue Service, if you wish to take a tax deduction for donating the car.


3. Find out what types of cars the animal shelter accepts. Some organizations can accept all types of vehicles in any condition, while others only take cars that are in working order and likely to sell at auction.


4. Find out if the animal shelter can pick up the vehicle from you, or if you need to transport it to the shelter yourself. Many organizations will make free local pickups of working vehicles, but most cannot travel long distances or tow vehicles that don't run.


5. Arrange a time to drop off or have the animal shelter pick up the car. Be sure to bring the title for the vehicle, and have the license plate number, vehicle ID number (VIN), current mileage or odometer reading, and the make, model and year of the car available for when you fill out paperwork.


6. Sign over the car title to the animal shelter, and notify the DMV that you have donated the vehicle.


7. Make sure the animal shelter provides you with a written receipt for donating the car that includes the car's VIN, the date you made the donation, and a statement that you received no goods or services in exchange for the vehicle. The statement may also include the estimated fair market value of the car, which will allow you to take a tax deduction of up to $500.


8. Ask the animal shelter to send you a written document listing the actual price the car sold for at auction if you expect to take a tax deduction of more than $500 for the value of the car.

Tags: animal shelter, take deduction, accept donations, animal shelter, animal shelters, animal shelter