Knowing the Industry

Summer Travel 2020

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry, You and Your Health

Summer travel in the time of COVID-19. Do you have plans in place? Are you desperate to hit the open road, or is the plan to stay close to home?

Whatever your process, the present normal of intentionality, care, and health have likely affected you.

Cross-border travel continues to be in question. Furthermore, road travel between provinces is a bit of a puzzler. With some of us masking-up, sanitizing, and isolating while others go about their business as usual, there is much uncertainty about how to interact with holiday time.

What we know for sure

Summer travel is sure to be disrupted by a few key factors. What we know for sure...is that we don't know anything for sure!

First, be prepared for unusual road closures. Some provinces continue to keep roads closed. There are towns that restrict visitation, and others that will allow only residents.

There is an ebb and flow to the way COVID-19 does its thing. For that reason, unpredictable (or, even predictable ones, for that matter!) spikes could result in you being stalled in your journey. Have your car stocked and ready for limited access to amenities.

All that hand washing you're doing at home? Be ready to ramp that up. Keep in mind that some stores may insist on masks, and not all roadside locations will be open for business.

What happens on the other side

Returning home from summer travel is another thing to consider. The broader your exposure to your fellow Canadians, the higher your chance of exposure to sickness. Consider your circle of contact upon returning home: is your possible contact with the virus going to put others in danger?

While these are limiting and frustrating considerations it may serve well to err on the side of care this summer.

When camping in the yard is a thing

As you've, no doubt, considered, summer travel in 2020 may be a lot more effort than it's worth. Here's to creativity and ingenuity rising to meet the challenge! Perhaps you have already come up with an inspiration that will find you and your loved ones enjoying every moment of the season? Is this the year to make friends with pitching a tent in the back yard? Could exploring the wonders nearby bring new appreciation for what's at hand?

For more on how to sort your summer, check out CTV News. The National Post encourages you in your "staycation" plans. Even more detailed is the Global News guidance on what various provinces and airlines are up to.

Whatever your summer travel plans, we wish you good health and the freedom to connect with the ones you love!

Acura RDX, 2020

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry, Making a Difference

The 2020 Acura RDX is beloved by reviewers and drivers alike. The ride, the cargo space, and the economy. What's not to love? Well, the non-Android-compatible, not-touch-screen multi-media system. And yet, reviewers agree: utility and performance make the Acura RDX a win for the money.

Car Gurus have their say

"A capable, spacious, luxury cross-over" is George Kennedy's summation of the Acura RDX. While, he notes, it's not that much different from the 2019 model, he has a lot to say about the value and drivability of the RDX.

Trouble spots? He does highlight the Acura's infamous infotainment system. Users seem to weigh-in as having easily adapted with a little time and savvy. On the other hand, reviewers love to pin their criticism to that component.

TFLCar - The Fast Lane's review

TFL loves the Acura, but consider the multimedia system, "a nightmare." From the sounds to the unintuitive radio screen access, this reviewer is super sad about the infotainment and navigation system.

Stay with this video to learn about sport and sport plus modes. The Acura RDX has some fun features to play with!

Honda and Acura vehicle donations

Hondas and Toyotas make for strong donation outcomes. As our decade-plus files show, these makes hold their value well. Furthermore, donated Camrys and Accords bring in some of our highest donation outcomes.

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New Charities

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry, Making a Difference

New charities join our program each month. As a result, we have over 800 to choose from. Your vehicle donation dollars will go to the organization that matters to you.

In the beginning

Before Donate a Car Canada was launched, there was only one vehicle donation program available in Canada. Kidney Car was doing the valuable work of drawing dollars into the Kidney Foundation through car donation.

This is an important cause to any who have loved ones with Kidney disease of any kind. The charity is doing its work well. It led our founders to consider: could vehicle donation be a means of support for those who suffer from other illness? Moreover, what if we imagined beyond illness and into other forms of marginalization?

When I joined DACC in 2012 we had just over 80 charities on board. And now? Just over a decade later, we have charities seeking us out and asking to join the program. Combined with our own diligence in keeping invitation to join alive, this means hundreds of active charities are benefiting.

December's new charities

Consequently, even in our quietest season, new charities sign on to receive the monetary gifts that come from your car donation.

For example, in December, five new organizations were added to our offering:

Campbell River & District Association for Community Living
Aplastic Anemia & Myelodysplasia Association of Canada
Lennox & Addington County General Hospital Foundation
New Hope Senior Citizen's Centre
Watersheds Canada

Choice as unique as you

As you can see from the cross section of new charities added last month, the choice of charity is broad. Perhaps you'll choose by region of the country. Or, your decision can be made by personal experience of celebration or suffering. A choice may be based on interests and curiosity. Our participating charities are varied and each attend to a unique aspect of our Canadian experience.

We welcome your calls, queries, and submissions, so if you have a vehicle that is ready for donation, reach out. Our staff cover long hours to ensure that you receive donor support well into the evening, and on weekends. Our charities don't need to do anything at all! Their only responsibility, once signed on with the program, is to issue tax receipts in a timely manner. This, too, benefits you as the donor.

Ready to make your charity choice? Consider one of our newly signed organizations, or select from our 800+ long-term participants. We look forward to hearing from you!

pick n pull

5 Star Testimonials

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry

5 start testimonials speak to the heart and soul of who we are at Donate a Car Canada. Priding ourselves on excellence in donor, charity, and agent support alike, we reach for those stars.

What donors have to say

" My service has been fantastic, everyone was very helpful the tow truck driver was here when he said he was going to be and very friendly. I am very happy I chose to donate my car to such a professional and great company. Thank you! " (Alex)

"The towing company called in a timely manner, and pickup was arranged right away. They came within the hour, as promised, and the driver was very friendly.This is an excellent service, and I have recommended it to many people who may be in a similar position to donate in the future. We are so happy we could do this to support the SPCA, and delighted the process was so seamless.Thanks again!" (Maureen)

"I received an email from Donate A Car Canada saying that they have forwarded the net sale proceeds of our 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi to The Farley Foundation in the amount of $2744.87!" (Kevin)

When things go wonky

We welcome all feedback here at Donate a Car (not all can be 5 star testimonials!). Sometimes donors misread information, and sometimes we run into a glitch in service. We take this so seriously each time it happens. And we post the unhappy testimonials right along with the happier ones.

Kelly noted, " From start to finish the service provided by Donate A Car was excellent. The process was simple and the service couldn't have been more impressive. I was only disappointed that the value of metal has dropped so much lessoning the value of the donation. As the tow truck driver pulled out I thought to call the tow company personally and compliment the professionalism of their driver, he maneuvered our narrow driveway and had everything loaded and paperwork sorted in no time. It was a real pleasure to have dealt with Donate A Car. Thank you"

Even if something more serious occurs (like a mix-up with documentation, or a complication with an estate), our DAC staff are immediate and caring in their hands-on response. Our response time with unhappy donors is same-day wherever possible, and our agents are equally supportive.

We work assertively to resolve any issues. This has ensured a long-standing A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Your donation experience

'Have a vehicle that you're ready to part with? Consider donating it on behalf of a Canadian charity. 'Need a little more reassurance? Check out our testimonials page for more feedback on the process. Or, call/write in with your curiosities. We're here to assist!

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Car Maintenance

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry, Making a Difference

From the rubber on up

This past week I got another flat tire. I say "another," because our family's primary car maintenance expenditure is on tires. We've always lived in suburbs-under-construction. That means there's always something rolling around on the asphalt just waiting for our tires to it pick up.

So, the night before Thanksgiving Monday I realized that my rear passenger tire was woefully low. And I realized I was going to need to look for tire support on holiday Monday.

To my happy (thankful!) surprise, I got right in at the shop. 9:30 am on Thanksgiving Monday and the service guys were ready to help. Given the season, I opted to leave off repair of the flat and swap on winter tires instead. They were happy to do that, too -- and then threw in a new set of windshield wipers to boot!

How much maintenance is enough?

The amount of care and money we put into our car maintenance is part necessity, part personal preference.

In a robust article written by Consumer Affairs' senior report, Aaron Sultzman, he notes that discretion needs be applied. He asks, "Are Canadian car owners being misled about how often their cars need to be serviced?"

With a spectrum of climates and road conditions across the country, car care will vary from one province to the next. Some provinces use salt to clear ice; others rely on sand. Our coastal provinces have a running battle with moisture, whereas our Northern locales experience harsh weather. Sultzman explores the line between regular maintenance and dealerships who push for more costly attention than is required.

'Tired of maintaining?

If you're swapping out an older model for something shiny, consider having us auction your running vehicle off on behalf of charity. Or, if you have a recycle ready car just taking up space in the garage, we can help with that, too! You give us your vehicle particulars and choose your charity (there are over 800 to pick from!), we'll take care of the rest.

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Choose My Charity

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry, Making a Difference

New Charities Join DACC Program

"Choose my charity." That's one of our donor wishes. Did you know that each month Donate a Car Canada signs more charities up for our vehicle donation program? Canada has hundreds of registered charities. And they're hearing the word: they can earn monetary gifts through vehicle donation.

In the month of July we added 12 more charities to our list! That means Canadian donors have even more choices for giving. If you have a vehicle to donate, you can select any charity from the 800+ we have on board. Your vehicle is processed for re-sale or recycling. The net outcome of the sale is forwarded, in monetary form, to your charity.

Curious about who signed up just last month?

  • The Hunger Project
  • Canadian Golden Retriever Adoption Service Inc
  • After Breast Cancer
  • Harvest Project
  • Arthritis Research Canada
  • Ned's Wish - A Society for Retired Police Service Dogs
  • Rainbows for All Children
  • Association for Community Living - Interlake Branch
  • Pacific Animal Therapy Society (P.A.T.S)
  • The Hospice of Windor & Essex County Inc.
  • Le Havre / Our Harbour
  • The Montreal General Hospital Foundation

Choice matters!

You can see from our newest participants that your donation is all about the cause you love. We touch into health, wellbeing, animal care, community concerns, and more. Our donation dollars are precious to us; the freedom to select who will be the recipient is key to a satisfactory giving moment.

Does giving in this way sound like a good fit for you? Take a few minutes on our site, visit our Facebook or Twitter feeds, or give us a call. We can answer specific questions, or get you set up for a free tow.

We can even help you find a charity that speaks to a cause you care about (even if you don't know the name of the organization). Some folks call in to ask which charity needs their gift the most. That's a tough question for us to answer! But we can certainly work with you to determine what cause might best fit your donation dollars.

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Fall Clean Up | Free Town-wide Vehicle Removal

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry, Making a Difference

Junk vehicles cluttering up town?

Clean yards make good neighbors. Are you and your fellow townsfolk starting to see a build-up of old cars and trucks in town? Are your town's driveways and back alleys getting cluttered with recycle-ready (donation-ready!) vehicles. It's time for a Fall clean up! We can help!

Donate a Car Canada, cooperating with area tow companies, will arrange to have your vehicle removed. For free! Your charity of choice will receive a donation in the amount of net sale proceeds. You can choose from our list of over 800 Canadian charities.

But why stop with your own car or truck? Get the town behind a Fall clean up and get a donation day or week organized on your behalf. You could see your town junk car free overnight.

Are you in charge?

Are you one of the folks in town that have taken on the care of your patch of Canada? Donate a Car Canada can make a town Fall clean up easy and cost-effective. How would this work? Simply connect with us here (1-877-250-4904) to let us know you're setting up a town-wide effort.

We'll give you a few easy directions:

  1. Promote your event.  Let residents know they have the opportunity to donate their vehicles to charity. They'll receive tax receipts for the donations, and they can choose their charities. All for free! A little aside: if you opt, as a town, to select one charity to receive all donations, your impact will be substantial for that one recipient. That's one more way to create community.
  2. Ask your residents to fill in our online donation form, indicating on the form that they are donating their vehicle for pick-up during your town event. We need one donation form for each vehicle. This ensures tax receipts are issued properly, and that vehicle ownership is appropriately logged.
  3. Leave the rest to us! Our pick-up agents will contact donors to specify pick-up times and locations. The vehicles will be removed. And we will forward each individual gift on to each donor's charity of choice.

Curious citizen ready to get things rolling?

If you're a citizen who cares about the tidiness and care of your community, we can help with that, too. As noted above, reach out to us at 1-877-250-4904. Point us in the direction of the right person for the job. We will connect with your town council or other municipal leaders to let them know that a citizen has requested a town-wide Fall clean up of donation ready cars and trucks.

Or spearhead the work yourself, getting the word out that the Donate a Car Canada service and our vast charity-of-choice options are available to you all.

Contact us today and let us help you and your town clean up and feel great!

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Ryan “Six Pack” Lapadat

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry, Making a Difference

Lapadat - a real-life Canadian hero. Donate a Car Canada is excited to be working alongside Ryan in an upcoming (heavyweight!) fundraising effort.

Who is the man behind, in front of, and beneath the weights? And what does he have in store for Canadian charities? Stay with us in the weeks ahead to learn more.

Continue reading "Ryan “Six Pack” Lapadat" →

Farming Smarter

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry, Making a Difference, You and Your Health
Farming Smarter

Farming Smarter aims to
sustain our land, water, soil, and farmers for the benefit of everyone.

Farming Smarter is growing stewardship

Farming Smarter makes a commitment to foster sustainable farming practices. For example, wherever they can, they will partner, research, inform, and support cost effective projects that are good for the land, air, water and crops.

Currently working in Southern Alberta, their Innovative Projects include:

  • Deep banding immobile nutrients
  • High value specialty crops
  • Precision planting canola
  • Cover crops across Prairie Canada
  • Alternative flee beetle management without neonicotinoids. What is a flee beetle? And why do they matter? Here's what the FS site has to say:
    Flea beetles are one of the major canola pests in Alberta. Currently neonicotinoid-based seed treatments are often used to protect canola seedlings from flea beetle damage. PMRA's recommendation to phase out the use of neonicotinoids has caused concern for growers. Without these seed treatments different control mechanisms must be considered by growers. These may be alternate seed treatment, increased seeding rates, or foliar insecticides. These activities may have negative environmental consequences. Furthermore, they may be less effective than current strategies and they will incur increased production costs

Curious? Check out their summer events:

Farming Smarter invites you to a summer of field school and "plot hops." You may also want to explore their farm days and conference options.

Interested in other projects they've researched? Visit their site and explore:

Why donate to this charity?

Many people don’t realize that F.S. is a registered Canadian charity. They are a non-profit association funded by grants, sponsorship, and donations.  Above all, money donated to them stays in southern Alberta and funds locally directed agriculture focused research.
Your donation to this work, for example, could help them do your most critical agricultural research.

In short, if this resonates with your own values and concerns, we can help!

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Vehicle Donation in Canada

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry, Making a Difference

Vehicle donation in Canada should be a simple and cost-free process. As the donor, you have several donating options. Check your options carefully - not all donation programs are equal in integrity or service. Donate a Car Canada is all-Canadian, providing over 800 charities to choose from. 'Have a cause you love? We can process your car, truck, and (seasonally) motorcycle. For free! The net sale proceeds will go to your charity of choice.

How this works

The simplest way to proceed with your vehicle donation is to click any of the pick n pull buttons on our webpage. That click will take you to an online form for your donation. The form is simple to understand, and it only asks for information we really need to process your car or truck promptly.

Not having success with the online form? No problem! Give us a direct call at 1-877-250-4904. Our phone team will be happy to talk with you. They'll walk you through the form if you like, but will also be happy to just fill it all out for you.

Done that step? Leave it to us. We'll contact a nearby towing company and arrange for your free and timely pick-up. Don't worry: no one will show up for the vehicle until they've called to arrange best timing with you.

The tow guys will come for your auto, process it, and send us payment. The dollar outcome is subject to (always!) fluctuating metal prices in Canada. Once we have payment from our tow agent, we'll forward the proceeds on to your charity.

What does the charity have to pay?

Not a thing! We have written agreements with our supported charities that they will issue tax receipts in a prompt manner. Apart from that, the work is all taken care of by us here at DACC. Many of our charities receive thousands of dollars each year; some of the lesser-known organizations would be grateful for a little extra from you!

The difference you make

Vehicle donation in Canada has a multi-layer impact. First, it allows you to have a recycle or re-sale ready vehicle picked-up and processed at no cost to you. But the benefits don't end there. The charity of your choice will certainly benefit. And so will the environment (clean, thorough recycling practices matter). The longer reach? Many of our supporting tow agents are small, local companies: keeping wheels on the ground with a steady stream of work matters, too.

So, give us a click and let us get you on your way with your vehicle donation today!