March is a month chalk-a-block with special days!

We’ll name just a few of March’s drive change special days. In a month that has so very many, opting to hone in on just three came down to choosing one day (today!).

Have you heard the call to Rock Your Socks? Every year, World Down Syndrome Day is an invitation to join communities around the globe in promoting awareness, inclusion, and understanding. It’s about uplifting the unique strengths and contributions of people with Down Syndrome. We are all made stronger when we honour and support individuals with diverse abilities. We advocate for a community where everyone belongs, participates, and thrives. This is a celebratory day where supportive folx are invited to “rock your socks” (by wearing your most fabulous, fancy, funny pair) and choose to include!

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

“While much progress has been made, Indigenous peoples, and racialized and religious minority communities in Canada continue to face racism and discrimination every day. This day serves as a call to action for individuals, organizations, and all levels of government to actively work to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination, injustice, systemic racism and hate. Re-committing efforts, to ensure all people are respected and have equal access and opportunity to be safe and to succeed.” (Government of Canada)

International Day of Forests

Tree Canada (one of our receiving charities) notes, “Today we celebrate International Day of Forests, a day where people across the globe commemorate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests.

This year’s theme – Forests and health – reminds us to appreciate forests, both urban and rural, for the benefits they offer our health.

Did you know? Trees help us live longer, healthier lives. Exposure to nature reduces stress, speeds healing, and helps improve mental health. Research shows that walking through a forest for just 15 minutes can lower symptoms of anxiety and depression and boost positive moods.”

3 inspiring reminders, 1 simple way to drive change

While March 21st may have played out as just a regular ol’ day for most of us here in Canada, it also serves as a reminder that there are unique needs in our amazing country. You and I can deploy our human kindness superpower and drive change for any one of the three special areas named here. Or, we can choose from literally thousands of other needs that would be most helped by our individual efforts.

For us here at Donate a Car, we’ve honed a compassionate and practical method to drive change. It’s all in the name! Every donated car, truck, motorcycle, SUV, or van counts. Every donation dollar that results from the re-sale or recycling of unused/unwanted makes a difference!

Passionate about trees? Donate for conservation!

Moved by issues of racism, exclusion, bullying, or marginalization? Or, we might say, moved by issues of equality, inclusion, diversity, and dignity? Your charity of choice is ready to put your donation dollars to exceptional work.

It really is this easy to drive change!

There are just three steps to donating a vehicle:

1. Fill in an online form (This takes less than 10 minutes.)
2. Sit back and wait for the phone to ring (It’s your tow agent call to set up your free tow!)
3. Finally, watch your in box (That’s where your tax receipt will land after your vehicle is re-sold or recycled.)

There’s not cost to you. Your charity of choice will pay $0.00. They won’t have to lift a finger. Even the tax receipt process will be looked after for them by CanadaHelps.

You. Me. Together we are making a difference. One vehicle at a time.

The post 3 Big Days, 1 Big Way to Drive Change appeared first on Donate A Car.

More than one kind of green in this kind of giving!

Vehicle donation is a win-win-win. Here’s how:

Win #1: Your charity of choice (you can give to ANY Canadian charity) receives otherwise inaccessible donation dollars. Because there is a lot involved in processing cars for donation, this kind of fund raising is out of reach for most individual charities. Donate a Car Canada takes care of all of the details from first steps all the way through to the tax receipt. This means your organization incurs $0.00 in costs or fees. So, there’s the monetary value of your gift to the charity, and also the absolute simplicity of the process on their end of things! Maybe this is actually a double-win in itself?

Win #2: You receive a free tow, a tax receipt, and a clear driveway. Hmmmm. Maybe this is a win-win-win as well?

Win #3: Here’s where there’s another kind of green in the giving. More than just cash-in-hand for your cause, you are making a direct impact on Canada’s environment. Vehicles are re-sold whenever possible, allowing for continued use and less waste. Recycle-ready vehicles are processed in an environmentally friendly manner. A win for all of is.

The ripple effects of your simple human kindness

All of those wins, and we haven’t addressed the intangibles of the generosity of vehicle donation! Again and again we see the rippling outward of the already-extraordinary goodness of giving in this way. The ripple effects start with the vehicle donor, of course. And then there’s the experience that generosity sparks in our transport agents (they really dig serving donors like you!). Beyond that there’s the extended invitation to the donor’s loved ones and community to give as they are able, where they are able.

Not everyone is in a position to donate a car, but each of us have something to offer our communities. Every act of kindness spurs us on to reciprocate, or to initiate, our own loving actions!

One donor’s experience says it all

G.K. donated their recycle-ready Honda for the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada. They write,

“I was very attached to my old car and found the entire donation process
very emotional and it has taken time for me to process everything.
This being said, I have only positive feedback about every step of this
process with you. I am very glad to have chosen Donate a Car as the
organization through which I made this donation.

The biggest reason was that I liked being able to choose the charity to which I am donating and
you had so many great charities to choose from.
I also appreciated that I spoke to a caring, and helpful human when I first
called about the process and how to get started. This person had a lot of good information, knew about the car
conditions and was very honest about how the car would contribute to a
donation based on the description of the condition. They also had great
information on how the process works and the process specific to Quebec,
and could direct me to the right person to ask questions to about the
registration changes.

Then, it was time for the tow…

Locally, the garage I worked with and the person who came to pick up the
vehicle really made an effort during the busy season of tire change over,
to pick up the car and facilitate the registration change process. They
were even flexible with the pick up time, but were honest about their
availability and managed expectations well.

I hope that you can keep up the good work and maintain the humanistic
approach of this organization. It is very refreshing when the rest of the
world is automating so many interactions.”

Is this kind of giving too good to be true?

We pride ourselves on being a business that readily provides full disclosure. This is important from the onset of your vehicle donation process.

We have three methods of managing your donated car, van, SUV, truck, motorcycle, or boat. Each method is curated to your unique vehicle. Every truck has a tale to tell; every SUV is singin’ its own song. So, we need to be sure we don’t apply a one-process-fits-all system.

1) If your vehicle is selected for our recycle process, the donation amount for a vehicle can be between $30.00 – $800.00. This is dependent on the area in which it is donated, and what the market will pay for the year/make/model. The vehicle will be picked up by our towing agent at no cost to you.

2) Your vehicle may be considered for sale at auction. Several factors go into qualifying a vehicle for auction. These include, but are not limited to, drivability, type of mechanical problems (if any), age, damage, visual appearance, and mileage.

Vehicles sold at auction are sold ‘as is’ and ‘unreserved’. They are sold to the highest bidder, as a full and final sale. Outcome at auction varies. As such, we cannot guarantee a specific sale result.

3) Our third option applies to vehicles that may not perform well at auction, but that are not ready for recycling. Our re-sale/recycle process will see our agent pick up your vehicle for free.

Once they have it on their yard they will assess it to determine if it should be re-sold or recycled. This will be based on the current market. If they see re-sale value in your vehicle, they will advertise it to their own buyer base, selling it as-is, to the highest bidder. They will send us the net proceeds from the re-sale price. If they determine that they will not find interested buyers, they will recycle your car.

Our experience tells us that we do not always see Blue/Black book value when we employ the re-sale process. That said, if you explore our social media posts you’ll see that we routinely see vehicles sell for thousands of dollars in donation returns for the donors’ charities!

Vehicle donation is simple, quick, free

The benefits of vehicle donation extend far beyond helping the chosen charity. And helping that charity is so very important in and of itself! ‘Ready to embark on your own donation experience? Fill in our online form! In less than 10 minutes you’ll be on your way to your free tow. Or, call in to 1-877-250-4904. A funny, happy, capable human is at-the-ready to walk you through. Then it’s just a matter of waiting for your tow call, and receiving your tax receipt. One generous, impactful, ripple-making way to show your charity of choice that you care!

The post The Surprising Benefits of Vehicle Donation appeared first on Donate A Car.

Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and you

We first blogged about the ACHF back in 2016. We have had the joy of sharing in this children’s hospital heartwork for years! The car, truck, and van donations of folks like you have been building up for years!

Now? Nine years later and vehicle donors are still seeing their dollars add up…and up…and waaaaay up!

100+ years of Alberta Children’s Hospital Love

The ACH mission is just so big! In 2022, the hospital celebrated a big birthday:

“This year, the Alberta Children’s
Hospital turns 100 years old! It’s a huge
milestone – an opportunity to celebrate
a tremendous history of caring for
children and families, made possible by
our incredibly generous community.

From the start, the hospital set out to
provide the very best care possible
for children. First located in what was
originally a three-storey duplex in
southwest Calgary, the hospital moved
to a second building in lower Mount
Royal seven years later. In 1952, children
began receiving care at the third facility
on Richmond Road. Then, with more
than $50 million in donations from the
public, the current state-of-the-art ‘lego’
hospital opened in 2006 in the city’s
northwest…

The hospital has provided nation-leading
care for kids for decades. For example,
back in the 1950s during the polio
epidemic, children travelled from across
the country for leading-edge treatments
only available in Calgary. That innovation
continues today.”

Gratitude rolls in on 4 wheels

Through rough times and profitable times, car donors have been participating in the caring work at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. The ACH helps our Beloveds. We get that here at Donate a Car. Our own children and other family members have been helped in creative, patient, and courageous ways at the hospital. It’s easy to choose the children’s hospital as a receiving charity when we feel so very thankful for their care.

In the current market we see strong returns on even the scrappiest of scrap cars. $300.00 – $400.00 is ballpark for charities like the ACH when they have an end-of-life car, truck, or van donated on their behalf. We’re working on half a dozen such donations at the time of this writing!

Better yet? We love (love!) to see vehicles put up for re-sale. It is the norm to see a re-sold or auctioned vehicle bring in thousands of donation dollars for a children’s hospital charity!

The Alberta Children’s Hospital shouts out

Just last Fall, the ACH wrote,

“We are updating our Wall of Honour at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and I am pleased to let you know that, thanks to your continued support, Donate a Car is now being recognized in the Guardians category ($250,000 – $499,999) as Donate a Car Canada. During these challenging times, we are extra grateful for the support of community members like you.”

Dear donor, that’s You! You are the “community member” that is an agent of Goodness and hope and practical compassion. That old Camry may be just so much metal and rubber to you at this point. To the charity you love? It could be $100.00, or $800.00, or $13,000.00 giving dollars for a charity like the ACH.

Here’s to another century of grateful giving

These years partnering with children’s hospital donors feels good for our Giving Selves here at Donate a Car. We know that you don’t donate your car in order to get your name printed on a wall. And we don’t do what we do to receive accolades either. But there is a richness in seeing that our time in working alongside each other — you the giver, the hospital as your recipient, and us acting as go-betweens — has a cumulative effect.

The children’s hospital is committed to building their work! Their next 100 years? They have plans to continue personalize care for every child, and to bring that care closer to home. They will seek to empower the best and brightest minds in research. Investing in places and tools that advance child healthcare and research will be key to their work.

Let’s work together and make a mark for practical compassion in children’s healthcare! If that comes in the shape of a steering wheel and some metal on wheels, we are the ones to assist!

The post Alberta Children’s Hospital | 100+ Years of Caring appeared first on Donate A Car.

Not all heroes fly…

…some roll in to auction on two wheels…and then again on four Mini Cooper wheels! One of our donors is a beautiful reflection of the Goodness that can come from one generous human!

We’ll call our double donor Rachel. As is so often the case with our donors, they are not looking for accolades. They want to remain anonymous. Rachel is just so!

We first met Rachel in March of 2021. Her first donation was a 2004 Aprilia Atlantic scooter. Her donation outcome on this rare little bomb around? $928.25 for the Alberta Cancer Foundation!

Her second donation was to follow just months later. In July of 2021 she opted to part with her 1999 hunter green Rover Mini Cooper. Little did she or the Calgary Humane Society know how big those little Mini bids would go!

Donating a ’99 Mini Cooper| Humane Society for the win!

As with many car donors, Rachel had no idea what to expect when she reached out to us here at Donate a Car Canada. Would the process be simple? It was! Time consuming? Not at all. Could she even donate her scooter? You bet! And what would happen to her fun little Mini? Re-sale through auction all the way!

Both the scooter and the Rover were easily accommodated through our auction process. Rachel was contacted by our tow agent to arrange her free pick-up. The vehicles were then both successfully run through our supporting Calgary auction house. And this during pandemic times!

Auction outcomes are subject to what buyers are willing to offer on sale day. Sale outcomes remain a mystery throughout the process. So, when we learned of the exceptional offer received on this particular ‘Cooper we were over the moon for her charities! And Rachel was too,

“I am STUNNED. Seriously I don’t know what to say!!! I am so thrilled the car sold so well! Honestly I only paid about $9,000 for it many years ago and was kind of crossing my fingers we’d get close to that amount, but I was expecting $5K more realistically. Over 12K is FANTASTIC, I can’t believe it!!! Thank you again for all of your help with this. I know it was a very unusual vehicle to auction and we had no idea how it’d do. So this turned out far, far better than I’d ever even hoped!

I was so happy with how everything turned
out!

I am crossing my fingers that others might be interested in donating in the
future, especially older, weird cars like mine.“

Rachel’s humane society and ACF heartwork

The Calgary Humane Society and the Alberta Cancer Foundation have each been partnered with Donate a Car for over 10 years.

The Alberta Cancer Foundation received their first vehicle donation in 2011. From the beginning, this has been one of our donors’ most beloved causes.

Their work? The ACF raises and receives funds on behalf of 17 treatment centres in Alberta. Funding supports cancer research, patient education and financial assistance programs, equipment and technology acquisition, and cancer care programs.

We have many active donations for them in the works at the time of this writing! Rachel’s $900.00 scooter donation in Spring is a special reflection of a loving community of supporters.

And the Calgary Humane Society has been with us just as long! These animal carers shelter, heal, protect, and place 10,000 animals per year in distress or crisis. Rachel’s extraordinary gift of $12044.75 goes such a long way in this kind of work. And we have a handful of currently active donors who agree — the critters at CHS will receive more donations here in the next few weeks!

Steering you toward sharing the Goodness

Steer your vehicle in the donation direction. Humane society, healthcare cause, children’s charity, or you-name-it-we’ve-got-it Good Work: your car, truck, or van donation will make a difference to the charity you choose. And we are so happy to help!

The post Big Support From Mini Donor appeared first on Donate A Car.

Multiplying goodness by the Mazda Method

JDRF Canada doesn’t know it yet, but they’ll be receiving a gift close to $1,000.00 from one of this month’s Mazda 3 donors.

And we don’t know how they did it, but our agents picked-up and re-sold a Mazda 5 in teenytown Ontario. The result? A donation of over $1,000.00 to the Canadian Cancer Society!

Mazda donors weigh in

“My Mazda 3 Sport has a large amount of rust, and some damage to the rear bumper and tail light casings…”

“The front subframe is rusted completely through where the lower control arm mounts, and the passenger side lower ball joints are damaged. In my opinion, the car is unsafe to drive on road…”

“Our MPV transmission is a little bit clunky but functions fine and the vehicle was driven from Calgary and Jasper return as recently as last summer. No oil leaks. Rust is present on all 4 wheel wells and the bottom of the front doors.”

Is my Mazda worth $1K?

Mazda donations come in all shapes and sizes. This year we’ve seen 3’s, 5’s, Proteges, Tributes, and MPVs. The list goes on. ‘Ever heard of a Mazda Bongo Friendee? I hadn’t either. A donor gifted one on behalf of CancerCare Manitoba just this past Christmas season. ‘Worth a little Google search, that one is!

The Mazda’s number one donation-value-nemesis in Canada: rust.
Keeping drivers safe means that these chariots get rusted right out from underneath us.

If your Mazda is in rough shape it can still earn valuable charity dollars! In great shape, it will earn more. Whenever possible, our agents will re-sell a vehicle. If it cannot be re-sold, they will recycle it. Donations for recycle-ready cars vary from province to province. Each agent determines what they are able to pay for a vehicle based on curb weight, year/make/model/mileage, and the current metal market.

How can I donate my Mazda?

Donating your car is easy! Our charity choice sets us apart in this industry: you can select any charity in Canada! Our online form takes less than 10 minutes to fill out (be ready with the year/make/model/VIN and it’ll be a breeze). We gladly provide phone support (1-877-250-4904). It takes less than 10 minutes to do the form with us on the phone.

Our agents across the country serve promptly, carefully, and with donation in mind. You’ll get a call from the towing company to arrange service time that works for you. The agent will walk you through any questions you have about your vehicle registration, too.

One recent Google 5 Star reviewer recently said, “It really is as easy as 1-2-3!” That’s what we like to hear! Our donors deserve it, our charities deserve it, you deserve it. We’d love to hear from you!

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