By Dunia Noseda-Bonokoski

What if you got a tax receipt for $200.00  from the favorite charity that you donated your vehicle to, only to find out that they didn’t really get $200.00  but only got $40.00 dollars worth of the $200.00.  Wouldn’t that be a bit of a puzzle to figure out?

Well it happens a lot and it can be a bit misleading if you don’t know that it is happening.

We want you to know that Donate a Car Canada does NOT operate this way.

Unfortunately, here is a scenario that may occur with some Canadian car donation programs:

1. The charity receives a cheque for $200.00   from the sale of your vehicle from the car donation program.
2. The charity writes you out a tax receipt for $200.00. 
3. The charity receives a towing fee invoice from the car donation program. For example, let’s say the towing invoice is for $160.00.
4. The charity pays the towing fee of $160.00 and is now left with a net of $40.00 for their charity.
5. In summary, you get a tax receipt for $200.00 and the charity gets $40.00.

(It’s a bit of a surprise isn’t it?) 

At Donate a Car Canada we feel that the charities have enough demands on their time and overhead, and we don’t want them to have to go to the trouble, time and expense of writing out cheques, using up their envelopes and stamps, and re-balancing their bank account. When the charity gets a donation from you through Donate a Car Canada the cheque they receive and your tax receipt are the same amount. There are never any charges to the charity through Donate a Car Canada.

It has always been our mandate to make it easy for our donors to donate their vehicle and to keep it simple for the charity to receive that donation.

With the option to donate to ANY Canadian charity, we know that you will be able to share your generous donation with the charity that speaks to your heart.

Ready to donate? Just click here! 

The post The Surprising Difference! Tax Receipt vs Donation Amount appeared first on Donate A Car.

How much is my car donation tax receipt?

The short story: car donation tax receipt outcomes vary from province to province, and even city to city. This is because all donated vehicles are assessed on their own merits. We have seen re-sale donation outcomes as high as $66,850.00! A few years back, Prostate Cancer Canada received a Mercedes donation of $27,000.00! Although these results are not typical, it is not uncommon for us to send thousands of dollars to receiving charities for auctioned vehicles.

Recycle-ready car donation outcomes are as varied as the cars, donors, and provinces they represent! In some cities we see outcomes as high as $600.00 for a scrap-ready car!

Car donation tax receipt: here’s the breakdown

Donate A Car Canada has three possible sale procedures that maximize the donation outcome for our charities. Here’s how we work:

1. Many donated cars are ready for the recycle process: This applies to vehicles that are ready to come off the road. The donation amount for each varies. Dollar outcomes depend on your donation location, 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. We always assess: is a vehicle suitable for sale at auction? Several factors go into qualifying a vehicle for auction. Drivability, mechanical condition, age, visual appearance, and mileage all impact this decision.
   Vehicles sold at auction are sold ‘as is’ and ‘unreserved’. Sales are 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 begins with the free tow. Once our agent has it on their yard they will assess your vehicle to determine if it should be recycled or re-sold. This will be based on the current market. If they determine that they will not find interested buyers, they will recycle your car. If they see re-sale value in your vehicle, they will advertise it to their own buyer base. They will send us the net proceeds from the re-sale price.

Will this cost me anything?

There is no cost to either donor or charity for this process. Donate a Car and their cooperating agents (we serve from coast-to-coast!) do have costs.

We keep our own overhead to a minimum. This is done in several ways, not the least of which is our work from home staff. Having the team work from home has been one of Donate a Car’s cost-saving measures from day one! Furthermore, keeping our staffing numbers lean cuts the bills, too. It does mean that we each work at a clip! And it means we care (so personally) about each donor. Moreover, we strive to keep our environmental footprint small: we are almost entirely paperless. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Our agents mirror our mission: they often cut their own fees dramatically to accommodate complicated tows. They work overtime for our donors, too. Additionally, they boost the amounts they’re willing to pay per vehicle whenever they can.

Any costs to the process are taken from the final sale amount on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis.

Works for me! How do I go ahead?

Just click the big red button right here! The donation form you find there will get you set-up in just a few minutes. Next? Await a call from our supporting tow agent. Then, it’s a free tow. A tax receipt will land in your inbox within a week of our disbursing your donation to your charity of choice.

A consideration: some of our agents will offer a small bump in the sale outcome of the vehicle if it is dropped off at their property. This doesn’t always apply, but do ask if that’s an option for you!

You are also invited to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. There you will be able to keep up-to-date on posts that showcase amazing donors and charities in every province in Canada!

We look forward to serving you and your charity of choice!

The post How Much is My Car Donation Tax Receipt? appeared first on Donate A Car.

Most of the vehicles we process in the Maritimes are recycle-ready. And there are times when we are able to re-sell a vehicle for a higher donation return. Whatever the process, donors and charities alike are well served.

Quadruple car donor!

It is our privilege to work alongside donors who have more than one vehicle to donate. Sometimes Canadians submit more than one vehicle at the same time. Additionally, donors may come back to us year after year. And sometimes, we see the same giver roll through the program with several years in between.

One of our Nova Scotia car donors lands in more than one of those categories!

‘Back in 2014, our guy came to the program with three vehicles at once! Not only did he submit 3 different cars, he gifted 3 unique charities:
Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia ,
Alice House , and the
Arthritis Research Foundation .

Two of his vehicles (a tired ol’ Pontiac Grand Am, and a worn out Toyota Sienna) were ready for recycling. While his ’08 Uplander looked scrap-ready on paper, our agent was able to turn it over for higher-than-going-rate!

Which brings us to July 2020 Nova Scotia car donors…

Just this past month, this same Maritimer gifted Alice House another vehicle! This time his trusty Mini Cooper brought in a donation of a $200.00 for the charity.

Nova Scotia car donors have options when it comes to giving away their vehicles. What a joy it is to serve generous Canadians such as this, time after time!

If you have a vehicle to donate (or two…or more!), we’re here to help:

Quick, simple, free!

Give to the charity you love in 3 easy steps:

1. Click that red button up there. In less than 10 minutes you’ll have your information out to us. Or, call in, Monday – Friday, 1-877-250-4904. A real, live, funny human will be happy to assist!
2. Then, just wait for your free tow call.
3. Finally, watch your inbox for your charitable tax receipt!

Find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, too. There you will be able to keep up-to-date on posts. We love to showcase amazing donors and charities in every province in Canada!

The post Nova Scotia Car Donors appeared first on Donate A Car.

How vehicle donations work

The simplest way to proceed with your vehicle donation is to click any of the 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!

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