Car Donation Wizard Urges Potential Donors to Carefully Evaluate Charity Car Donation Programs

March 1, 2011 - PRLog -- Warren, RI – Lately there has been dozens of articles about illegitimate charities or charity fundraisers taking advantage of donors. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in car donation circles, where headlines of lawsuits and indictments pepper our newspapers and websites.  How do well meaning donors know that the donation they make is being put to good use?  To avoid being duped, potential donors should consider a variety of factors when choosing the best car donation program.

Here’s the ploy: a homeless child or starving puppy peers down from a highway billboard, they need help from the public. If you simply donate the old car sitting in your driveway, this could provide food, shelter, education or even life to a needy soul.

The problem: The billboard is actually owned by a used-car seller, a “charity” that keeps an enormous percentage of the profit for its own benefit or an organization that uses the money for a purpose never implied in the ads.

“Car donation is a wonderful thing. It really can provide food, shelter, education and even the hope of a better life to those in need,” states Joseph Hearn, president of Car Donation Wizard. “People just need to know which programs are legit and which are rip-offs.”

The public shouldn’t let vague mission statements and catchy radio jingles lure them in. In order to avoid getting duped by a false charity, Hearn suggests that potential donors follow this simple checklist:
1. Make sure the charity you're working with is legitimate. You can research almost any legitimate charity online at www.charitynavigator.com.
2. Choose an organization with well-recognized work. Be especially concerned about "charities" with cute sounding names but little known history-- they may not have any charitable function except taking car donations from donors.
3. Google the car donation program's name with the word "scam." You'd be surprised how many people donate to companies that are widely known to be dishonest.
4. Ask how much the charity will receive. Find out how much of the gross proceeds go back to the charity. If the organization will only list the percentage of net proceeds, then your donation could be largely wasted. Car Donation Wizard returns nearly 80% of every gross dollar raised back to charity, any vehicle donation program that returns less than 60% is taking advantage of the charity and keeping your dollars from making a difference.
5. Ask how and where the money will be spent. This question should be easily answered. Beware of programs that promise to send proceeds to an organization without having a direct relationship. Find out what percentage of revenue the program keeps for "operating costs".
6. Ask how the vehicle will be handled. You'll want to know that the vehicle will be picked up and transported by properly licensed and insured towing companies and that the legal transfer of the vehicle will be handled by a licensed dealer contracted by the charity (or in some cases under the charity's own vehicle license).
7. Sign the title directly over to the charity or their agent. Do not, under any circumstances, leave the "buyer" section of the title blank. By leaving the title blank, you allow anyone to transfer the title directly from you to the next buyer. As a result, you may remain liable for the vehicle, and the charity might not get any credit for your donation.

For more information please visit:
www.cardonationwizard.com

Contact:
Car Donation Wizard, Media Relations
Web. http://www.cardonationwizard.com
Email. media@arscars.com
Tel. +1-877-957-2277

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About Car Donation Wizard:

Car Donation Wizard, a service of Advanced Remarketing Services, Inc., returns 75% - 80% of every gross dollar raised by donated cars back to the charity; this amount is double what most car donation programs return. Car Donation Wizard works with the nation’s most reputable and respected charities including: Habitat for Humanity, National Public Radio, Arthritis Foundation, March of Dimes, One Laptop per Child, Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Foundation, Feed the Children and more. For a full list of charities, visit www.cardonationwizard.com or call 877-957-2277. The benefits of donating a car or other vehicle, for donors, include supporting a worthwhile and charitable cause, helping reduce environment impact and receiving a tax deduction.