Everyday Giving Blog

Donating a Car to Charity

As those in the charity business remind us, need has no season. The less fortunate can use help year round, and it is important for all of us to give what we can. There is no lack of charitable organizations vying for dollars, but for many the funds to help out such groups are just not there. One creative way to give to the charity of your choice is to donate a used car, and with your donation you can claim a tax exemption, allowing those who donate to get cash for cars.

The first step to donating your car is to select a worthy charity. This is very much personal preference, but a good place to start is by thinking about others who have influenced your life in a positive way. Have you ever had surgery and needed blood? Consider the Red Cross as a possible charity, as they save lives every day with much needed blood donations. Do you have a pet or pets that you particularly adore? Perhaps the ASPCA would be a good choice. They rescue thousands of animals that would otherwise have died or lived their lives in misery.

Whatever charity you choose, once you have made your selection, make sure your car is able to be donated. To donate a car, it must be completely paid off with the title in your name. Even if you have only a few payments left, the bank will not allow you to donate a car that it legally still owns. If you have the title of your car in your name, you are ready to go.

In a few cases, the charity you have selected may actually have its own car donation program. Some of these include military veterans associations such as Purple Heart or other groups like Habitat for Humanity and The American Diabetes Association. If you have selected one of these charities, they will assist you with the donation process and most of the time come to your home to pick up the car.

However, if the charity you have chose does not have its own donation program, you can still get your donation where you want it to go. You will need to find a car donation program that has connections to multiple charities. These companies allow you to designate the proceeds of the car sale to go to the charity of your choice, minus a certain amount of overhead. Research these companies carefully, as many are not true charities and take an extremely high percentage of the money made from the sale of your car. Check with the IRS and their Publication 78 to ensure that the donation company is reputable.

Finally, you can claim your donation on your taxes, helping you out at income tax time. Just remember that the deduction is for the fair market value of your car. This may differ from the Blue Book value, so check IRS Publication 561 and 526 to figure out what the fair market value of your car is before you donate.

Raymond blogs for cash for trucks, and is a strong supporter of car donations.

Volunteering opportunities for the Career Driven & Karma Seeker

Maybe you’re just after an extra notch on your C.V. to get the tactical advantage on the competition in your next job interview. Or maybe you’re just looking for that feel good factor, that courses through your veins when you help someone in need. Although your reasons for being there are not important as the outcome is the same either way.

By using your free time to volunteer abroad you can be sure that you will take in life changing experiences. Nothing opens your eyes to the world more than being ripped out of your comfort zone and going to a polar opposite culture and way of thinking.

Options for the Career Driven

An open mind is open to fresh ideas and creative solutions to difficult problems. Your perspective employers will love that you’ve experienced a wide variety of cultures and new ideas. It’s a competitive world out there and when you’re fresh out of university or even changing career we all know how difficult it can be to get the experience necessary. This is why employers are falling on back on applicants with more life experience.

A great option for you to achieve this life experience is to work abroad in Kerala, India. Here you will work with small staff of Nuns who work incredibly hard to keep over 70 children with learning difficulties educated. During your time in Kerala you’ll meet a multitude of different people from a wide variety of different backgrounds and cultures. By helping others and immersing you in widely different cultures, you just know you’ll come back a much wiser and open minded person.

Options for the Karma Seeker

With a world full of problems there is no shortage of places to volunteer abroad. Helping hands are needed everywhere and why shouldn’t one of them be yours. Options open to you include helping children with disabilities, conversation projects, building projects or even sports coaching.

One particular volunteer opportunity that stands out is the Build for the Future project in Khairahari, Nepal. You will certainly have your work cut out for you during this trip, as you help to build, maintain and renovate schools for children. Of course it won’t be all hard work. With stunning views of the Himalaya’s filling your peripheral vision and the children’s smiling faces as you literally build them a better future.

Hi I'm Max and I enjoy writing about travel and sharing my experiences from around the globe

Who Will You Help This Summer?

Travelling, what an amazing experience. Visit all the places in the World which you have always wanted to see in one big trip. Whether you go for a full blown gap year or just six months you will have the trip of a lifetime.

Unfortunately, and it really is unfortunate, not everyone is in a position to take a career break or can take a year out between College and University, or University and work. Luckily for the unfortunate majority there are now loads of adventure travel, work abroad and volunteer abroad trips which you can do for one to four weeks. This means that you can have several holidays over the next few years which would equate to the same as having been on one big gap year. Plus, you won’t have to lug a year’s worth of belongings around the World with you and you will be able to save up cash between trips so you can be a bit more extravagant than you may be able to be doing it all at once.

This summer you could jet off to Thailand, Cambodia, Costa Rica, South Africa and so many other amazing destinations and get involved in helping the local communities when you volunteer abroad. You can sign up to a one or two week volunteer programme and then add an extra few days or a week on the end to have a well-earned relax before heading back to work. What better way to find out about your holiday destination than to spend time getting to know and help the people who live there?

Volunteering abroad is such an emotionally rewarding and fulfilling experience that it is definitely worth sacrificing a week or two of ‘relaxation time’ for. You will most definitely get a much needed break from your everyday life and whilst you may have to do quite a lot more than eating, drinking and sleeping you will get a much longer term benefit than the aforementioned brief respite.

So, who will you help?

Once you have made the decision to volunteer abroad you need to consider; are you going to a particular place and then finding volunteer work or are you going to pick a volunteer programme and then see where you can do it? These factors will determine who in the World you are going to directly help. It can be pretty daunting if you don’t know where to start so here are some volunteer programmes you might like to consider.

Volunteer Work Abroad With Children

If you are good with children then there are loads of volunteer trips where you can directly improve the lives of underprivileged youngsters. This trip type is also available all over the World as unfortunately there are many troubled Countries with limited resources for child support and development. Would you prefer to teach in Thailand? Or do orphanage work in Cambodia? Or maybe you would like to be a community development volunteer in South Africa? If you know that you want to volunteer with children then then the next step is definitely to pick your destination and then work out the type of volunteer programme you can do in that destination.

Medical Volunteer Work

There is so much that we take for granted in the UK, such as clean running water, Council run doctors and the NHS which developing Countries simply do not have. Medical volunteer work can make a huge difference to communities who would otherwise have no medical guidance or equipment which is key for survival. Some of the medical volunteer work projects require a level of medical training but others are tailored for people who have not had any formal training but want to make a difference. These volunteer programmes tend to include some introductory training and will not expect any further skills than those taught. You could work in a South African hospital or a Malawian orphanage and quite literally save someone’s life.

Volunteer Building Projects

Whether your building experience comes from lego, home renovation or a building site you will be able to get involved in developing actual towns for people unable to do it for themselves. The projects range from house building which is available in Costa Rica and Guatemala to School and Community building renovation in places such as Thailand. Whether you build a family home or a community School I am sure you can see the value that one or two weeks of your time could add to a community.

Whoever or however you choose to help people this summer you are guaranteed to get some well-deserved self-satisfaction from it and if you choose to embark on a volunteering project abroad then you will also get a unique look into the lives of others and a wonderful holiday.

My names Joel and I've been traveling the globe for the past three years. I love to write about my experiences and enjoy sharing pictures, advice and travel tips from my world adventures.

Helping Families to Save the World, One Idea at a Time

You can't do everything that needs to be done. You can only do so much. This applies to your home life as well as charitable deeds. However, some people take this to mean that they can't do anything in the way of donating to charity because their financial resources are so limited. Fortunately, there are ways we can help that don't require money.

Time can be as valuable, if not more so, as money.

Sometimes all the money in the world won't have the same result that taking a little time to spend with a person who is lonely or hurting will. Many charitable organizations, in fact, are constantly asking for donations of time or services so that the specific needs that only true face-to-face interaction can give. So, next time, instead of reaching for the checkbook, why not reach for the car keys and go spend your time instead of your money.

If you decide to donate your time, you can make this have a dual advantage by finding something that will allow you to use your special skills, also. This can be anything from tutoring a child to helping build or repair a home to providing free counseling services, if you are eligible for this.

Make Your "Net Surfing" More Profitable

Many websites get their donations through "clicks". That is, each click made on an advertiser's website counts as a monetary donation. Charity Click Donation, at Charity Click Donation, will help you find charities that use this method of collecting donations.

If you are concerned that donating through clicks will cause you to get a lot of unwanted e-mail, check to see if there is a way you can specify that you only wish to donate, you don't want to receive e-mail from any advertisers.

Donate Your Wheels

Some websites accept donations in material goods rather than money. In some instances, the website requests a specific donation, such as a car.

The Salvation Army is a great charitable organization that accepts vehicle donations.

This organization accepts monetary donations as well, but is set up to help make it easy for you to donate your vehicle.

So, remember, you can't do everything, but you can do something. These ideas can help you get started on some ways you can be of service. So, give time, give services, or give your car. Just so you give something. And, just like money, it doesn't have to be much, because every little bit helps.

Jessy is a frugal and sustainable writer for Sell My Timeshare blog, the one-stop guide for an responsible traveler.

Volunteering in India: A Beginner's Guide

Each year, thousands of people from across the world take time out to do voluntary work in disadvantaged communities. Working on a volunteer project in India is one of the best ways to get to know this beautiful and unique country. As well as providing you with an insight into parts of Indian life that normal tourists never experience, there’s the satisfaction that comes from making a positive contribution to the communities you visit. By working closely with local people you’ll learn about local culture on a deeper level and gain a new understanding of the lives of ordinary people in India.

While it’s possible to set yourself up with a volunteer placement independently, in most cases, it is usually easier and safer to organise your placement via a company. This is especially true for first-time visitors to India, which can be a daunting and challenging country on arrival. A simple online search of “volunteer + India” will lead you to a wide range of companies and charitable organisations that offer volunteer placements all across India, so take your time to thoroughly research the options available to you  - and their associated costs.  In addition to organising your placement on a project, these companies can also provide training, orientation, accommodation, food and help (example: volunteeringindia.com) with getting settled in your new environment. Visas and flights however, will be your responsibility to arrange and pay for, so make sure you do everything to reduce costs here - from finding the cheapest flights, to raising money to cover your costs. Many placements involve a spell of volunteering followed by a holiday on a guided tour of the local region, so you can work hard and play hard in the one trip!

The range of volunteer work available in India is diverse, so that there should be a placement suitable for everyone. A popular option is working with underprivileged children and orphans, helping to teach English and provide basic schooling. Other ideas include working on empowerment programs for underprivileged women or working with the sick and dying. Alternatively, there are a wide variety of environmental conservation programs and construction projects in India which require volunteers. Likewise, there are placements available for coaching sports and for working on health education projects with rural and tribal communities.

Placements are available from as short as two weeks to as long as six months. On average, most people volunteer for at least a month, giving them a chance to immerse themselves fully in the local culture.  

A travel writer and blogger based in the UK, James writes about voluntourism and sustainable travel, with a strong focus on India.

Donate Your Used Board Games to Charity

Everyone has a couple of board games lying around that don't get played anymore. Even a board game fanatic like myself has a closet full of games that could easily be condensed into a single shelf. I've got two "back up" Scrabble boards that are a couple of years old that don't ever see the light of day.

Throwing away those old board games takes up space in the landfill and doesn't do the board games justice. We've spent hours playing our favorite games, and just because our tastes changed or we grew out of a game, we don't have to toss the game into the trash.

There are a ton of charities that accept gently used board games as donations. These board games are used in many different ways--some get sent to schools for use in the classroom, some are given to churches to hand out as gifts or for use in their day care programs, and some are placed in hospitals for play by patients. Donating a gently used board game is a much better way to get rid of a game in decent condition that you're not playing anymore.

Here are some charities that accept donations of board games.

Holiday Toy Donation

During the holidays--between early October and late January--many charities and charitable organizations accept donations of toys and board games to hand out to needy children. Many of them won't accept gently used board games, so consider buying a new game and donating it for every game you have to get rid of.

Ronald McDonald Houses

The Ronald McDonald House Charities provide many different services for children, most famously the Ronald McDonald Houses themselves. These houses are a "home away from home" for sick children who have to travel away from their hometown for medical care. Since top of the line medical care is centered in a handful of big cities, receiving regular medical care for chronic conditions requires lengthy expensive hospital stays. Your local Ronald McDonald House provides kids a safe, clean, and free place to stay when they're sick.

Some Ronald McDonald House charities take donations of gently used board games, others don't. Contact your local RMHC office to find out if your board games are accepted. This is a great charity, and if you donate your old board games, you know they'll be enjoyed for years to come.

Other Charities That Accept Board Games

Unfortunately, thanks to new safety regulations, Salvation Army and other nationwide charities no longer accept donations of children's toys. Goodwill is generally happy to accept these donations, though you may need to clean the games and have the games inspected before you can donate them.

If there is a children's hospital in your hometown, they're highly likely to accept the donation of a used board game. Contact them directly for guidelines.

Will Roby is hooked on Scrabble and other board games and writes about his passion at Scrabble Pages. Check out his information on Toys R Us coupons for a quick way to save on your next board game purchase.

 

Photo credit: Jennifer Marr