Share The Love Donating Dollhouses

Every heard the saying “it’s better to give than to receive?”

This age-old adage holds a lot of merit, especially in a world dominated by the need for material possessions. But donating doesn’t always have to be a monetary gift. In fact, many schools, churches and not-for-profit organizations are receiving donations in all shapes and sizes.

Donating can serve a multitude of purposes, ranging anywhere from building supplies to gifts for sick children. But the bottom line is a donation must come from someone who is willing to share. So if you are interested in finding ways to donate but don’t want to simply write a check, what are your possibilities?

First off, you need to figure out what organization you want your donation to go towards. Is it a church or a local school? Do you support national organizations, such as the United Way or St. Jude’s Hospital? How much do you want to spend? Once you answer these questions, you’ll have a better idea where to begin when finding the perfect donation.

Most organizations enjoy receiving monetary donations and grants. But for those individuals willing to help out in other ways, holding public or silent auctions help raises the necessary funding needed to sustain a charity. Auctions are also a great social gathering for cities, both large and small. In fact, many auctions are held as black-tie affairs.

Some of the most common donations are to children’s charities because they are in constant need of donations, especially toys and games, which can make a child smile. If you are looking for an idea to give to a children’s charity, consider the traditional dollhouse. Dollhouses are a great example of a donation because the intricate detail and designs can ring up huge sums of money for the charity. What is unique about donating a build-from-scratch item, such as a dollhouse, is you can mold it to resemble certain buildings or homes, depending on the charity.

Dollhouses are not the only ingenious way to help out an organization. Donations can also come in the form of cars, boats or even wheelchairs. By donating big-ticket items, such as these, you will receive a nice tax break for the year while helping an organization fulfill the needs of those less fortunate in this world.

Donating your personal time is another great example of giving back to the community. Perhaps volunteering at a local hospital or senior citizen center is your way of giving. Or even spending a couple of days teaching children in a day-care or special education program free of charge can help out an organization in need.

Donating to charities requires intuitive thinking by all parties involved, and finding your niche in the giving world can be easy when you know where to start or what an organization needs. Donations shouldn’t be about giving the largest gift, but should focus on what is truly needed. So when your time comes to give more than you receive, consider making your gift one that will last a lifetime.

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Should You Give Your Car Away

You can give your car to charity and deduct the gross proceeds from the sale if the proceeds are for more than $500.

If the claimed value of the donated motor vehicle, boat or plane exceeds $500 and the item is sold by the charitable organization, the taxpayer’s claimed value is limited to the gross proceeds from the sale.

The charitable organization must notify the donor within 30 days of the sale of the amount of the gross proceeds. However, if the charity adds improvements to the vehicle, the charity must notify the donor within 30 days of the contribution. If the charity betters the vehicle then the donor may deduct the vehicle’s market value.

Actually, it is much better if the Taxpayer can deduct the vehicle’s market value, because there normally is quite a gap between perceived market value and actual proceeds, and this difference can literally be thousands of dollars.

One car donation center states that it has processed over 500,000 car donations since 1992, which adds up to about 30,000 cars a year.

Did you know that you can also donate boats and RV’s?

So if aunt Dora dies, and leaves her jalopy in the driveway then maybe this is an attractive way to get rid of the car especially since it does not start anyway.

But wait! It is not that easy.

Where is the Title to the car? Not in the glove compartment? You may have a problem.

You may also have a problem if the title is joint, say Aunt Dora and Uncle Nick.

If Aunt Dora died and UncleNick is still alive there will be all kinds of problems.

How about vehicle emission controls, was the car equipped with them, were they disabled?

When you make a charity car donation:

You get free vehicle pick-up whether your car to donate is running or not. In some cases the company will actually put a new battery in the car to get it running again.

You avoid confusing Department of Motor Vehicles paperwork or Smog hassles.

How it works:

Call a reliable Vehicle Donation company.

They’ll take your information over the telephone, they’ll handle all the DMV documents, they’ll pick up your vehicle , arrange an auction sale and distribute the proceeds to the charity.

If your donated vehicle/vessel sells for under $500 the receipt you receive at the time the vehicle is picked up is all you need for filing your taxes.

The actual net proceeds of a donated car seem to range around the $400 figure

In all cases, a charity car donation is sold to the highest bidder by a well-established charity vehicle auction.

You must have a certificate of title.

Some companies will also guarantee that if your donated car gets a ticket after your donation date, they’ll take care of the ticket for you and they zealously will fight it so you don’t have to worry about it.

The reason cars are sold by public auction is that people simply will pay more at an auction for your car than they will pay at a dealer.

Also, if the car is running at the time of the auction people will pay more so it is advisable to get it to running condition when reselling it.


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Car Donation Programs Look Before You

Hundreds of charities have begun to adopt car donation programs as a way to raise funds or to provide themselves with no-cost vehicles to help operate their programs. But rather than managing the car donation programs themselves, they will often turn to fundraising organizations to actually handle the donation and auctioning of the vehicles. And that policy can mean a problem for you.

If you run an Internet search on car donation programs, you will get hundreds of hits from fundraisers who claim that they will let you choose from among a group of charities to which the proceeds of your car’s sale, of not the car itself, will go. And they will give you the paperwork you need to claim your car donation as a charitable deduction on your IRS return.

Taking Advice From The IRS

But the IRS itself, in recent years, has become alarmed at the proliferation of car donation programs run by fundraisers which end up keeping the bulk of the proceeds they receive for donated cars. The IRS recommends that it you are considering any of the car donation programs, you contact the people running it and get a clear answer as to whether they are charity officials, or private group acting for the charity.

If you find that they are a private group running the car donation programs of several charities, find out exactly what they plan to do with the car you donate. Will the car be repaired and given to the charity to help in its work? Or do the fundraisers intend to auction the car off and if so, how much of the proceeds will go to the fundraisers, and how much to the charity? For more info see http://www.1cardonationservices.com/Articles/Car_Donation_Services.php on Car Donation Services.

Car donation programs which cannot, or will not, give you clear answers to these questions are not those on which you can depend to see that your ca, or the money it brings gets, to the charity of your choosing. And if the charity does not directly receive the car or its value, you do not have the right to claim the value of the car as a deduction.

Legitimate car donation programs greatly simplify the process of connecting you with a charity which will benefit from your gift. But it’s your responsibility to research the various car donation programs in you area and ensure that as much a possible of your car’s value will be channeled to the charity, and that the charity itself is one recognized by the IRS. Otherwise, your well-intended car donation may turn into a big problem at tax time, when you attempt to take an unwarranted deduction!

Tips On Car Donations In Ny

Taking advantage of car donation services in New York is beneficial not only for the charity you choose and the beneficiaries of that charity’s support but also for you. Driving and parking a vehicle in New York is a particularly hair-raising, and expensive, endeavor. Used car donation helps relieve you of the hassle of an unwanted car in an efficient manner. You also benefit from used car donation through the tax write-off that comes when you donate to charity. Finally, car donation gives you a sense of gratification, knowing that you are helping those in your local community through your gift.

Why car donation is particularly important in New York

Charity car donation is a service which is helpful to people all over the United States, but it is particularly important in New York for a number of reasons. The large population of New York City makes it a place which is, in many ways, overcrowded. This creates a two-fold problem which is eased through the car donation program. First, making use of unwanted cars alleviates the burden of waste which occurs when there are such unused large objects littering the city. Second, car donation allows charities to better serve the needs of the population.

How car donation serves you

The stereotypes that says that New Yorkers are all self-serving has never held true. However, it is human nature to want to know what you are going to get out of any given situation, because this helps you to weigh your options in decision-making. Car donation offers may benefits to the individual donating a car. Car donation relieves you of the hassle of towing an immovable vehicle or of advertising and negotiating sales of a used vehicle. In New York City, car donation is particularly useful in helping you to efficiently move a vehicle which may be accumulating parking fees and ticket fines. Car donation also makes you eligible for a tax deduction, reducing what you owe to the government and moving that money to the local community. Finally, charity car donation also allows New Yorkers to give to their community and to feel more connected to the people around them, despite the bustling, high-energy pace of New York.

Car donation isn’t just for cars

Most people who participate in car donation are trying to get rid of their cars, but you should know that car donation can help you to get rid of many different types of unwanted vehicles. Trucks, vans, RVs and trailers are just some of the automobiles you can get rid of through used car donation programs. This information is especially useful for those people who have recently moved, or are considering a move, to New York City. Many people transport their belongings to New York, only to find that they are stuck with large vehicles which are debilitating in the city. Figuring out what to do with your vehicle is the last thing you want on your mind when you first move in to the city. Car donation will take away that burden.