Sierra Club Foundation

No. Vehicle Donors do not pay for towing; it's free! The vehicles are picked up at no charge to you. All expenses are deducted from the gross sales price, and if the costs ever exceed the price, those costs are covered by DonateACar, our vehicle donation program provider.

Our vendor representative for your donation will be calling/texting and/or emailing you using the information you provided on the donation form for scheduling. Please be aware you will very possibly receive a call from a phone number that you don’t recognize pertaining to your donation; this is the vendor.

Please remove all personal belongings from the vehicle and have the title ready at the time of the pick-up (unless otherwise directed). The tow operator will pick up the title, keys and vehicle. Please wait to mark the title; the tow vendor will assist you in signing the title. In most cases, the tow operator will also provide a donation receipt. Should you not receive a receipt, please give our Donor Support Team a call and we will get one out to you.

This depends on the state in which your vehicle is registered. In some states, you are required to surrender or return the license plates after donating. If your state requires you to remove the plates before donating your vehicle, please do what you can to remove your own plates. We cannot guarantee the driver will be able to assist you with plate removal. To find out what’s expected for your state, give our Vehicle Donor Support Team a call and we’ll walk you through it. Or, you can check out what your state requires by clicking here.

You may ask the representative scheduling your vehicle pick-up with the vendor about this option.

Whether or not you need notarization depends on the state that holds your vehicle title. Currently, our vehicle donation program is currently aware that notarization is a requirement for the following states: Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming. However, each state’s requirements are subject to change. If you would like to confirm if your state requires notarized title transfers, go to your state’s motor vehicle department’s website and click on your state to see your state’s title transfer requirements. (Notarization is used to deter fraud by ensuring proper identification has been provided and approved prior to signing over the title, and some states require notarization of the title prior to donating).

Depending on the registered state of the vehicle, the next step for you after your vehicle is picked up is to notify the state about your recent vehicle donation and that you are no longer no longer in possession of the vehicle. Please only notify your state after the vehicle is picked up. Click here to learn the steps required for notifying your state that you’ve donated your vehicle.

State notification releases a donor from liability over the vehicle, including registration fees and from having to keep the vehicle insured. State notification is a way for the state to create a record that the owner is no longer in possession of the vehicle. The steps needed to release your liability of a donated vehicle vary by state. Depending on the state, this step may require surrendering your license plates, cancelling your registration, or submitting a report of sale or notice of transfer. State notification should be completed before cancelling your insurance. Click here to learn the steps required for notifying your state that you’ve donated your vehicle.

Only cancel your vehicle's insurance AFTER you have notified the state that you’ve donated your vehicle. If your state requires notification, please be aware that you should never cancel your insurance prior to reporting to the state you are no longer in possession of the vehicle. This is a general rule for States/Motor Vehicle Departments that require Notification be submitted or license plates returned.

After we have picked up the vehicle, we take full responsibility. In the rare event that you receive any notification of a lien sale, DMV actions, infractions, evasions or other activity related to your donated vehicle, please contact us immediately for assistance. Please note that you are liable for all fines/fees related to your vehicle prior to the pickup. To get answers for your specific DMV questions, please refer to the DMV in your state for clear instructions.

The title transfer is different in each state. Our vehicle donation program and our vendors/auction yards will help you take the correct steps to ensure that your title paperwork is transferred correctly at the time of your vehicle pick-up.

Please wait to mark the title until after you have discussed it with the tow vendor as they will assist you in showing you the correct location in which to sign the title.

The purchaser of your donated vehicle is not the charity. It will either be the vendor or Charitable Adult Rides & Services.

If the word “and/or” is not listed between the names of the parties/owners, then all parties will need to sign the title.

We are available seven days a week. Please call our donation number above or email donorsupport@careasy.org.

Once your vehicle sells, our Vehicle Donor Support Team will either email and/or mail a thank-you letter on behalf of the nonprofit receiving your donation, which serves as a copy of your tax receipt. Please note that if your vehicle sells for more than $500 and your tax identification number has been provided, an IRS Form 1098-C, ‘Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes’, will be mailed to you within 30 days of the sale stating the amount of gross proceeds received from your donation.

Our vehicle donation program works with more than 400 vendors throughout the country to sell vehicles. Every donation is personally reviewed to determine the most effective sales process. In most markets, we have the flexibility of multiple sales outlets to route vehicles to the right buyer. Vehicles may be sold through the auction, to a private buyer, or to a salvage yard. Our expansive network of vendors allows us to be more competitive with your inventory as well as leverage our volume to increase prices, providing the nonprofit with maximum returns and maximizing the donor’s tax benefit.

The entire sale process can take approximately four to 12 weeks. However, there are times the sale process can exceed 12 weeks. This occurs if we are holding onto the vehicle for a better sales price, etc.

Yes; vehicle donations are tax-deductible. Individual tax situations vary. For specific tax- related questions, please consult your tax advisor or refer to IRS Publication 4303.

Most vehicles are sold through local wholesale auctions, and we work to get the highest return per vehicle for you and for our nonprofit. According to the IRS Guidelines, donors may claim fair market value for their vehicle donation up to the actual sale value. If a vehicle is sold for more than $500, the maximum amount of your deduction will be the sales price of the vehicle which will be listed on your IRS Form 1098-C.

A special rule may apply if the donated vehicle sells for $500 or less. In this case, a deduction for the lesser of the vehicle’s fair market value on the date of the contribution may be claimed, or $500, provided you have written acknowledgment (i.e. the initial donation receipt or the thank-you letter you receive once the donation process is complete).

Please call during regular hours of operation, or email donorsupport@careasy.org, and we would be happy to help you.

In most cases, donors will receive an initial donation receipt from the tow driver at the time of the vehicle pick-up. This initial acknowledgement will indicate the donor's name as well as the year, make, model and condition of the donated vehicle. Should you not receive a receipt, please give our donor support team a call and we will get one out to you.

Donors will also be mailed a thank-you letter on behalf of the receiving nonprofit within 30 days of the sale of the vehicle, which serves as a tax receipt. This will be the donor's final tax document if their vehicle sells for $500 or less.

If the vehicle sells for more than $500 and the donor has provided their tax identification number, DonateACar will also mail an IRS Form 1098-C, ‘Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes’, to the donor within 30 days of the sale stating the amount of gross proceeds received from their donation.

We would be happy to help you. Please call us during regular hours of operation, or you may email donorsupport@careasy.org, and simply let us know you need a replacement.