"A lot of people wouldn't otherwise be donating to charity if it wasn't with their car."įor people solely looking to dispose of an unwanted car for which they won't take a tax deduction, it may not seem to matter what happens to the vehicle and who benefits. "This is an innovative way to support charity in a way that helps the charity and the donors," said Kirwan. She also said that while the catchy advertising jingle doesn't spell out which kids benefit from the charity, the information is readily available on their website. Wendy Kirwan, director of public relations for Kars4Kids, said the costs of marketing and operating the car-donation program are high but that because the organization processes donations in-house, more money goes to its charitable work than others who use third parties. More from Smart Investing: Bitcoin too risky for "serious" investing, say advisors Millennials lack confidence to invest: Bank executive What investors should do before market gets gored "A lot of these organizations mislead the public, and people need to be careful." "They're not transparent about what they do," Kalivas said. The organization, however, got a D rating from CharityWatch because it distributes less than 50 percent of the money it takes in and because, despite a national advertising campaign, it fails to adequately disclose that the money goes to benefit Jewish children only, and almost exclusively in the New York/New Jersey area. Kars4Kids, for example, a New Jersey-based organization with an insipid yet highly successful advertising jingle, has received more than 450,000 car donations, according to its website. Others misrepresent the cause they support and/or give low percentages of their funds raised to their stated targets. Many of the organizations are for-profit intermediaries that give token contributions to a participating charity. Attorneys General from multiple states have investigated car donation charities for false advertising and self-dealing. The problem is the industry is riddled with fraud and misrepresentation. "At the end of the day, donating a used car could be the least cost-effective way to give to a charity," said Stephanie Kalivas, an analyst with CharityWatch, an organization that monitors the charitable giving industry. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit
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