Automobiles » Lung and kidney groups losing donations.

By Steven Oberbeck

Updated: 08/11/2009 09:28:13 PM MDT

Click photo to enlarge

Luz Lewis-Perez of the National Kidney Foundation… (Steven Oberbeck / The Salt Lake Tribune)

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The federal “cash-for-clunkers” program may be wildly popular with auto buyers, but some Utah charities that rely on vehicle donations for funding say the initiative is cutting into the number of cars and trucks they’re receiving.

The National Kidney Foundation of Utah, which gets more automobile donations than any other charity in the state, estimates the number of vehicles donated to its Kidney Kars program is down 10 percent to 15 percent since the clunkers program began.

Things are much worse at the American Lung Association in Utah. Donations are down 50 percent to 60 percent as many owners of used vehicles opt to take advantage of rebates of up to $4,500 for trading in their gas guzzlers for new fuel-efficient cars instead of making a charitable contribution.

“We’re going to need a few more weeks to really gauge the impact, but already we’re feeling the effects,” said Luz Lewis-Perez, who oversees the Kidney Kars donation program in Utah.

Standing beside an auctioneer at Brashers Auto Auction in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Lewis-Perez watched as 44 cars and trucks donated to the Kidney Foundation were sold. Although some went for a lot more and others a lot less, the average selling price was $680 — enough money for the Kidney Foundation to help several thousand Utahns receiving dialysis pay their bills while they wait for a transplant.

“Fortunately, the ‘cash-for-clunkers’ program is only temporary, while we’re in this

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for the long haul,” Lewis-Perez said.Craig Cutright of the American Lung Association in Utah said that only a few years ago, its vehicle donation program was the organization’s largest funding source.

Then the federal government changed the rules on how much of a tax deduction those who donate could take. Donations dropped off sharply.

“Now we’re having to deal with this ‘cash-for-clunkers.’ It seems as if the federal government just wants to come up with programs that will harm charities,” Cutright said.

Daniel Boroschoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, takes another view. His watchdog group monitors charities, and he thinks that although some may suffer short term, overall the clunkers program may prove beneficial.

“Some charities may very well see fewer cars donated, but that isn’t the only consideration. If this program helps stimulate the economy, then it should help those people that charities exist to serve.”

Lewis-Perez said its is easy to understand why the clunkers program is so popular.

“The government is giving out money. But we’d like to remind people who have an automobile they want to get rid of and aren’t using for the clunkers program that donating their car [to charity] is truly the best way to get rid of it.”

steve@sltrib.com

For more Political Cartoons on Cash for Clunkers visit MSNBC at:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32301112/ns/business-autos/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1&beginChapter=1&beginTab=1

For video instruction about how to donate your old car to the National Kidney Foundation of Utah’s Kidney Kars Donation program please visit us at Expertvillage.com :

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/164945_donate-car-kidney-foundation.htm

IRS gives tips for larger tax refunds

A link to this article :   http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/293981/

Donate your car after a charity check

‘Tis the season to be charitable. For some people, that means donating a vehicle. You can donate your car through a local chapter of the National Kidney Foundation and others, or a charity that specializes in car donations and will pick up cars, sell them at auction, and give a charity some of the proceeds.

We’ve heard such groups touted in radio ads, and search engines yield plenty of names, but our research indicates donors should be careful. None of three car-donation Web sites we looked into had a privacy policy, and two lacked complete contact information. Often the charity gets 5 percent or less of the car’s claimed value, according to a 2003 survey by the Government Accountability Office. Before you donate your car, ask :

Is the charity IRS-approved?

Ask the charity whether it’s qualified to receive tax-deductible contributions. Most approved charities are listed online in IRS Publication 78 (www.irs.gov/app/pub-78).

How will the car be used?

The IRS says a donated car worth more than $500 that’s kept in use by the charity—bringing meals to seniors, for instance—can be deducted at its current fair market value. But if it’s sold at auction by the charity, you can deduct only the auction price. If the charity takes cars that can’t be driven, the donation might be worth no more than a lug nut.

How much money will the charity get from a third-party arrangement?

Ask the charity’s development office. Look for a share of at least 15 percent.

How much will the charity use for good deeds?

The Better Business Bureau recommends giving to charities that devote at least 65 percent of donations to good works. The BBB’s National Charity Reports Index (www.bbb.org/charity) rates charities on 20 standards. Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) has information, too. Both services are free.

After you donate your car, record the name and address of the charity and the date of your donation. Get a receipt. Keep a copy of the title transfer. Report the transfer to your state motor-vehicle department and cancel your car insurance.

Remove the vehicle’s license plates—unless state law says otherwise—and the registration and inspection stickers. That way, you won’t be sideswiped by a later owner’s violations.

Here are links to ExpertVillage.com that instruct donors how to doante their car to the Kidney Foundation:

 hhttp://www.expertvillage.com/video/164941_donate-car-utah.htmttp://www.expertvillage.com/video/164945_donate-car-kidney-foundation.htm

 (In letter to all Kidney Foundation of Utah employees sent Friday, November 21, 2008):

I would like to remind you why we all work here.  We just received a call from the mother of a kidney patient who was evicted from her home a few months ago. She has a 2 yr. old son on a ventilator and on dialysis. She is now homeless and has been living in her car. Pam Grant, the pediatric social worker at the U, called and asked if we could make an emergency financial grant to get her in an apartment NOW. Thanks to the many donations we receive thorugh Kidney Kars and generous cash contributions, we were easily able to grant that request.  I just received a thank you call from that child’s mother.  Overwhelmed, she spoke in words broken up by tears of gratitude. Thank you all for making this kind of wonderful thing happen.  Sincereley, Deen Vetterli, CEO, National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho

Tires, not Ties for Father’s Day?

Showing you Care…with a Car

 (Provo, UT, June 15, 2008) –    Did your dad teach you to drive?  Did he show you how to change a tire, or maybe even the oil filter? Did he teach you to drive for blocks looking for the cheapest gas in town? The National Kidney Foundation believes you can make this father’s day special with a very unique gift for all he taught you about cars.  Honor your father by donating your used car to the Kidney Kars donation program of the National Kidney Foundation of Utah.  Not only is father’s day a wonderful time to donate to honor dad, gas prices are sky high, and there’s no better reason to both honor Dad and get rid of a gas-guzzler all at the same time.  Kidney Kars donations are sold or recycled to raise money for local medical research, patient services, organ donation and public education. Talk about getting good mileage! You may also find yourself in the express lane for a tax deduction.  In fact, eighty-seven (87%) percent of Americans who donated cars, vans, trucks or boats last year itemized their tax returns and were able to reap a charitable deduction for their contribution.   For more information, or to donate your car, van, truck or boat, call 1-800-TOW-KARS (1-800-869-5277) or donate online at www.towkars.org. Save gas, recycle, help kidney patients, save on your taxes.  Honk if you think Dad would be proud.