Donate Your Used Car to Charity in Buchanan and Berrien County

Donating your used car to charity, and earning yourself a tax deduction in the process, is quick and easy in Berrien County, Michigan.

Two not-for-profit organizations, Kars4Kids and the Great Lakes Adventist Academy, accept car donations to raise cash that advances selected programs for young people.

Kars4Kids

With this year's stricter federal payment policy for used car donations, this national organization sweetens the car-donation deal by promising donors vacation vouchers in exchange for their used cars.

Donors may choose from among 80 hot vacation spots, and - along with a tax-beneficial receipt for their car - receive a voucher for a free vacation. Vouchers are good for a two-night, three-day stay at the vacation spot of the donor's choice.

To attract donors, Kars4Kids makes the application and donation process fast, convenient and easy. Interested parties simply call toll-free to 1-877-KARS4KIDS anytime between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. EST, Sundays through Fridays.

There, you'll find a trained customer service representative who will walk you through the application procedures. Within 24 to 48 hours, Kars4Kids will have someone at your door, ready to provide free pick-up of your donated car. In return, you'll pick up your IRS-approved tax-deduction receipt, and your free vacation voucher.

Cash raised through Kars4Kids car donations benefit their international charity, JOY, a 10-year-old registered 501(c)(3) charity under the IRS tax-exempt code.

JOY's mission is to "change a child's life for the better" by tackling the ravages of poverty, neglect, abuse and other social ills that produce at-risk youngsters. Youngsters served through this program are between the ages of six and 18. Among the commodities exchanged for JOY funds are food, shelter, clothing, health care, education and guidance counseling. In addition, JOY funds feed the physical, spiritual and emotional hungers of children in distress worldwide by addressing educational gaps: tutoring, mentoring, after-school and summer programs, and special vocational training.

JOY initiated their child-rescue programs in 1996, hoping to address the extreme and basic needs of children who were forced to live on America's streets. Its success through the years has allowed the programs to be extended to other global communities, many ravaged by war, poverty, illness, famine and drought.

The goal, JOY says, is to "to produce children, families and communities where poverty, neglect and delinquency are uncommon and scarce."

The GLAA Auto Donation Program

The Great Lakes Adventist Academy is a Seventh-Day Adventist boarding school for secondary students. Located in Cedar Lake, Michigan, it accepts donations of used cars, trucks, recreational vehicles and even boats from all 48 continental United States as well as Hawaii.

Many Berrien County residents take advantage of this opportunity because of strong community ties to Berrien Springs, Michigan, which is home to a large Adventist population, Andrews Academy and the private Andrews University, which attracts students from all over the globe.

All proceeds from donations to the Adventist-owned and operated school are tax deductible under the IRS not-for-profit exemption code 510(c)(3), and are earmarked to support the small Christian boarding school.

The GLAA Auto Donation program details are found online at carsforglaa.com, where there's also a convenient online donor application form for this hassle-free tax deduction. Cars don't even have to be running, as long as donors have title to the vehicle! Prospective donors may also call the program toll-free at 1-866-822-1200 with specific questions or to arrange for a free pick-up, which is done by the donation program's own towing service.

Donated cars are towed through GLAA within three to four business days of a completed and approved application. Program directors take care of everything - from transferring the title to finding the quickest, most convenient time for a pick-up. You'll receive a tax-worthy donation receipt at the time your donated car is retrieved.