Driven by a Cause

Good ideas are at their best when they spread.

Two years ago, I blogged about a way to donate cars for charity. That option was for people in the Pacific Northwest, but it appears other organizations are taking this idea out on the open road.

The Humane Society of the United States participates in the One Car One Difference program, which takes donated vehicles and sells them at auction with the proceeds supporting the charity (or other designated charities). To read more about the program, click here.

It's great to see the idea of donating cars to charity going around the block.

Donating Your Wheels

Happy 2011.

Since it's a new year, most people are talking about new things, but I've been known to follow my own drummer from time to time, so I'm going to start the blogging year by talking about something old, specifically your old car.

Perhaps you're thinking about getting rid of a car you've had for a while (maybe because you are trying to cut down on the number of vehicles you own, you plan on getting a more fuel-efficient one, or you are venturing into the exciting world of a car-less life). If so, consider avoiding the hassle of selling your old car by donating it. People in the Pacific Northwest can pick up a tax deduction by donating their cars to a variety of charities through Northwest Charity Donation Service.

NWCDS accepts various vehicles, including cars, trucks, vans, jet skis, snowmobiles, motor homes, buses, tractors, heavy equipment, and boats. The company sells the machines, and the proceeds benefit the charity you have selected from the list of participating organizations, a list that features a number of animal groups. NWCDS often even takes machines that don't run, and the company will pick up your donation at no cost to you.

All in all, it's a pretty good way of saying goodbye to your old car.

It seems likely that if you live outside the Northwest, a company like NWCDS exists near you, so check it out. Also, if you would like some tax information about donating your vehicle, use the guide from the IRS.

By the way, if, after reading this post, you're still looking for something novel that aligns with the spirit of the new year, picture this: a car-less society. Totally cool.

Web of Green Goodness

In a previous post, I talked about using wise-giving standards to choose a charity. If that entry helped you find a charity or if you already had a favorite charity, you might be interested in a way of harnessing the Web to produce more money for your charity of choice.

GoodSearch (http://www.goodsearch.com/) is a search engine that allows you to turn your online searches and shopping into donations for your charity at no cost to you. All you have to do is verify that GoodSearch has the charity in its databank. Then, when you use GoodSearch to conduct Internet searches, the search engine donates to that charity. You can also use GoodSearch's GoodShop function to earn money for the charity while making online purchases. Many online vendors, including Amazon, iTunes, Overstock, and Barnes and Noble participate, so just start your shopping at GoodSearch. You will find a link to the vendor you want to use, and after you click that, you will be able to support your charity as you shop without paying extra. 

The charities GoodSearch benefits include numerous environmental groups such as the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife, and the National Wildlife Federation. Additionally, many local environmental groups have signed up for GoodSearch as well, so chances are pretty good that those of you who want to use the service to support a favorite environmental cause will be able to do so.

Wise Giving

Most of this post is more information that I have shared with my acquaintances before, but I'll put it on here anyway.

Giving to charity is great, and it's really great when your donations hit the mark. Because so many charities exist, it is easy to find one that connects with your particular interests, an important factor for ensuring you feel good about where your money goes. However, the large number of charities makes it a little more difficult to find the ones that are best at putting donations to work most efficiently and effectively.

While it might seem daunting to wade through the many charities to find those that excel at using their money for its intended purposes, there are resources available to help you make your decision.

The Better Business Bureau evaluates charities based on 20 standards and shows how much of each charity's funds actually go toward the programs the charity promotes. The BBB also provides tips about wise giving. You can access these resources by clicking either here or here. Note: The second link goes to the BBB's main site, at which you can also see ratings of businesses (both online and traditional).

Charity Navigator is another site that rates charities. It provides additional information that is useful for choosing a charity, so if you use it together with the Better Business Bureau's information, you end up with a good idea of what charities make the best use of their money. You can visit Charity Navigator by clicking here.

Environmental note: If, after checking up on various charities, you haven't yet decided where you would like to send your money but have narrowed down your list to a few finalists, hopefully including an environmental organization, may I suggest going with the environmental option? This year's report by Giving USA, an organization that annually analyzes trends in charitable donations, shows that donations to environment/animal-related charities made up only two percent of all donations. That's not to say they didn't receive much money (they actually received $6.15 billion) or that the other types of charities aren't deserving of the money they receive, but it would be nice to see the percentage given to animals and the environment grow a bit.

At any rate, be sure to find a charity that fits you and your interests, and use the BBB's Web site and Charity Navigator to help find a good one.