Car Donation Charities in California
The act of donating a car to charity is one of the most rewarding things you can do. When you donate your car, you do more than just support a charity. You actually help to improve someone's life. To help a needy person, please donate a car to one of these respected charities in California.
Established in 1946 in Davis, California, Freedom From Hunger has been fighting chronic hunger and poverty in the world through innovative programs designed to help families achieve long term food security. Their programs are serving over 18 million people in some of the poorest countries in the world. They are both nongovernmental and nonsectarian and they have been given an A- rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy.
Car Donation Charities in California Teach for America works to ensure that children in low income areas get an excellent education. Less than half of the children in California are on grade level for reading and math, and it ranks 48th in academic performance. In the Bay Area, Teach for America has been providing great education for over 10 years. In Los Angeles, they have operating since 1990. Teach for America works to recruit leaders who work to expand educational opportunities in low income areas and then teach for two years in those areas.
The Guthy Jackson Charitable Foundation is dedicated to the treatment and a cure for neuromyelitis optica. NMO is a very rare disease that can affect the optic nerve and spinal cord. People with this horrible disease can develop vision loss, or weakness, numbness, and sometimes paralysis of the arms and legs along with sensory disturbances and loss bladder and bowel control. Although there are some treatments available a lot more research is needed to find better ones and a cure.
A Home Away From Homelessness is dedicated to supporting and nurturing the needs of homeless and formerly homeless children and families in San Francisco and Marin. Their homes provide a physical, emotional and spiritual break for children along with educational, social and recreational opportunities.
Family Builders believes that every child has the right to grow up in a permanent, nurturing family regardless of the child's age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or medical, physical or emotional condition. Family Builders educates the community about the needs of waiting children, advocates on their behalf and places the children with permanent, secure families through adoption.
Car Donation Charities in California
You can donate your car
The car donation process is easy and the pickup is free. You can donate your car even it no longer runs or is in poor shape. You just need to have a title for your car and it needs to be where the tow truck can easily get to it. In return for your car donation, you will get a valuable tax deduction and a sense of pride knowing you have done a really good thing.
(collectibles)
It is amazing how much literature has been written about the car insurance business online. The main approach in use by the bulk of the writings is in the direction of selling car insurance, rather than offer it in the proper context of insurance product or 'a product to protect your assets and wealth.' That is why when searching for the phrase 'auto insurance' a large number of websites emerge with the 'selling' phrases like affordable auto insurance, or cheap auto insurance or low cost auto insurance.
In the early part of 2011 and according to Google AdWords there were 8,100; 74,000; 9,900 monthly searches for the above key phrases, respectively. On the other hand, there were only 110 searches for the phrase 'reliable auto insurance', 170 searches for 'quality auto insurance', and 8,100 for 'top auto insurance companies.' It is rather easy to conclude that most of the searches on line are about price, not quality of insurance.
A basic principle in marketing is to understand what people 'want' and design and package your product or service to meet what the folks want. Looking at those numbers we can tell that most people want cheap auto insurance. As a marketer, if you design any campaign without considering that analysis you may eventually flunk the marketing tests, close your website and go do something else.
So what's the difference between auto insurance polices? From a 'financial planning viewpoint' car insurance comparison should never be based on price only, and perhaps most people agree that cheap insurance is not necessarily the best car insurance. But what most people do not know is that an insurance policy with the best rated company may also be one of the most problematic contract. An auto insurance policy should be compared in reference with three factors:
1. Price: of course the cheaper the better.
2. Company Rating: Non standard companies are more flexible than their standard or preferred counterparts with regard to past violations found on the MVR activities of the drivers and the credit score of the car insurance applicants. However, non standard companies are harsher than others in customer service and paying claims. Most of complains come from non standard insurance companies. While preferred companies do not hesitate to quickly pay for smaller claims suck as seven or eight thousand dollars claim, or even little more; all companies from top to bottom will try to examine the application to see if they have to or do not have to pay a $100,000 claim.
3. Liability Limits. This is the most ignored, least understood, but is the most important aspect of the policy which affect customers during time they need the insurance. It measures how much protection you have in the event you get sued. A professional financial advisor will never ever sell you an auto insurance policy at low limits if he/she has enough information that you and your spouse have enough wealth to be sued for in the event that you or a family household member cause a major auto accident and your car insurance pays the maximum on the policy which turns out not to be enough.
There are many insurance policies sold with superior insurance companies at the lowest liability limits mandated by the state. In the State of Illinois these limits are 20/40/15, which means that in the event you cause an accident that is your fault and you get sued by others, then your company will pay to others on your behalf no more than $20,000 for bodily injury for one person, no more than $40,000 for bodily injury for all other people in the accident, and a maximum of $15,000 for any and all property damage you case in that accident. If you are a business owner and you cause a major accident resulting in a unbeaten lawsuit of $300,000 and your insurance company maxed the payment on the policy and paid $20,000, the difference of $280,000 will have to come from your own money!
Financial Planners and Auto Insurance Marketers Are Not in Harmony
Financial planners are not in harmony with insurance marketers about the weight that needs to be placed on limits of liability in auto insurance. Marketers like to stress the aspects of price and company rating, while financial planners like to stress the importance of liability limits first, then company rating second, and perhaps price at a later stage.
Although financial planners and auto insurance marketers have the common goals of maximizing their earnings while providing their services, the scope of their operations is different. Auto insurance marketers make their money by selling as many polices as they can have. The marketer does his best to make as many sales as possible, hence making small amount of money on too many policies sold. Financial planners work differently as they try to make big money from each of the few number of customers they have. Selling an auto policy is not the primary concern of a financial planner, but for him or her auto insurance is one of the fundamental subjects of the financial planning process.
Car insurance agents look at auto insurance as a way to protect the car itself in the event of theft, fire or another loss, besides the fact that it's the law. Financial planners look at auto insurance as an integral part of their clients risk management process. To the financial planner an auto policy is not to repair the car in the event of loss, but is mainly about protecting the assets and wealth of the insured, especially against potential lawsuits.
Some auto insurance marketers would even suggest to cut down on liability insurance as a way to save money. No sound financial planner will ever make such a suggestion. No way!
When does height matter?
How high your liability limits should be is the main issue that should prevail when you buy car insurance. You probably need only the minimum liability limits mandated by the states if /when(1) you shopped for higher limits and could not afford it, (2) your current assets or wealth is not big enough to expose you to further lawsuits in the event of at fault auto accident. (3) you are a high risk driver where no one else wants to insure you except at the minimum limits. But, if you have certain amounts of assets and wealth, or is expected to have sizable assets or wealth, then you need to worry about the height of your liability limits.
What about if you are not wealthy with plenty of assets? Even for people with little or no wealth, the height of liability limits should be much of a concern to them. This is due to the fact that liability insurance contains certain coverages to pay for your bodily injuries in the event that you get hit by a vehicle that is legally uninsured, or is insured but the insurance on that vehicle was not enough to cover your bodily injuries. According to the Insurance Research Council, approximately 15% to 17% all drivers in the United States are uninsured. Coverages for Uninsured Motorist (UM) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) vary from states to states with regard to their mandatory status and limit amounts. In Illinois UM is mandatory at the limits of $20,000 for bodily injury per person and $40,000 for bodily injury per accident. Underinsured motorists coverage is not mandatory in Illinois but insurance companies must offer it to clients for policies issued with liability over the state limits. Clients can still reject to have higher uninsured/ underinsured motorists but it must be in writing. As you can see, your liability only policy provides coverage for your bodily injuries, and making sure that you have high limits on both liability, UM and UIM can have tremendous effect on your life.
Ed Sneineh, insurance professional for over 20 years, former college educator of insurance, and founder of Insurance Navy, a leader in quoting Chicago car insurance rates. Visit our blog for up to date information or get your SR22 Auto insurance Illinois in 5 minutes or less. Insurance Navy represents major carriers such as A.A.A, Travelers, Progressive, Hartford, and more than 20 other carriers.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Edward_Sneineh/272575
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How To Donate a Car In California
Are you ready to donate a car in California? If so, good for you! Donating a car to charity is a wonderful decision on many levels. First of all, your donation goes to help a great cause. Plus, you get your old vehicle or junk car moved off of your property free of charge. You are also recycling an old vehicle, and you also get to claim the car donation as a tax deduction.
In this post you'll find some tips on how to donate a car in California and some specific requirements you should be aware of that relate to California car donations.
1. To donate a car in California, you begin by submitting an online car donation form or calling the charity you wish donate your vehicle to. If you wish to claim the car donation as a tax deduction, be sure to check that the charity is an IRS recognized nonprofit organization.
2. The process for receiving the tax receipt for your charitable donation may vary. Some charities will email you the initial receipt while others have the tow truck provide you with the receipt at the time of pick up. This is just an initial receipt and enables you to claim a tax deduction of up to $500. You should check with the charity to find out what their procedure is for providing you with this receipt when you submit your vehicle donation.
3. In the State of California, the license plates remain with the vehicle, so these should not be removed prior to the pickup.
4. Filing a Release of Liability with the California Department of Motor Vehicles is an important step you do not want to miss when you donate a car. This document releases you from future liability which may arise for any reason after the vehicle is donated. In California the procedure for filing a Release of Liability is that you must return the pink portion of the title or DMV form REG 138 to your local Department of Motor Vehicles. Alternatively, you can file your release of liability online at http://www.dmv.ca.gov.
5. If your vehicle sells for more than $500, or if it qualifies for a fair market value tax deduction, you will receive additional tax paperwork after the sale of the vehicle takes place. The amount you will be allowed to deduct on your taxes will vary depending on several factors which could include the price the vehicle is sold for or whether the vehicle is classified as a fair market value car donation.
6. One last point we should mention is that if you plan to claim your car donation tax deduction on your 2012 taxes, you need to make sure you donate the car well before the deadline of December 31, 2012. The charity should have possession of the vehicle before midnight on December 31st, or at least have the pickup well in the works, in order for you to claim your tax deduction in 2012. Don’t wait till the last minute as there could be delays that could result in you being unable to claim the donation as a deduction for the current tax year.
If you have any further questions related to your car donation tax deduction, most charities are relatively knowledgeable about the process and paperwork needed, however, you should consult a CPA or accountant for specifics regarding your particular tax situation.
For additional questions related to car donations in California, you can contact your local DMV or visit the California DMV website for the latest information on state specific requirements.