While the rest of the world has been struggling to near death levels in an economic sense, charities seem to be actually doing moderately well. Though last year they suffered a letdown over 2007 and previous levels, places like Goodwill Industries faired better than most for-profit businesses in the market. That is a good thing, too, as the work for charities amps up when economic times are not as good. So what was the reason for their continued relative success? In this case, it was a focus on more lucrative vehicle donation.

Instead of targeting small donors who could give a little, the charities set their sights on large donors who could afford to give a lot. People chose to donate a car at a high rate, something that may have surprised many analysts who looked at the market. The problem, of course, is that people typically shy away from auto donation and all forms of donation when times get tough. Last year the charities did something a little bit different, though. Instead of simply asking for handouts, they went out and showed individuals how donating a car could actually help them financially.

If you donate your car to charity, you can save a ton of money on your tax return. This has been especially good for people who are self employed, as those savings are essential to their survival. What the organizations noticed was that people had a bunch of cars around their home that they had no use for. They reported that the donations for auto parts and scrap metal were higher than usual, giving them more stuff to try to sell on the open market.

Though you might not have expected it, charitable giving has remained high, and much of the credit for that has to go to those people doing the marketing for the organizations.

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