Car Donation in Minnesota

It’s Time to Move on From That Old Car

Are you ready to let go of your old car? Have you considered donating it to a charity? Car donation in Minnesota may be more cost-effective than trying to sell or trade your vehicle.

Selling or Trading Isn’t the Slam-Dunk the Media Makes it to Be

You’ve likely heard on the news that used cars are commanding top dollar lately. But there’s a big caveat to that. The cost of detailing and making repairs can add up quickly and gobble up any proceeds you were hoping to get out of your old car.

There are several non-profit organizations that accept car donations in Minnesota. Keep in mind that nearly every charity that accepts vehicles follows IRS guidelines to determine the amount of your tax deduction. So, your tax savings will be either:

• The fair market value up to $499, or
• Equal to the full sale price if it’s $500 or more.

Minnesota Public Radio

You either love Pledge Week, or you hate it. But did you know you can donate your car to MPR any time of the year? Your donation helps MPR acquire popular National Public Radio programs, as well as produce and air local programming.

MPR uses a third-party service to handle the donation process. They’ll take non-running vehicles with some exceptions.

Newgate School

Newgate School provides no-cost vocational training for disadvantaged young adults in the Twin Cities area. They take non-running vehicles as long as they are in repairable condition. Vehicles are then used in their Auto Mechanic and Auto Body training programs. Newgate is licensed by the state of Minnesota to handle title transfers in-house.

Once the vehicle is repaired and reconditioned, it is either sold or donated to a local working mother through the Wheels for Women program. Vehicle sales provide funding for Newgate School’s curriculum and operations.

Auto Technical Inc.

Auto Technical Inc. partners with a handful of local organizations that serve people facing difficult challenges, including disadvantaged job seekers and victims fleeing domestic violence.

ATI takes car donations, running or not, and is authorized to take care of the title transfer. Auto Technical will recondition the vehicle, provided it’s economically feasible to do so. People who are being served by the partner organizations are eligible to receive the reconditioned cars free of charge.

Vehicles for Veterans

Although it has national outreach, Vehicles for Veterans is based in Minnesota. The organization outsources vehicle donations to Car Donation Foundation. CDF does the pick-up and all the title and tax paperwork. Vehicles for Veterans/Car Donation Foundation will accept most non-running cars, but it’s best to contact CDF first to make sure they will take your car.

Once the vehicle is resold, CDF gives the proceeds (minus operations and promotions costs) to Vehicles for Veterans as a direct cash donation to area programs serving disabled veterans.

Which Non-Profit Directly Benefits More Minnesotans?

Through their tuition-free vocational training programs, students are set up for a career that offers stability and financial independence, which benefits the community in many ways. And a refurbished car in good working order brings in more money, which benefits you at tax time.

So, if you’re looking to get the most from your car donation in Minnesota, Newgate School offers the best chance to maximize the value of your vehicle and provide value to the community.