San Francisco has always been one of the most forward-thinking and charitable cities in the United States. It is also one of the wealthiest. Charitable organizations flock to San Francisco and nearly every major charity has some presence there. Whether you lean towards giving to environmental causes, social welfare causes, religious organizations, or organizations that fight disease, you can easily find a worthy recipient of your vehicle in San Francisco.

The process for giving a car to charity has been simplified by the introduction of companies that work specifically with charities to transport and process donated vehicles. It used to cost charities significant resources (in staff training, man-hours for transportation, and money for expenses) to process donated vehicles but now it only costs them a small processing fee. Many processing companies, in the spirit of the work, charge charities the least possible amounts.

The addition of the processing company to the mix has changed things somewhat though. The volume of car donations has increased steadily and, as with any successful program, some participants have been seen to be less than honest. So in addition to checking into the practices of a given charity, you should check into the practices of a charity's processing company. The vast majority of the time there is no problem but be sure before you donate.

Make Sure You Get a Receipt

The only way to prove that you gave your car to charity (should the IRS ask) is with your receipt. Ideally it should include the make, model, year, and condition of your vehicle so that the amount you deduct can be matched with the published market value at the time. This also ensures that the charity knows what you gave and what they can expect to receive from the sale. This helps to ensure there are no behind-the-scenes shenanigans by anyone.