What to know before donating your vehicle

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The national Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance recommends you take the following steps before donating a car to a charity:

• Find out if the charity is properly registered with the Washington Secretary of State. Call 800-332-4483 or online at www.secstate.wa.gov/charities. The office can also tell you if the charity is tax-exempt.

• Get additional information about a local charity's fund-raising and purpose by contacting the Better Business Bureau Serving Oregon and Western Washington, phone 206-431-2222 or online at www.bbb.org

• Call the charity itself to find out how it financially benefits from the resale of the car.

• Make sure the title of the car is transferred to the charity's name, and keep a copy of this record.

• For tax records, take a photo of the car and keep copies of current classified ads or guide value estimates for similar vehicles. (For more deductibility information, get a copy of IRS Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property. Call 800-829-3676 or online at www.irs.gov)

• If the car is worth more than $5,000, get a written professional appraisal.

• For more information, read "Tips on donating used cars to charity" at www.give.org/tips/usedcar.asp

Source: National Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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