FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)If your question is not answered here, please e-mail the Red Cross at dispatch@charitydispatch.com Why should I donate a vehicle to the Red Cross?Safety, convenience, a tax deduction, and knowing that your donation is allowing us to help those affected by disasters. You don't have strangers coming to your home. You don't have to haggle with car salesmen over trade-in values. We provide free towing and you get to deduct the resale price of your vehicle on your itemized tax return. Donating to the Red Cross is the easiest way there is to do something good in our community. What percentage of the proceeds from the sale of my vehicle will go to Red Cross programs?All of the money from the resale of your donated vehicle goes to the Red Cross so we can help people to prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies throughout the Delaware and Maryland area. However, the Red Cross pays a management fee to National Charity Services to handle the operations of our vehicle donation program. This fee covers the cost of vehicle towing, auction and sale of the vehicles and parts as well as the administrative costs associated with management of the program. How will my vehicle be used?All vehicles donated to the Red Cross are resold with the proceeds used to assist those affected by local disasters. Does my car have to be running to donate?NO! WE TAKE EVERYTHING. We accept all vehicles, along with motorcycles, RVs, campers and boats on trailers, whether they are running or not. What type of vehicles do you accept?We accept all vehicles, along with motorcycles, RVs, campers and boats on trailers. Do you provide a free home pickup service?Yes, Monday through Friday. I've heard that some for-profits companies are disguising themselves behind nonprofit-sounding names. How can I be sure that I'm donating my car to a legitimate charity?We strongly encourage you to ask any questions, such as:
What do I do after I donate?You will receive a donation receipt once you sign the title over to the Red Cross. Please take a "copy" of the donation receipt, your license tags and registration to DMV as soon as possible to de-register the car. Once it's de-registered, then call your insurance company to cancel coverage (they might want a copy of the donation receipt, too). Further documentation you'll want to keep is listed in the following answer. (Note: If applicable, Government regulations require owners to remove all military installation decals and other special access decals "before" a car is sold, traded or donated.) How much is my vehicle worth as an itemized tax deduction?
Once the car is donated and resold, what happens if the new owner doesn't legally register it and I start receiving tickets or impoundment notices from the police or DMV?Thousands of vehicles were donated to nonprofit organizations in the Delmarva Peninsula area last year and resold at public auction. Luckily, such stories are few and far between, but they do happen. That's why it's so important after you donate a car to take the license tags, registration and a "copy" of your donation receipt to DMV to de-register the vehicle -- and keep the original donation receipt with your important personal papers. However, should this occur, we will send you a letter to take to DMV that states you donated your vehicle to the Red Cross, along with a copy of the Bill of Sale that lists the new owner's name and address. Make sure you keep copies of this documentation. This will prove that you are no longer the legal owner and absolve you from any further action. 
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