Welcome CARS Partners

CARS is the main point of contact for your donors throughout the entire donation experience. Our Vehicle Donor Support Representatives are here every step of the way. Almost everything at CARS is handled in-house, including our full-time Issue Resolution Department that handles any issues with Titles, ticket and/or tolls.

Please have your vehicle donors call your vehicle donation program phone number. Vehicle donors may also call CARS' Vehicle Donor Support Line at 855-500-7433 seven days a week. They may also email donorsupport@careasy.org anytime.

There are two ways your supporters can start their vehicle donation:

1) Have them call your toll-free number provided by CARS.Your Vehicle Donor Support Representatives (DSRs) are available seven days a week to answer donor inquiries with an average wait time of 30 seconds or less. At the beginning of the call, a Donor Support Representative will greet your donor and identify your vehicle donation program.

2) Have them submit the online vehicle donation form. CARS provides a vehicle donation page to every partner located on the careasy.org site. Each donation page includes an online donation form where your supporters can start tei donation. Once the donation form is submitted, a DSR will reach out to the donor within 48 hours, identifying the nonprofit's vehicle donation program at the beginning of the call..

SUGGESTION: When promoting your vehicle donation program, such as in an email or on social media, always include your toll-free number and a link to your vehicle donation web page.

Yes! There's no shortage of potential vehicle donors! Every day, life creates circumstances where a supporter no longer needs a vehicle. CARS processes 100,000 vehicles a year, and we have returned more than $300 million to our nonprofit partners since 2003. Most of our long-term partners have experienced year-over-year growth in their programs since they became a CARS partner. Every donor matters and every dollar counts.

Every donation is individually evaluated by the CARS Operations staff prior to assigning the vehicle to a vendor. We strive to get the vehicle in the best sale-ready condition as possible to maximize the value, including washing the cars and making major or minor mechanical repairs. Vehicles may be sold at auction where CARS places floor bids and counter bids to ensure each vehicle is sold for the highest price. Lower-end vehicles may be sold directly to auto recyclers, which avoids costly tow fees and returns a higher net revenue to our nonprofit partner.

From the moment a donor contacts CARS, they are met with gratitude and treated with the highest level of service and professionalism. CARS is the main point of contact for your donors through the entire donation process and makes donating a vehicle easy by offering support every step of the way.

Starting the Donation: The donation form is either completed by the DSR on behalf of the donor or the donor may complete the entire donation form on their own online. DSRs work with the donor to confirm and/or obtain all information necessary to complete the donation, including vehicle condition, ownership and paperwork.

Verifying the Donation Information: When the donation form is complete, the DSR sends a confirmation email of the donation immediately to the donor to review and verify all information is correct for the pick-up. The donation confirmation email reviews the pick-up expectations, provides a link to step-by-step instructions for the donor to release liability in the registered state of the donated vehicle, and explains that the sale process can take up to four to 12 weeks. If a donor does not wish to provide their email, the donation confirmation can be mailed per the donor's request.

Scheduling the Pick-up: Once the donor provides CARS with all necessary information via the online vehicle donation form or over the phone with one of our Vehicle Donor Support Representatives, the DSR arranges to have the vehicle picked up at a convenient time for the donor.

Sending the Donation Receipt and Tax Documents: In most cases, donors will receive an initial donation receipt from the tow driver at the time of the vehicle pick-up. This initial acknowledgement will indicate the donor's name as well as the year, make, model and condition of the donated vehicle. Donors will then be mailed a thank-you letter on behalf of the receiving nonprofit, which serves as a tax receipt, within 30 days of the sale of the vehicle. This will be the donor's final tax document if their vehicle sold for less than $500. If the vehicle sells for more than $500 and the donor has provided their tax identification number, CARS will also mail an IRS Form 1098-C, ‘Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes’, to the donor within 30 days of the sale stating the amount of gross proceeds received from their donation. CARS also assist donors and the nonprofit with the 8283 forms when a vehicle sells for more than $5000.

CARS vendors are hand-selected and monitored for performance to ensure the best experience for the donor and partner. All towing vendors are expected to treat donors with exemplary service while picking up vehicles. It’s “The CARS way”. Once a pick-up time has been chosen, the DSR will provide the name and number of the tow operator to the vehicle donor. The vehicle will be picked up and taken to one of our many sale locations where it will be sold.

In many cases, once the donation record has been created, a Donor Support Representative can schedule the vehicle to be picked up on the initial call. In other cases, the DSR will contact the donor within two to three business days to schedule a convenient appointment time with a vendor from the CARS network. The DSR lets the donor know what to expect during the pick-up process, explaining how the driver first accepts the vehicle, keys, and signed Title, then (in most cases) provides an initial pre-printed donation receipt with the information collected during the intake process*. When this paperwork is given to the donor, they will have verification that the vehicle was picked up on behalf of nonprofit receiving their donation. This form also provides the donor with CARS’ contact information should they have any questions.

*Vehicle pick-up expectations vary from state to state.

Think of CARS as an extension of your marketing team! Schedule a call with one of our marketing specialists will review best practices and marketing strategies for your program. CARS also provides complimentary marketing matreials and sends out new content every quarter. Our team also sends newsletters featuring interviews, trends and additional guidance on how other organizations like yours are making the most of this turn-key fundraising program.

Intake Report: Every Monday, all donations from the previous week will be emailed to you on the Intake Report. Remember, multiple people are able to receive this report. To view Intake Reports you will need to log in to the NAV Database.

Payment Reports: These reports that are sent to you with your checks or emailed to you on the day of your direct deposit.

Marketing Emails Periodic emails will be sent out to the people in your organization whom you have selected to receive this information. These include industry trends, tools to promote your program and much more.