Two deserving charities which accept cars for donation are The Salvation Army and The Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation (known simply as Purple Heart). Donating a car to a charitable organization benefits the donor in several ways. The most obvious advantage to the person who gives his/her car to a charity is the tax deduction; however, donating a car has other benefits. All of the paperwork necessitated by the donation is done by the charity. The charity will also provide the donor with the receipt he/she will need to include when filing tax documents. In addition, the charity will arrange for the vehicle to be picked up and transported to the charity or to the auction site the charity uses. Since the benefits of donating a car are numerous, are there any significant differences between the Salvation Army car donation program and that of the Purple Heart which makes one program better than the other?

The obvious difference between the two programs is the groups which they benefit. Funds given to the Salvation Army provide a wide array of services for persons whose lives have been broken apart by any number of forces. The Salvation Army provides residential programs for people recovering from alcoholism and/or drug addiction. It also provides non-residential job training as well as employing many people in its Salvation Army stores. In addition, The Salvation Army provides meal services for residents and any other person in need. The Salvation Army is entirely self supporting through its stores which sell donated items and through its legendary Christmas Red Bucket campaign.

Purple Heart serves military veterans and their families throughout the nation. Purple Heart administers a variety of scholarship programs for veterans and their dependents. It also educates veterans on their benefits and represents them in the benefits appeals process. Purple Heart represents veterans before Congress and assists veterans in processing any paperwork needed to receive their benefits. The organization makes a special effort to find and assist homeless and disabled veterans. No veteran is ever turned away from Purple Heart.

Both The Salvation Army and Purple Heart are worthy organizations which meet all federal reporting standards required of reputable charities. The main distinguishing characteristic between their two programs is that The Salvation Army will accept non-working vehicles providing they were manufactured before 1990. Purple Heart accepts only working vehicles regardless of their year of manufacture.

Since these two fine charities have programs which are so similar, how can a person decide which should receive his/her car donation? The deciding factor for most people wishing to make a car donation will be the nature of the work the charity accomplishes. By making a site visit to either The Salvation Army or Purple Heart one can readily decide which charity should receive the proceeds derived from the donation of a car.