Learn the Benefits of Donating to Education
Donating to education has a much broader effect than you may think. When you donate to an educational charity you can supplement programs as basic as tutoring or as consequential as economic support for families. In many cases, you shift the trajectory of kids who are struggling by improving everything from nutrition to life skills.
Why Donate to an Educational Charity?
There are a lot of things Americans need – food, shelter, clothing, care, medical services – the list goes on. But one’s success at attaining those is often tied up with the education they’ve been able to access.
There are ongoing conversations about how to even that playing field, but when you believe in its importance, it motivates you to donate to a school or make a car donation to an educational foundation – or something else.
A learning company by the name of Pearson operates under the belief that education has the power to change lives. Right now, middle class Americans are spending more and more on education because it makes you more competitive in the global workforce. Skills and technology are necessary to keep up with the speed of changes in society, as well as the workplace.
But the truth is, one in five adults cannot communicate in writing adequately, which holds them back. “The global challenge for education is not just about providing access, but also ensuring progress,” says the Pearson website.
What to Donate to an Educational Foundation
Supplies/Materials
For some, the cost of books and lab supplies is more than tuition, especially at the community college level. Philanthropists have found that donating to educational charities supplies more than just paper and pens and keeps the doors open for learning institutions.
The National Institutes of Health puts more than $34 billion into U.S. biomedical research every year. It helps pay for more than just staff salaries; it’s also allotted for lab supplies and equipment, costs for travel and garnering results, facilities and administrative fees (F&A) for the institution and more.
“F&A consists of the construction and maintenance costs of laboratories and high-tech facilities; energy and utility expenses; and safety, security, and other government-mandated expenses,” says the Association of American Medical Colleges. “These costs are real and research cannot be conducted without them.”
Data from the National Association of College Stores claims that the cost of textbooks for the average student is about $655 per year, which may not sound like much. But the truth is, there are some schoolbooks that cost as much as $300 each.
By some accounts, college textbook prices are rising faster than tuition rates and inflation.
Other Support
When you donate to an educational charity it can take many forms. It’s not just for the purpose of purchasing textbooks and paying for staff.
From the moment you step onto a high school or college campus it’s clear which departments have additional support. Orientation days introduce cheer squads, music groups and sports teams – and each of those typically has a nonprofit booster club. 
Parents and other supporters are able to contribute to those entities, providing uniforms, equipment, musical instruments and other articles so more kids can participate.
When you donate to a school, you can see your investment at work with burgeoning programs, watching students gain access to higher learning and broader opportunities.
Next Gen Education Donation
Paying it forward is the name of the game when you donate to a foundation. You are – literally – investing in the next generation. When students are buoyed by PTAs and booster programs, society is rewarded with talented musicians, skilled athletes and intellectual leaders.
The dynamics of education are complicated. There are teachers, students, administrators and even taxpayers involved in the process. The responsibility for improving the outcome rests on all of them in different ways.
That’s where a school charity donation comes in. It fills the gaps and upholds the programs that exceed the reach of government funding and teachers’ efforts.
The Parent Teacher Association is a network of millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. It was founded in 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers with an aim to better the lives of every child in education, health and safety.
When you donate to an educational charity such as PTA you are showing your support for these values.
Educational Charities to Support
Regardless of which nonprofit group you choose, you can convert the value of your vehicle to support school charities when you donate a car to education. For instance, if you’re putting blood, sweat and tears into your PTA activities, imagine what they can do with proceeds from your vehicle donation to education.
The Jubilee Center of Hoboken
Meeting the social and economic needs of children is at the heart of the Jubilee Center’s mission. By equipping families to overcome barriers from workplace inadequacy to a lack of life skills, the nonprofit created the Palisades Family Success Center, which is a home-like facility. Families access information, activities and programs at the site to ensure they can receive services they need and attain their own personal growth as well.
The hope is that the children see gains in such qualities as better self-esteem, self-reliance, personal accountability and respect for others.
School of Environmental Leadership
As a multi-disciplinary, project-based high school education, this 501(c)(3) has a special focus on environmental issues. The program provides students with a high quality, relevant education that empowers them to be leaders and lifelong learners.
The flagship school, MarinSEL, is located in Marin County, California. Called a "school within a school," the nonprofit School of Environmental Leadership emphasizes development in leadership and 21st century skills. When you donate to an educational charity such as SEL you contribute to offering students increasing ownership and independence over their educational experience.
The SEL does this by integrating academics, leadership, development, public speaking, creative arts, technology, engineering, project management, environmental justice, and community service. These incorporate the focus on the "Four C's": Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking and Creativity.
How to Donate a Car to Education
When you want to donate to a foundation that benefits students, but haven’t budgeted for it, you can contribute in different ways. Volunteerism is typically a welcome form of support, but another means to add dollars to their efforts is through a car donation to a school charity.
When working with Cars2Charities the process is very simple. By calling us at 855-520-2100 you begin the process of converting the value of your vehicle into educational opportunities for those who need it. Our friendly associate arranges a time to tow away your car, picking it up wherever it is (in the parking lot at work, at your home, etc.). Together with you, we then decide the most convenient time, date, and location for the pickup. After that, we handle the entire process on your behalf, free of charge.
You can also complete an online donation form (the blue box on the right side of the page). Once you submit the form, one of our donation coordinators will contact you to gather additional information about the vehicle.
We take over the process of preparing it for sale and selling your donation car – so you don’t have to do anything. We even take care of the title transfer!
We accept donations of all types of vehicles, whether they are running or not. We process all makes and models of: cars, trucks, motorcycles, vans, RVs, boats, golf carts, and more.
Benefits of Car Donation Through Cars2Charities
After deciding to go forward with the process, you need to figure out how to donate a car to support the charity you choose. With Cars2Charities, donating your unwanted vehicle simply requires a 3-5 minute conversation with one of our Vehicle Donation Coordinators.
And our unique operating model results in your getting the best possible car donation tax deduction. We start by improving your vehicle donation and then we market it to our network of retail buyers. As you may know, car donations are considered by the Internal Revenue Service and the state to be COMPLETELY TAX DEDUCTIBLE. And because your write-off is based on the price that your car is sold for, we improve your financial situation by maximizing the total.
Both you and your non-profit will receive IRS Form 1098-C within 30-50 days of the sale of your vehicle, making the transaction transparent to all parties. Plus, we do all the work. There’s no standing in lines at the DMV or dealing with the paperwork from the title transfer.
Need some more info? The IRS guidelines for tax deductions is a great resource.
You can also learn more about our vehicle donation program by watching our videos, which focus on frequently asked questions that we've grouped by topic.
American students need your support and there are many ways to provide it. When you donate to an educational charity through one of those means, you become a part of improving the future for history.