Donate for a Cause

[Clemson Fan]

How much are they really donating to charities? How much of a salary does their operators receive? Sure they are a registered charity with the IRS, but that doesn't mean there are not people making lots of money off of it.

Great points!

People see "non-profit" status and that immediately gives them a sense of security that the company is a "good" one. I don't know anything about donate for a cause, but I'm currently battling an issue with a local "non-profit" company getting a ton of federal and state tax dollars which IMO is just lining the pockets of their directors and managers and not doing the community at large any real good and in fact they're damaging the community at large.

I've developed a newfound warriness regarding "non-profits" and IMO some of them are just frankly scam fronts.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I respect your opinion, even if it runs counter to mine. That is the great thing about tug, to ask a question, and get different responses from people from different walks of life.

Ok - let me ask you a question.

Let's say I have a timeshare that I want to get rid of. Let's lay out some scenarios:

Case A:
I pay $3000 to a postcard company to take it off my hands. They take over ownership and I'm done with it, having paid $3000. They give the timeshare to a timeshare liquidation company, who disposes of it in whatever manner they can.

Case B:
I give it to Donate for a Cause, paying them $3000 to take it off my hands. They take over ownership and I'm done with it, having paid $3000. They give the timeshare to a timeshare liquidation company, who disposes of it in whatever manner they can. They also give me a grossly inflated valuation, which I'm supposed to use to claim a tax deduction that if examined by the IRS will surely be disallowed and will probably trigger a larger scale tax audit.​

You appear to be contending that Case A is disreputable and deserving of scorn, whereas Case B is an example of the one legitimate upfront fee operation in existence.

So, my question for you is what precisely is the difference between those two cases that makes Case A disdainful and Case B praiseworthy?

 

[siesta]

You appear to be contending that Case A is disreputable and deserving of scorn, whereas Case B is an example of the one legitimate upfront fee operation in existence.
Not at all, I was merely pointing out, if you will be out $3000 regardless, to me at least it seems that one would rather have part of those funds be donated to a good and worthy cause. But again, thats my opinion. Also, as denise points out time and time again, most up front fee companies ARE scams. They take your money and run and show you in their contract where they actually claim to only advertise it for you. This is not one of those companies was all I was saying.

To address the tax issue brought up:

I agree that the tax advice is not ethical. Sadly, I feel they are doing this to encourage donations with the idea that "the ends justify the means." I do not agree with this at all, and although due to my legal background I often don't sympathize with the government, my moral fiber strongly opposes this as a viable method of securing donations. And for the greater good of the causes at hand, I hope they abandon this practice.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

You appear to be contending that Case A is disreputable and deserving of scorn, whereas Case B is an example of the one legitimate upfront fee operation in existence.
Not at all, I was merely pointing out, if you will be out $3000 regardless, to me at least it seems that one would rather have part of those funds be donated to a good and worthy cause. But again, thats my opinion. Also, as denise points out time and time again, most up front fee companies ARE scams. They take your money and run and show you in their contract where they actually claim to only advertise it for you. This is not one of those companies was all I was saying.

What you said upthread (post #6) was:

"Donate for a Cause is a reputable charity. They donate proceeds to great causes as well. They are the only up front fee company that is trustworthy." [emphasis added]​

You haven't answered the question I posed, which is why Donate for a Cause is a trustworthy upfront fee company, whereas a postcard company that also takes over title for a similar upfront fee (and that does not provide a fraudulent valuation) is not.

 

[siesta]

legit postcard companies take their fee after the sale, they do not charge commission, taxes, escrow fees, up front. If you know of one that does take fees upfront AND is legit, by all means let the tuggers know. However, I don't know any.

Donate for a Cause charges an upfront fee, AND is legit, therefore I let tuggers know.

Am I missing something here?

 

[dioxide45]

legit postcard companies take their fee after the sale,

This is the definition of a broker, not a post card company.

 

[siesta]

now we're getting into semantics .... great. I'm done with this thread, I've made every point I have to offer, and all the advice I have to give, take it or leave it. If you have any other questions for me send me a pmsg, it's getting a bit ridiculous.

btw, I didn't mean to put postcard, still had og's post in my head.