You’re watching TV and a Rawhide commercial about wanting all cars—the good, the bad, and the ugly—catches your eye. You glance out the window at your aging car taking up space in your driveway and think, “I’ve wanted to get rid of that eyesore for months now!” So you decide to donate it to help make a difference in the lives of troubled young men. You consider calling us at 1-800-Rawhide or visiting our website to start the donation process, and you’re curious about how it all works.

  1. What happens when I donate my car?
  2. What does Rawhide do with my car?
  3. How does my car donation help the lives of troubled youth?

Your questions can be answered in these five steps!

Step One: Get the Ball Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’

Running or not, your Rawhide car donation benefits troubled youth in your community. Once you call us, you have two options for off-loading the car. You can choose to:

  1. Take it to a designated drop off location or
  2. Arrange a pick up at your home or mechanic’s garage

No matter which option you choose, you pay absolutely nothing! If you choose to leave it at a drop off location, we will email you information regarding the locations in your community. If you choose to have us pick it up, we will call to make arrangements with you.

Before you donate your car, make sure to remove all of your personal belongings from it. Remember to check the CD player! For more tips, view the car donation check list.

Step Two: We’ll Pick It Up

By now, you’ve either dropped off your car or given us permission to pick it up. Next, we need your vehicle identification number (VIN) to verify we are picking up the correct vehicle. Once we confirm your VIN, we’ll send out a hauler to pick up your car within one to two business days. Pretty quick, huh?

We will also pick up the signed title as well as any other paperwork we may need.

Step Three: Looking Under the Hood

All donated cars receive a thorough 100-point inspection, which provides accurate details on running condition and interior/exterior condition. This allows:

  1. Us to learn everything about your vehicle
  2. Donors to maximize tax deductions
  3. Buyers to make well-informed purchasing decisions

Sometimes we perform minor repairs on vehicles brought back to the ranch. Whether we decide to repair the car or sell it “as is,” we clean the vehicle. Cleaning or “detailing” the vehicles provides valuable job training experience for the Rawhide guys. One misconception is that we use donated cars to teach our guys the art of auto mechanics. While they may assist in minor tasks, like changing a battery, they do not repair the cars. Cars are mainly used to raise money to fund programs that help our guys.

Step Four: Auction Time!

Once we process all the paperwork and verify all the information, it’s go time! Your vehicle is sold at one of two venues:

  1. Online at our eBay store
  2. At a wholesale, dealer-only live auction

We decide which venue is best based on the type of vehicle. Classic and collector cars find their way to our eBay store, while more common cars make their way to wholesale, dealer-only auctions located throughout the region.

Step Five: After the Sale—It’s all about the Guys

After the bidding stops and the lights are turned off, so to speak, what then? First, you get a receipt to claim a tax deduction. Then, earnings from the sale go towards funding our programs for troubled youth.

In the words of Bart Starr: “I can’t think of a better legacy to leave our children than contributing to Rawhide and giving youth and families a brighter future.”

If you would like to partner with us, please donate to Rawhide and leave a legacy. In a few simple steps, you can help give troubled youth and families a second chance for a brighter future.