Doing Good Through Timeshare

Have you thought about your New Year Resolutions yet? You might want to add to your list: to do something to make someone else's life better. Maybe you have a favorite charity in mind, but you just don't have the cash to give. Perhaps you aren't using your timeshare enough to make it worthwhile, or the monthly payments are becoming a burden, or maybe you don't have any heirs to pass on your property to.  Consider donating your timeshare to a worthy cause. Donating will not only help your situation and give you a tax write off, but it will also benefit others. And, you don't have to donate your whole timeshare, you can just donate a week to organizations such as Send Me on Vacation.

Donate a Week

Send Me on Vacation, a company whose slogan is "Changing Lives, One Vacation at a Time," is one of the non-profit organizations that offer a way to donate your vacation week. The charity's mission is "to provide a much needed vacation to women with cancer who have undergone treatment and need a place to rejuvenate and heal their body, mind and spirit." Your donation of a timeshare week provides a way for these women to do just that, and provides you with a charitable tax credit.

Donate Your Timeshare

More nonprofit groups are encouraging the donation of real estate and other property. Some have planned giving departments that you can work with directly, but others prefer that you work with a third-party business that is specifically set up to assist you in donating your timeshare to a charity, such as Donate for a Cause. The nonprofit Donate for a Cause asserts on their website that they help consumers avoid the pitfalls of selling their timeshares…the unnecessary cost of listing services, broker fees, and scams. According to NASDAQ OMX Globe Newswire Donate for a Cause is the only nonprofit that takes timeshares and all associated liability on behalf of charities, thereby buffering the charities from any potential problems.  The charities get the cash and not the headaches.

Be Careful... First Check out the Business

Check out any nonprofit organization you are considering to verify that they are legitimate. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission warns consumers about timeshare resale scams which have more than doubled in recent years. Though these are mainly companies that promise to resell your timeshare for top dollar and a quick sale, they may also use the charity angle. There should not be a fee if you are donating your timeshare to charity and there should be a tax deduction. Be sure you do a thorough review of the company and check with the charities they are supporting.

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