Donating your timeshare to a charity- Did it work for you?

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

Today I received a Post Card saying:

Front Side:
Charity Foundation, Inc.
1591 Port Republic Road
Harrisonburg, VA 22801

IRS Approved 501(c)(3)
Losing Money on your Timeshare?
1-800-732-5915
Call - 11am to 9pm ET
Daily

Back Side:

Timeshare Owners!
Have Your Timeshare
Maintenance Fees Paid To Date
Exceeded The Worth Of Your
Timeshare?

IRS Approved 501(c)(3)
Donate Your Timeshare to Charity Foundation
"Then Your Done With It"
No Gimmicks-Limited Number of Timeshares Accepted
1-800-732-5915
Call - 11am to 9pm Mon-Fri ET
Proceeds may be donated to a cause of your choice

These guys are almost as bad as BF "Then Your Done With It"
What does MF paid to date > worth have to do with anything?
Look up Charity Foundation Harrisonburg VA you get
745 E Market St
Harrisonburg, VA , 22801-4234
Phone: 540-432-6852

hmmmm I recognize these addresses!
Anyone remember TRI EAST now 2nd Market Timeshares?

call the 540 number and you get an answering machine saying you've reached "Executive Offices"
call the 800 number and you get a nice old lady who says "Timeshares"

[joycapecod Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close joycapecod]

call the 800 number and you get a nice old lady who says "Timeshares"

At least she's a NICE old lady

Joy

[Re/Max Town Centre Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Re/Max Town Centre]

Timeshare donations groups are not always what they are cracked up to be...

Good rule of thumb- if you can't sell it for a buck- the charity won't be able to either!

Most of the active timeshare donation groups work with a reseller.. If what you own has a resale value- they'll take it.. You might want to consider selling it yourself and then simply donate the cash to a local charity in your area!

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Donating your timeshare to a 501C charity.....

(As always- this information is not intended to be confused with either legal or tax advice, but is for general information purposes only.. I recommend you always consult your own attorney or accountant for advice specific to your needs and situation....)

I've been asked the following question repeatedly over the last few weeks as the due date for annual fees inches closer.. "Can I donate my timeshare to a charity?"...

While this seems like a great idea on the surface, many owners have been disappointed with the donation process and the fact that most of the charities will also ask for a cash donation from the Seller to cover transfer and processing expenses.

When you consider donating a timeshare, you must first be aware that numerous resellers have set up affiliations with various 501C charities, and in most cases they will not accept ownership of a property that does not have a strong resale value.

Also, many timeshare related charities do not actually transfer the property from your name until they have found someone to buy it... In other words, you may still own the property even though the charity agreed to accept it!

Finally, most charities will simply try to liquidate the ownerships as quickly as possible. Often, this may mean that they sell below market to a reseller- who in turn sells the property again for a profit.

You should also be aware that the possible tax deduction you claim for the property (you'll file IRS form 8283) is going to be subject to the actual selling price when the property is later sold. The charity must file IRS form 8282 and disclose what the property was sold for. If you claimed too high an amount, you may be subject to penalties in addition to the tax owed.

Instead of going through this process, you may be better served to sell the timeshare (either yourself or via a brokerage) and, then to simply donate your proceeds to the charity of your choice..

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

Good rule of thumb- if you can't sell it for a buck- the charity won't be able to either!

Certainly true.

Most of the active timeshare donation groups work with a reseller..

I would expect that to be the case, but in this case they appear to be one in the same!

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Donating your timeshare to a charity- Did it work for you?

If you tried to donate your timeshare to a 501C charity, please share your thoughts about the process here..

Please include the name of the charity, the cost you incurred, the name of your resort, and the time it took for the ownership to be removed from your name (please confirm the ownership is no longer in your name with your resort!).

Due to the wide range of conflicting views on the value of the tax deductions received (and the fact that in many cases it can take two years to have the deduction amount validated)- please do not include information regarding possible tax benefits...

I'd like to see how these timeshare outlets are perceived by the average timeshare owner- and what positive or negative experiences have resulted from donation attempts....

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I donated our last 1/2 Wastegate to The German Language School, but I believe they stopped that program.

Here is one that appears to be ongoing, for a charity I am familiar with. This one has been submitted to the highest of Internet timeshare scrutiny, and appears to have passed with no derogatory comments.

Donations to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

I donated our last 1/2 Wastegate to The German Language School, but I believe they stopped that program.

Here is one that appears to be ongoing, for a charity I am familiar with. This one has been submitted to the highest of Internet timeshare scrutiny, and appears to have passed with no derogatory comments.

Donations to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

I've emailed the German Language School without a response, so I'm guessing that they may have gotten out of the timeshare business.. I'll let you know if I get a response.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

I've emailed the German Language School without a response, so I'm guessing that they may have gotten out of the timeshare business.. I'll let you know if I get a response.

It used to be run by a TUGger and yes, it is out of business.

I often watch auctions on ebay by "Donate for a Cause" and they certainly seem legit.
I have purchased from them but never donated.

[joycapecod Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close joycapecod]

Right now I have three units I am willing to give away. Over the years we have collected more than we can ever use. I'd even be willing to do a quick claim deed for free and the taker pay for the filing. Gregg and I have 14 weeks....plus points and we live on Cape Cod.

If anyone finds a reputible charity that will take these (no mortgages, fees current) please let me know!

Joy

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

If you're looking to do some research, to uncover other donation programs . . . they use closing companies, so try contacting them.

GLS used Timeshare Transfer, so ask Tia or Susan if they are working with anyone.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

As I posted, check with Andria at Trejesto. They handle Turpentine Wildlife donations. Use the link in my post above to find the link to Andria. (I'm trying to avoid posting email addresses, as I once got in trouble for doing that. )

In light of the economy, who knows who's doing what any more?

Right now I have three units I am willing to give away. Over the years we have collected more than we can ever use. I'd even be willing to do a quick claim deed for free and the taker pay for the filing. Gregg and I have 14 weeks....plus points and we live on Cape Cod.

If anyone finds a reputible charity that will take these (no mortgages, fees current) please let me know!

Joy

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Donation confusion...

The issue here is that most of the properties people want to donate don't have a legitimate resale market- so they either don't qualify for acceptance, or if accepted they just don't sell... A year later, you find out you still own the property!

The only real complaint I've heard about Donate for a Cause (run by Jim Tarpey who owns Resort Closings, Inc. out of Montana) is that they seem to treat the donation in the manner of a listing.. They simply try to sell it, but the ownership remains in your name until they find a buyer.. If they do find a buyer- Jim's company gets paid to do the closing, and the proceeds from the sale (if any) are paid to the charity you choose. I believe the properties are sold on the Donate for a Cause website, on eBay, and by the affiliated brokerage, GO Timeshare. If the brokerage procures the buyer, I have to assume that a commission is also made from the sale (licensed agents don't work for free!)..

Since Turpentine Wildlife is also affiliated with a closing agent (Trejesto Closings)- what brokerage actually sells these properties? I did look at the link, and it looks like only properties that can be easily sold would be accepted.

There was a charity out of Denver I worked with a few years ago called Special Needs, and another out of Chicago called Fairy Godmother Foundation which accepted timeshares and actually deeded them into the charity's name upon acceptance- guaranteeing the donor would be rid of the ownership. I do believe that both required a cash donation as well to cover their costs. I'll check to see if either is still in the vacation business..

Regardless, my advice is to always be very careful when investigating these types of organizations. In the past, several have been discovered to simply be lead generation programs for timeshare freedom type companies- who then offer to relieve you of the property for a nice fee of $3,500.- none of which seems to make it's way to the charity.

If anyone else knows of a legitimate charity- please share the info here.. With selling becoming even more difficult than ever before- every avenue of transferring an unwanted ownership should be explored!

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Nowadays, that would be almost all TS's, plus most also do not have a retail market.

Getting rid of one is now harder than ever.

Granted, as I have mentioned many times, there are some soldout resorts that do have a real market for resales.

The issue here is that most of the properties people want to donate don't have a legitimate resale market!

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Bippity Boppity Blech!

Fairy Godmother Foundation is out of the timeshare business... They actually still have a few they would love to give away, but they are no longer accepting any new timeshare ownerships... A rep said their timeshare experiment left a bad taste in their mouth and got the last CFO fired!

Another option bites the dust.....


****** 4/27/09 I received info that the Fairy Godmother Organization out of Chicago has been dissolved, and all the timeshare ownerships still in the charity's name simply abandoned.