How the car donation process works
You start your Metro Atlanta donation
Begin by telling Wheels of Change about your vehicle and where it is located in Metro Atlanta. Free towing is available across Atlanta and nearby communities such as Decatur, Sandy Springs, Marietta, Roswell, Alpharetta, College Park, East Point, Stone Mountain, and Lawrenceville. You do not need to know the car’s exact value or make repairs before donating. Basic details like the year, make, model, mileage, title status, and whether it starts help the pickup team route your donation efficiently and prepare it for the next step.
Your vehicle is picked up at no cost
After your donation is scheduled, a towing provider contacts you to arrange a convenient pickup window. The vehicle can often be collected from a home, workplace, apartment community, repair shop, or parking location, as long as access is safe and permitted. Donors across neighborhoods like Buckhead, Midtown, Virginia-Highland, Grant Park, West End, and the Perimeter area can use the same process. The tow is free, and you receive a pickup receipt. Final tax documentation comes later after the vehicle is sold.
The car is assessed after pickup
Once the vehicle is in the program, it is assessed to determine the most practical way to sell it. The review may consider whether it runs, overall condition, mileage, age, visible damage, market demand, and whether repairs would make financial sense. Donated vehicles are not automatically repaired or given away. In most cases, the best way to benefit Heritage for the Blind is to sell the vehicle through the channel likely to produce appropriate proceeds while controlling handling costs.
Resalable vehicles typically go to auction
If your donated car is running and in resalable condition, it typically goes to a public or dealer auction. Auctions allow buyers to compete for vehicles based on condition, demand, and current market interest. This can include sedans, trucks, SUVs, vans, hybrids, motorcycles, and other accepted vehicles from around Metro Atlanta. The sale amount becomes the gross sale price used for tax reporting when the vehicle sells for more than $500. That auction revenue then flows to Heritage for the Blind as charitable revenue.
Non-running vehicles may be sold for salvage or parts
If your car does not run, has very high mileage, major mechanical problems, collision damage, or limited resale demand, it is typically sold to a licensed salvage or parts buyer. That does not mean the donation is wasted. Older vehicles, cars with transmission issues, flood-damaged vehicles, or cars that have been sitting in a driveway can still generate proceeds. Selling for salvage or parts helps convert a hard-to-sell vehicle into funding for Heritage for the Blind without asking you to pay for repairs or disposal.
Proceeds support Heritage for the Blind services
The proceeds from the vehicle sale go directly to Heritage for the Blind, a real 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 58-2164446. Sale proceeds are revenue that helps fund services and outreach for people who are blind or visually impaired. Heritage also connects people with benefit resources, and donors or families who want to check eligibility for programs such as SSI, LIHEAP, Medicare Extra Help, Section 8, and related assistance can visit nhftb.org/finder. Your unused vehicle becomes mission funding instead of sitting idle.
Key facts about car donation
Free towing is available for qualifying vehicle donations throughout Metro Atlanta and surrounding suburbs.
Vehicles are assessed after pickup to determine the best sale channel based on condition and marketability.
Running vehicles in resalable condition typically go to public or dealer auction.
Non-running, damaged, or high-mileage vehicles typically go to licensed salvage or parts buyers.
Heritage for the Blind is a 501(c)(3) charity, EIN 58-2164446.
For vehicles sold over $500, donors receive IRS Form 1098-C showing the gross sale price.