Most vehicle donation programs sell what they receive at auction and pass a fraction of the proceeds to a cause. It is efficient, and it is not what we wanted to build.
The arithmetic of an auction
A donated car that sells for a few thousand dollars might return a few hundred to the charity once transport, fees and administration are paid. The donor gave a vehicle; the family at the other end receives a fraction of a cheque.
The alternative
We already had a workshop, technicians, and thirty years of knowing how to make a car dependable. Keeping the vehicle and restoring it turns one donation into one family with transport — not a line in a budget.
It is slower. It means we help fewer people per year than an auction model would. We think the trade is worth it.