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Five children and youth in orange life jackets riding in a small aluminum boat away from a wooden dock across a calm lake at sunset, seen from behind

Our charity: how your boat donation helps families, veterans and kids

Boats with Causes is the boat donation program of Giving Center, a nationwide 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We take the boat, handle the paperwork, ensure it’s sold for maximum value, and direct the proceeds to families, veterans, and children across the country.

LEGAL STATUS
Nationwide 501(c)(3) nonprofit
EIN
92-1162407
WHERE WE WORK
All 50 states
BOAT DONATIONS
20 years

The people on the other end of your donation

Boats with Causes works with people the usual safety net tends to miss: a family one bill away from losing their home, a veteran waiting on a claim, a child whose school cannot afford the basics. Your boat is the first half of the story. They are the second.

A person seen from behind carrying a paper grocery bag up the front path to a small house at dusk, with the porch light on and warm light in the windows
FAMILIES IN CRISIS

One bad month should not become a lost year

Most families who reach Boats with Causes are one expense away from losing their housing: a hospital stay, a car repair, a missed paycheck. Proceeds fund transitional housing and emergency shelter, and cover the rent, utility bill, or repair that keeps a hard month from turning into something worse.

A pair of worn leather work boots, a steel thermos and a canvas duffel bag on a pickup tailgate at sunrise beside a quiet country road
VETERANS

For the people who served, when they come home

Help for veterans often arrives late. Boats with Causes puts donations toward adaptive and transitional housing, job training, and the practical things that decide whether a transition works: a deposit, tools for a new trade, a gap covered while a claim is processed.

Much of this happens through veteran service organizations that already know their communities.

A row of orange and yellow life jackets hanging from a wooden dock rail beside a small aluminum boat with a pair of rubber boots inside, on a calm lake in afternoon sun
CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Kids who did not choose their circumstances

Children in struggling households miss the things that never make a budget: summer camp, a field trip, a working computer. Proceeds fund after-school and summer programs, camps, classroom equipment, and school supplies.

A cream trawler with teak trim tied alongside a floating dock in front of a plain brick warehouse on a calm harbor in warm afternoon light
THE BOATS THEMSELVES

Where donated boats end up

Most donated boats are sold through brokers or private sales, and we improve a boat first when that will raise its value. Occasionally a boat goes to a rescue squad or a like-minded organization, and donated boats are sometimes used to take kids and veterans out on the water.

We do not take junk. A boat that would cost more to move and sell than it brings in would spend donated money, not raise it.

Where the proceeds go

Nine areas where a modest amount of money changes the outcome. Hover or tap a card to see what that looks like.

Housing and shelter
A safe place to land.
Housing and shelter
Transitional housing, emergency shelter, and the deposits and back rent that stand between a family and a door that locks.
Direct family relief
The one bill that tips the balance.
Direct family relief
Rent, utilities, a funeral, a car repair. Small amounts, decided quickly, aimed at the expense that turns a hard month into a crisis.
Veterans
Help that shows up on time.
Veterans
Adaptive and transitional housing, vocational training, and practical support during the move back to civilian life.
Children and youth
Camps, programs, and mentoring.
Children and youth
After-school and summer programs, youth camps, and support for families caring for children with medical needs.
Education and the arts
Equipment and access.
Education and the arts
Classroom equipment, materials, and music and art programs for schools and libraries that lost their funding.
Medical hardship
The costs around treatment.
Medical hardship
Travel to distant hospitals, equipment, and the household bills that do not pause during a serious illness.
Disaster relief
In the first days, and months later.
Disaster relief
Shelter, supplies, and emergency help after fires, floods, and storms, including long after the news has moved on.
Animal welfare
Rescues and sanctuaries.
Animal welfare
Humane societies, wildlife conservation, and local rescues, work that is chronically underfunded.
Other nonprofits
Sharing what we have.
Other nonprofits
Funding, equipment, and supplies shared with other 501(c)(3) organizations doing work Boats with Causes is not best placed to do itself.

How we work, and what we will not do

Four commitments behind every conversation we have with a boat owner.

We say no when we should
If a boat would cost more to move and sell than it brings in, taking it would waste donated money. We tell you quickly and honestly.
Costs up front
Pickup and paperwork are free. Anything you would owe, such as slip fees up to the transfer date, we tell you before you commit.
No pressure
Plenty of people call with questions and decide not to donate. That is a fine outcome. There are no follow-up campaigns.
Use before sale
When a boat can serve directly, such as for a rescue squad or on-the-water programs, that can be better than selling it.

One charity, several specialist programs

Boats with Causes started in 2005 with a simple idea: people hold real value in things they have stopped using, and selling those things is work most people never get to. So Boats with Causes does the work, and the proceeds fund its programs.

Some donations need specialists. Boats need people who understand hull numbers, Coast Guard documentation, haul-outs, and marinas. That is this program. Vehicles, property, aircraft, collectibles, computers, and domain names each have their own.

If you are settling an estate with a boat and a car and a house, you do not have to split it up. Tell us everything and we will route each part to the right team.

Questions about our charity

Who runs Boats with Causes?

Giving Center, a nationwide 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 92-1162407. Boats with Causes is its boat donation program.

Does the full value of my boat go to programs?

No charity can honestly say that. Moving, storing, and selling a boat has costs. Net proceeds, what remains after those costs, support Boats with Causes' programs.

Can I choose which program my donation supports?

Tell us what matters to you. Donations support Boats with Causes' programs as a whole, and we are glad to talk about where the need is greatest.

How can I confirm Giving Center is a real charity?

Search for Giving Center or EIN 92-1162407 in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search at irs.gov.

Is Boats with Causes a middleman?

No. Boats with Causes is Giving Center's own program. Your boat is donated to Giving Center, and your Form 1098-C comes from Giving Center.

Looking for help rather than donating?
Assistance requests are handled by Giving Center directly. You can apply for assistance on givingcenter.org.

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BWC Donation: General (guides, states, main pages)

Free pickup by our trusted transport team · We handle title transfer and tax paperwork · No cost to you