Car Talk Vehicle Donation Services

Car Talk Vehicle Donation Services is public media's premier vehicle donation program.  We provide a turnkey service with custom promos and marketing collateral to fit the needs of NPR news, music, and PBS stations.  Our exclusive on-air spots feature real donors, plus top NPR talent including Peter Sagal, Carl Kasell, and Tom and Ray Magliozzi.  We are the only vehicle donation service featured on npr.org.

 

DEI Member Station Discount
 
Car Talk Vehicle Donation Services is pleased to provide customized vehicle donation inserts for renewal mailings (first order, quantity equivalent to membership total) free of charge.  Subsequent orders receive a 25% discount.  Inserts are printed and delivered by Car Talk VDS.
 
For more information about Car Talk Vehicle Donation Services, please visit us at cartalkvds.com or contact:
 
Twyla Olson
Director of Business Development
Cart Talk Vehicle Donation Services
Turning old cars into programs you love
651-587-6332

 

Vehicle Donation Q&A with Twyla Olson
 
Q. What should I look for in a vehicle donation program?

A. We suggest you look for happy vehicle donors, the best returns possible, high-quality service and complete transparency.  Car Talk VDS offers all that and then some!  We're pleased to provide stations with three customized options:

          1)   Local, custom branding to fit the needs of NPR and music stations;
          2)   Car Talk-branded program;
          3)   PBS program featuring exclusive donor spots and messaging for TV.

 

Q. Who’s minding my donors?
A. We are! A great vehicle donation program is about more than just monthly revenue. It’s about donor service, too!  We make sure you get the best sales price possible for each and every donated car while ensuring a great donor experience. We understand how hard it is to attract and keep donors and how important it is to set the stage for a long-term relationship.  We drive the extra mile!
 

For example, we took a classic 1947 Packard to a special auction for a major MPR donor living in New Hampshire; we figured out how a WPLN member in Nashville could donate a 2010 Toyota stored in Toronto; we towed an RV for a KUHF board member before the cops towed it for him; and we even brought a WBEZ lapsed member back into the fold when he found himself the high bidder for Tom Magliozzi’s Fiat Spider convertible—and wrote a check to WBEZ for nearly $5,000.

It’s vitally important to have a vehicle donation program that understands how your station operates, and what motivates the audience and donors. Our public broadcasting-centric staff of Twyla Olson, Katie Kemple, Beth Carter and Doug Mayer have a combined 70 years in public radio.

Q. Can we use Car Talk VDS, even if we don't air Car Talk?
A. Car Talk VDS is the best vehicle donation program out there -- whether you carry Car Talk or not.  In fact, we have many clients at PBS and classical music stations that have never aired Car Talk.
 

   • We deliver a higher revenue percentage to stations than our top competitors

   • Local branding options, featuring real donors, keep the focus on your listeners and community.

   • NPR partners with Car Talk VDS exclusively on vehicle donation support for stations -- from npr.org web tiles and podcast pre-rolls, to vehicle donation mailers in orders leaving The NPR Shop, to promos featuring NPR celebrity voices.  NPR provides this at no additional cost -- all net proceeds are passed to stations.

Q. What about fees?
A. Whomever you work with, demand total transparency in the fee structure, and make sure the structure makes good sense to you.  Why? Because your members are smart and you treat them as such when you raise money. You tell them where pledge dollars go and what programming costs.  We suggest taking the same approach with your vehicle donation program. 
 

You’re putting hard-won donors in someone else's hands. Protect them by insisting on a VDS that understands the value of transparency.

We’re sure you have more questions. Give us a call!
Twyla Olson, Director of Business Development, 651-587-6332, twyla@cartalkvds.com