Donate For A Cause is one more timeshare exit company that may be able to help with your timeshare cancellation. This company has an interesting backstory. Apparently, in the past, the company was telling timeshare owners they could donate their timeshare to Donate For A Cause and write the donation amount off on their tax returns. This didn’t work out well for them because the United States Department of Justice filed a complaint against Donate for a Cause in November 2015 and Donate For A Cause was eventually barred from continuing this scheme. This information is displayed on the homepage of the company’s website.
The problem with timeshare is that many can be purchased on Ebay or other online marketplaces for as little as $1. If timeshares are for sale for $1, why would a charity want you to give them one? If they wanted a timeshare that badly, they could go on Ebay and buy one themselves. But they won’t because they don’t want to be responsible for the timeshare’s yearly maintenance fees just like you.
Looking at the Donate For A Cause’s website in January 2019 and it looks like the company has turned into a commission based brokerage service. Brokerages are a great option if your timeshare has value because the broker only gets paid a commission of the sale, so you don’t have to take any risk. The problem is, brokers only want to work with high value timeshares because their commission will be higher. If you find your timeshare for sale for $1 on Ebay, there is a good chance no broker will want to work with you.
Interestingly, Donate For A Cause has a page on its website about “timeshare relief” and “get rid of your timeshare.” Here, the company mentions that its sister company, Timeshare Specialists, can “liquidate” unwanted timeshares that are in low demand on the resale market. On the Get Rid of Your Timeshare page, they mention that Timeshare Specialists does not charge an up-front fee to get rid of your timeshare, which is a very good sign. We never recommend paying an up-front fee when cancelling your timeshare.
Very few, if any, timeshares increase in value after being purchased from a resort developer. Most lose 50% or more of their value the second they are purchased from a resort developer directly. If you own a high value timeshare such as a Marriott Aruba Surf Club or any of the Disney Vacation Club timeshares, a broker such as Donate For A Cause might be a good option for you. Unfortunately, brokers are unable to help with a majority of timeshares because many timeshares can’t even be given away for $1 on Ebay.
If you own a timeshare that you’d like to cancel, and a broker is unable to help you, we always
recommend working with timeshare timeshare exit companies that offer low up-front fee escrow payment options, so you are protected from scams. Learn more about low up-front fee escrow here.