About a decade ago, Elmer Brinkman basically donated his 1998 Toyota Corolla to the Conference. That was our first fleet vehicle. I knew it would save us a ton of money. Before this, we reimbursed mileage at the IRS rate whenever someone had to travel for work. I was so proud of it, I actually put in gold letters “Elmer” on the back of this vehicle. Because of this donated car, my travel costs went way down so that I could afford to travel more. I saved $15,000 over four years!
I have often wondered if this would work for one of our rural parishes. If you have a pastor serving two or three churches, could you save the church $3 – 4,000/year in mileage? I love the idea so I’m sharing it in hopes that it will help someone.
Check out the video below:
Useful Links
- From 1098-C for reporting vehicle donation: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1098c.pdf
- Math to Calculate the Savings: https://www.dakotasumc.org/media/files/old/00/Conference/Finance/StewResrces/Pay_Mileage-Provide_Vehicle.pdf