84. Howard Pearl, CEO of Charitable Rides and Services (CARS) On Fundraising, Staff Enlightenment, and Why He Fell in Love with CARS


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Mar 28 2024 30 mins   1

Sometimes, donations to a non-profit can be burdensome for the organization. Many nonprofits lack the infrastructure to accept physical assets like cars and real estate. But automobile and real estate donations allow non-profit organizations to raise large amounts of money, and allow contributors to easily donate in a more significant way.

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Howard Pearl, CEO of Charitable Adult Rides and Services (CARS). Howard discusses:

  • How CARS is a non-profit that provides fundraising services to other nonprofits. CARS takes the automobile and real estate donations slated for specific nonprofits, sells them at auction, and then remits 80% of the proceeds to the designated nonprofit.
  • How CARS uses the proceeds from the sale of autos and real estate to benefit those in need in the San Diego area.
  • How he went from interim CEO to full-time CEO when he realized he loved the CARS mission and saw the huge potential in its services and staff.
  • How the organization has grown in size threefold with virtually zero staff turnover.
  • How credit, respect, and effective management allow staff to flourish and approach their work creatively.
  • How he devotes himself to giving his staff the tools, budget, and people to get the job done.
  • How staff at any level at CARS can make a decision; they will only be reprimanded for making mistakes if they repeat their mistakes. 
  • How he makes all new hires read the book “The Gratitude Diaries” by Janice Kaplan.
  • How CARS now supports nonprofits across the country.

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