
Goodwill
Funds job training and employment placement programs through donated goods and community services.
Selling real estate across San Mateo County can take months. Donating it takes a conversation. Vetted charities accept Burlingame homes, land, and commercial property directly, handling title and paperwork while you claim the deduction.
San Mateo County
County
30,526
Residents
A Burlingame sale generates a stack of settlement paperwork. A donation produces a single qualified appraisal and a charity acknowledgment letter — the two documents that substantiate the gift at tax time.
A traditional Burlingame sale means agent fees, staging, repairs, and months of open houses. A donation transfers title directly — none of that applies.
Vacant homes, inherited houses, and tired rentals carry taxes, insurance, and upkeep. Donating a Burlingame property ends the carrying costs in one step.
Turn your property into a second chance at life.
MatchingDonors.com is a 501(c)(3) that connects patients in need of a transplant with living altruistic organ donors — the first organization to facilitate an organ transplant through the internet. Real estate gifts are converted into operating support, helping patients find a match in months instead of years on the national waiting list.
Real estate gifts routed to MatchingDonors.com receive prioritized handling — clear title transfer, fair-market-value appraisal, and a deduction letter inside 60 days. Proceeds fund the matching platform that has connected over 15,000 registered donors with patients in need.
See how much impact your property could make.
Well-known 501(c)(3) charities serving Burlingame — local branches plus national organizations that accept real estate.

Funds job training and employment placement programs through donated goods and community services.
Delivers emergency response, blood services, and disaster recovery across the country.
Offers food, housing assistance, and direct aid to neighbors facing poverty and hardship.
Runs youth programs, fitness facilities, and community services that strengthen local neighborhoods.
Provides shelter, disaster relief, addiction recovery, and food assistance to people in crisis.
Most giving happens in cash, but cash is rarely a donor's most appreciated asset. Across San Mateo County, a long-held home can represent decades of untaxed appreciation that a cash gift will never match.
Donating that property directly — rather than selling it and giving the proceeds — keeps the capital gains tax out of the equation entirely and routes the full value to the cause you choose.
A transparent, four-step process ensures a smooth transition from property to philanthropy. (The exact process may differ between organizations, these are the general phases)
Your charity will conduct a preliminary assessment of your property's market value and suitability for donation.
Their experts handle title searches, environmental checks, and prepare all necessary transfer paperwork.
The property is officially transferred to the charity. You receive IRS Form 8283 for tax deduction purposes.
The property is sold and proceeds are distributed to your chosen charity to fund their mission.
Donors who itemize can generally deduct the fair market value of Burlingame real estate held longer than a year, up to 30% of adjusted gross income, with a five-year carryforward for any excess.
A qualified appraisal and IRS Form 8283 substantiate the deduction. This is general information, not tax advice — confirm the specifics with your own advisor.
Straight answers on donating real estate, the tax treatment, and what to expect.
No. A valuation request is informational and carries no cost or obligation. You can review the estimate and decide whether a donation makes sense for you.
Yes. A gift of real property to a qualified 501(c)(3) is generally deductible at fair market value if you itemize and have held the property more than a year. A qualified appraisal and IRS Form 8283 document the deduction.
It depends on the organization. Some charities sell donated real estate and direct the proceeds to their programs; others may put a property to use directly. The receiving charity can explain its intended use before you complete the gift.
The deduction for real estate is generally capped at 30% of adjusted gross income in the year of the gift, but any excess carries forward for up to five additional years.
Largely, yes. A donation avoids the public listing and price history a sale creates. The deed transfer itself becomes a public record, as all property transfers do, but the gift draws far less attention than an open-market sale.
The deduction applies to the tax year in which the title transfer is completed. Donors aiming to claim it in a particular year often start early enough to leave room for the appraisal and title review before December 31.
Find vetted real-estate-accepting charities elsewhere in the country.