The twangy jingle produced by Kars4Kids will no longer be broadcast in California, at least in its current form, after a state judge determined last week the charity’s ads amounted to false advertising.
The infamously catchy tune – “1-877-Kars4Kids/K-A-R-S Kars for Kids/1-877-Kars4Kids/Donate your car today” – has been on airwaves for nearly two decades. During that time, Kars4Kids has faced litigation and state government investigations for its misleading fundraising practices.
Bruce Puterbaugh brought suit against the charity in 2021, after he parted ways with a nonfunctional 2001 Volvo XC valued at $250.
He donated to the charity, believing it worked in service of “underprivileged kids from all over the US”, according to documents from the Orange county superior court.
Puterbaugh would later learn Kars4Kids is used to fund Oorah, a Jewish non-profit. That organization runs summer camps in the tri-state area and organizes gap year trips to Israel for 17- and 18-year-olds. Oorah also used $16.5m funneled from Kars4Kids to buy a building in Israel as it expands its presence there.
“I feel taken advantage of by the ad and information that was not there,” he said in court testimony.
Esti Landau, the organization’s chief operating officer, testified that the well-known ad does not mention the Jewish community. Kars4Kids funnels about $45m annually to Oorah. Of the 120,000 cars donated nationwide, approximately 30,000 originated in California, per court documents. It’s unclear over what time period those cars were donated.
Kars4Kids was ordered to pay $250 in restitution to the plaintiff and given a deadline of 30 days to “cease all non-compliant broadcasting in California”.
“Money cannot ‘un-donate’ a car or restore the donor’s belief that they were helping a local, needy child,” the court wrote in its ruling. “When a charity generates millions annually through a ‘jingle’ that conceals its primary religious and geographic focus, it creates an unfair playing field for local California charities that are honest about their missions.”
Any future ads in the state must disclose its religious affiliation and geographic location. They also cannot include images of prepubescent children, given that several of Oorah’s programs support young adults.