Burdensome timeshares can be a pain. If you're sick of paying maintenance fees for a week off you cannot seem to get around to taking every year, you can go to all the work of reselling it—or you can donate it.

Timeshare donation companies abound.  By donating your timeshare, it will be out of your hands within weeks, which also means the end of those maintenance fees and taxes.  You can circumvent the fees involved in listing, promoting, and advertising that are inherent in the selling process. The only costs to you might be the appraisal if you are claiming more than $5,000 at tax time.

idonate.com is one such company.  The timeshare donation can be submitted via Internet or phone.  Within two business days you will be contacted by the company. You will be sent a package with all the paperwork you will need to tell them all the necessary information about your timeshare. Idonate.com then  takes care of the sale and transfer of ownership.  When it is sold, you will be notified and sent a receipt to use for your tax-deduction.

idonate.com is not alone in this service. Donate Timeshare Online, Inc. and Charity Timeshare Donations are similar organizations. Give BackTimeshare.com can list certain qualifying timeshares on the market with no upfront fees. SellMyTimeshareNOW.com will give the proceeds of your donated timeshare to the Southern Hampshire University. Donate for a Cause has a list of specific charities your donation will go to. Florida Veterans Assistance Association, Inc. is the route to go to contribute to war veterans.

Donating your timeshare is often the most efficient way to get away from a timeshare you cannot use and from paying expensive listing fees for marketing companies.  It rids you of those maintenance fees much sooner than waiting for an indeterminable amount of time.  Donating it is a lot less work and with the tax deduction, oftentimes much more rewarding.