Talk:Harvard "Pete" Palmer Jr.

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Car donation processing is a unique industry of great importance to charities and donors alike. Mr. Palmer is one of the few national leaders; he is knowledgeable about all aspects of both the politics and operations of the industry. Reporters continually search him out for commentary on all aspects of the industry and on proposed and existing legislation, such as the “Cash for Clunkers” program. While he does operate a donation processing business, that is not the object of the article. It is his leadership position within the industry itself, as well as his knowledge and particular philosophy that make him a noteworthy subject. Lindafoust (talk) 22:20, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

Though not readily apparent, the car donation industry’s uniqueness stems from its recent arrival on the scene -- it was not in existence prior to 1986, when it was created by an act of Congress. After that time, tens of thousands of charities reached out for information about this new funding methodology, and Palmer is recognized as someone to whom they can turn for advice and assistance. Car donation differs from the traditional charitable fund-raising with which organizations were familiar, and the charities have had to institute new methods and approaches. People who donate cars are not typical charitable donors; instead of charitable motives, most simply wish to remove an item that has lost all value and become a hassle. Palmer is a national authority on all aspects of the process. Besides charity executive directors and board members, Palmer has been sought out for background on this industry by the media, students, and legislative staffs (as recently as last July when Christine Corcoran, the Legislative Director for Rep. Betty Sutton [D-Ohio], called Palmer for clarification of a story that ran July 14, 2009 on NPR).Lindafoust (talk) 19:53, 31 December 2009 (UTC)