“You can do well while doing good,” said Howard Pearl, CEO of Charitable Adult Rides & Services (CARS), during his recent appearance on the Manager Memo podcast with Leonard Samborowski. “Your rewards in life are going to be in direct proportion to the amount of service you provide to your fellow man.”

Pearl’s words aren’t just philosophy—they reflect a decade of impact. Since taking the helm, he’s helped CARS return more than $600 million to over 10,000 nonprofits, with an average of $1 million a week distributed through vehicle and property donations.

“I Was Atypically Happy”: An Accidental Entry Into Nonprofit Work

Pearl didn’t plan to stay. Originally hired as a short-term executive to help CARS transition leadership, he went into the role with a 90-day mindset. But something shifted.

“I don’t think I was here for a week,” he recalled. “My wife was saying, ‘You are atypically happy after a long day of work.’”

He credits the people. “They’re a good crew. They’ve just not been managed well. And the mission is kind of interesting,” he said.

After just two weeks, encouraged by his wife, Pearl offered to stay. That interim role became a 10-year tenure.

Rebuilding From the Inside: Empowering a Battered Team

When Pearl arrived, he found a staff that had been operating under fear and control.

“I walked in here and I found a bunch of people who were all hesitant and unsure,” he said. “They weren’t allowed to make a decision.”

He flipped the culture immediately. In one staff meeting, he told the management team, “If your managers manage, what are you looking at me for?”

He even introduced a joke penalty system to drive home the message: “Every decision you ask me to make, if it’s a little one, I’m going to charge you $350.”

The team started deciding for themselves—and thriving.

Pearl emphasized the importance of input over consensus. “You can’t make decisions by consensus,” he said. “But you do need their input and you need to consider it.”

Why Trust Became the Brand

When Pearl joined CARS, the vehicle donation space lacked credibility. “I didn’t think that vehicle donations in this country had a great reputation,” he said. “There were charlatans.”

Pearl overhauled the model. Instead of using gross revenue structures, CARS returns a significant portion of net proceeds to its nonprofit partners. “We shared expenses, they went first, and we split the money that was there to split.”

CARS also brought in transparency. “We set up a thing called NAV. You can see everything I see as CEO. You see where your money is, where your cars are.”

That level of clarity helped shape the company’s new tagline: “Built on Trust.”

Today, CARS facilitates 100,000 car donations annually and supports over 600,000 donor conversations each year—including with nonprofits like Red Cross, St. Jude, and PBS.

Mergers, Growth—And Staying Grounded

CARS has completed six mergers and acquisitions under Pearl’s leadership—an uncommon strategy in the nonprofit world.

“Buying a company for a nonprofit isn’t any different than buying one for a for-profit,” Pearl said. “Business is business. Just because we’re a not-for-profit doesn’t mean we ain’t about the bottom line.”

CARS has also expanded services beyond vehicle donations. Giving Property allows donors to contribute real estate with no liability to the nonprofit. On the Go provides rides to seniors and others with limited mobility in over 300 cities.

But the focus remains the same. “A hundred percent of our surplus goes to another 501(c)(3) that runs social programs here in San Diego,” Pearl said. That includes food services, diaper programs, and safe parking lots for people living in their cars.

“Do Well While Doing Good”: Pearl’s Bottom-Line Philosophy

Pearl is clear-eyed about his past. “No. I was a self-proclaimed carnivore when I got here,” he admitted.

Now, his leadership style is shaped by both reflection and responsibility. “I would have to say that I am less emphatic about hardcore right issues,” he said. “When you’re in the trenches, maybe we should be a little more generous with our attitudes.”

The impact is real. CARS partners with nonprofits of every size and mission—without judgment.

“To me, we are agnostic,” he said. “It’s not up to us to insinuate our personal or political preferences. Our job is to see to it that your nonprofit is funded.”