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Mark Comer of Raleigh unloads goods to donate at the Goodwill facility on Grove Barton Road in northwest Raleigh.
Mark Comer of Raleigh unloads goods to donate at the Goodwill facility on Grove Barton Road in northwest Raleigh.
You've likely made donations there. Perhaps you've also bought a few things. But did you know that Goodwill Industries has grown into a $4 billion organization with one of the most robust job-training programs in the country? It also represents one of our nation's quintessential social enterprises.
Greg Dees of Duke's Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship describes social entrepreneurs as change agents who relentlessly pursue opportunities to serve their mission through continuous innovation, resourcefulness, and heightened accountability.
On every count, Goodwill sets the bar.
In 1902, the Rev. Edgar Helms, a Methodist minister living in south Boston, started collecting used household goods and clothing from wealthy neighborhoods. He then hired and trained unemployed people to mend and repair the goods, which were then resold or redistributed to communities in need. This elegant model flourished, and the Goodwill philosophy of "a hand up, not a handout" was born.
In the subsequent 110 years, Goodwill has served its mission of "changing lives through the power of work" through relentless innovation. Building off Helms' original model, Goodwill accepts donations through its retail outlets, where they are processed, fixed up, and sold or redistributed - in turn generating revenue for job training and family support services.
Last year, the organization's 2,600 retail stores across the United States and Canada received more than 74 million donations. These donations translated into $2.6 billion in revenue; 84 percent of the revenues supporting employment training and job placement to more than 2.4 million people.
To augment its stores, Goodwill also launched shopgoodwill.com. The nation's first nonprofit online auction site was ranked by Time.com in 2009 as one of the 50 best websites. Originally created by Goodwill of Orange County, Calif., the website has been adopted globally by a network of partner organizations, helping to contribute more than $1 billion to Goodwill's mission. Goodwill has also established contracts nationally with military bases, corporations and local governments to train and place hard-to-employ citizens (often severely disabled) to provide commercial services such as janitorial work and food services. This contract work generates an additional $635 million in revenue for Goodwill and gets thousands more working.
In North Carolina, this innovative spirit can be found throughout the independently run Goodwill chapters. For example, in 2011, Goodwill of Eastern North Carolina (GIENC) employed more than 400 people through its 33 employment centers - GCF Donation Centers & Stores - that span from the Triangle to the coast. Three new GCF Donation Centers & Stores are scheduled to open in 2012, creating additional jobs. GCFLearnFree.org and GCFlatino.org provide learning opportunities through free online curriculum teaching basic English, math and technology in English and Spanish. Four million people from Eastern North Carolina, the United States and around the world have visited the site since last January. And through its Nature Center, GIENC has produced and donated more than 10,000 pounds of fresh produce for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. GIENC receives no government or grant funding.
The Goodwill Community Foundation has also funded the Family Support Network, an agency that assists families with children with disabilities; and provided funding for several Boys and Girls Clubs in Eastern North Carolina as well as tornado and other disaster relief efforts.
Farther west, Goodwill of Central North Carolina will host its third annual Rock the Runway fashion show in Greensboro on Feb. 3. The event features fashion designers working with donated Goodwill clothes, generating great buzz and more revenue for the local nonprofit.
In 2010, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, which serves 18 counties surrounding the metropolitan Charlotte area, partnered with Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) to provide targeted job training to returning military veterans. Funded in part through a competitive Microsoft grant, Operation Independence provided support to more than 160 veterans and their families in 2011. Goodwill Construction Services and Habitat Charlotte have also partnered with the City of Charlotte, Duke Energy and Lowe's Corp. to create an energy-efficient home for a deserving family. The aptly named ReHouse will create a blueprint for more homes to come.
This persistent innovation produces notable outcomes. In 2010, Goodwill Industries of Southern Piedmont employed nearly 600 people, who earned $22.5 million in wages and benefits. At the same time, 2.2 million purchases were made at the stores, keeping 49 million pounds of waste out of landfills and providing employment support to nearly 15,000 individuals. These same types of numbers can be found throughout other North Carolina Goodwill organizations and the broader Goodwill network.
Focused mission. Relentless innovation. Collaborative partnerships. Measurable results. This equation leads to sustained community improvement and represents the standard for social entrepreneurship. To see it in action, visit your local Goodwill and see how your donations and purchases help change lives.