by Samanthe Sheffer, Special Projects Director, Seattle Goodwill Seattle Goodwill is a non-profit community service
organization affiliated with, but autonomous from, Goodwill Industries International. We currently employ nearly 500 people. Celebrating our 75th anniversary last year, our mission has evolved to suit the changing needs of
our region. For the past 20+ years we have been serving the greater Puget Sound community " by providing innovative education and workplace training to individuals seeking personal development and economic
opportunity". All our services are available at no cost to the students. Nearly Self-Sufficient
Seattle Goodwill is 96 percent self-supporting (not a misprint) through the sale of donated goods in our eight retail thrift stores, oneof which (Seattle) is the largest
Goodwill store in the nation. We depend on a sufficient volume of quality donations to support the financial needs of our mission. We currently have 20 external attended donation centers (ADCs), in addition to accepting donations
at most of our stores. We have been pleased, and astounded, to watch our donation volumes increase 30 percent per year for the last two years without a significant increase in our number of donation stations. Those donations which
do not sell during regular rotation, or which are of insufficient quality to sell, are either donated to partner charities or recycled whenever possible. One of our partner charities is the Sharehouse, which gives household
items to formerly homeless people moving into homes of their own. Taking the Bad with the Good Although we have our challenges with virtual garbage, actual garbage, and household hazardous waste left at our collection sites, we also receive much-appreciated donations such as a Tiffany bracelet
appraised at over $5,000, a mink coat from a woman retiring to Fiji, and enough quilts to justify a yearly quilt auction. Over the years we have accumulated an extensive vintage clothing collection dating from the 1850's which we
use to offer fashion shows as a fundraiser. Mission Driven
Goodwill is often mistaken for retailers like Value Village
(a national, for-profit used retail organization) - yet our need for collection operations and thrift stores is to directly support our mission (remember the mission? It's all about the mission). Most of our community services fit into one or two categories. The first, A
dult Basic Education (ABE), includes learning opportunities such as English as a Second Language, reading, writing, math, computers, Basic Life Skills and the External Diploma Program. The second,
Employment and Training (EPT), is usually a nine-month program structured to suit the individual's needs and goals using a combination of classroom and on-the-job training. ETP students are paid for their class time as well as
their work to encourage them to attend all classes. ETP offerings include retail training, bookkeeping, business communications and technologies, customer service, career planning, and employment strategy and preparation. Teaching
takes place at Seattle Goodwill facilities, within our stores and on-site at several employers. We also provide regular employees with job advancement training through our corporate training department. Growing to Meet Community Needs As the needs of our regional communities
increase, particularly in relation to welfare to work, we need to continue to grow, adding stores, ADCs and new collection programs to fund increased services. One current collection pilot is the partnership with King County
Solid Waste. Donation volumes may grow as much as 50 percent this year. Website: http://www.seattlegoodwill.org/ |
