Goodwill Launches Fundraising Campaign on eBay to Increase Job Training Efforts Nationwide

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Feb 02, 2011, 10:35 ET

"Workin' It" program will allow Goodwill to serve even more people who face employment challenges

ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Goodwill®, in collaboration with eBay Giving Works, eBay's charity fundraising program, today launched a fundraising campaign that focuses on helping people find and keep jobs. From February 7 to 13, Goodwill will be a featured nonprofit on eBay, offering everyone the opportunity to buy, sell or donate to support Goodwill's job training programs. Dress for Success and the National Federation of the Blind will also be featured in February as part of the same campaign.

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Since the eBay Giving Works program was created in 2003, the eBay community has raised $230 million for U.S. and U.K. charities, and currently lists more than 650,000 charity items on the marketplace, all designated with a blue and yellow ribbon. The program offers several easy ways to support a cause on eBay: sellers can donate a percentage of anything they sell, buyers can add a donation to anything they buy, anyone can make an immediate cash donation, and nonprofits can sell directly to raise funds. During the "Workin' It" campaign, eBay shoppers will be able to add a donation to Goodwill any time they checkout on eBay using PayPal, while sellers will also be able to donate 10-100 percent of their eBay sales to benefit their local Goodwill agency and receive insertion fee credits from eBay.

"We work with thousands of entrepreneurial nonprofits that are exploring unique ways to reach new supporters and raise funds online, with Goodwill and its agencies being one of eBay's biggest success stories, having raised about $8.5 million from the eBay community," said Amy Skeeters-Behrens, head of eBay Giving Works. "At a time when jobs are still scarce, we hope that the 'Workin' It' campaign will remind our community of Goodwill's mission and tremendous work in helping employ people who face major challenges and help generate the funds to enable Goodwill to serve more people than ever before."

"Goodwill's business model has traditionally been to collect and sell donations in retail stores to fund its mission of career training," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "The eBay Giving Works programs present an opportunity for Goodwill to reach an untapped audience, increase its online giving, and support its employment placement services and community-based programs that enable people nationwide to gain an increased quality of life."

For more than 11 years, Goodwill has taken an innovative approach to its donated goods/retail business model as a means to increase revenues for mission advancement. These efforts include http://shopgoodwill.com, the first and only nonprofit Internet auction site. In 2010, Goodwill generated more than $25 million in online sales, including $4.4 million through eBay Giving Works. These platforms let Goodwill agencies across the U.S. and Canada be more creative with the way they market and sell their goods, and build long-term relationships with donors who come to count on Goodwill as a frugal shopping destination.

For more information, visit http://ebay.com/goodwill. To see the Workin' It campaign, please visit www.ebay.com/backtowork.

About Goodwill Industries International

Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with 14 affiliates in 13 other countries. Goodwill is one of North America's top five most valuable and recognized nonprofit brands as well as a leading social services enterprise (Source: Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100, 2009). Goodwill operates more than 2,500 retail stores and the first and only nonprofit Internet auction site, shopgoodwill.com. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. Last year, more than 2 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 83 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services. To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org, or call (800) 741-0186. Twitter: @GoodwillIntl. Facebook: GoodwillIntl.

About eBay Giving Works

eBay Giving Works, powered by MissionFish, is a trusted and effective program for nonprofit fundraising, helping people support their favorite causes easily and conveniently on eBay. Sellers can donate part, or all, of a sale to a participating nonprofit of their choice and nonprofits can turn in-kind donations into unrestricted funding. Buyers can easily find opportunities to support nonprofits while shopping on eBay and anyone with a PayPal account can safely make an online donation to fund a nonprofit's extraordinary work.

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International