Goodwill® - Where Year-End Giving Doesn't Mean "Get Out Your Checkbook"

Donating used clothing and household items helps create jobs at Goodwill

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Dec 08, 2014, 09:50 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodwill^® is reminding individuals who are considering making year-end donations to charitable organizations that there are many ways to give this holiday season. When families donate the clothing and other household items they can no longer use to Goodwill, it creates jobs and helps fund Goodwill's employment programs for people in their community.

"At Goodwill, we sell the items you donate in our stores and these donations from the public create jobs and help fund job training and community strengthening programs," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "We work closely with employers in local communities to provide the people we serve with relevant job skills that will help them find jobs and move up the career ladder."

When you donate a bag of clothing with a pair of jeans, a purse and a sweater, the revenue generated can provide for 1.1 hours of a financial planning class. To pay for its programs, Goodwill sells donated clothes and other household items in its retail stores, and online at shopgoodwill.com^®.

"When you donate the things you can no longer use, it is important to double-check that your donations are going to legitimate charities," said Gibbons. "Check with your state attorney general or secretary of state's office, or with a charity-rating agency such as the Better Business Bureau, CharityWatch and Charity Navigator or online resources such as GreatNonprofits and Philanthropedia."

When you donate to Goodwill, your donations create jobs and funds support employment, job training and other employment services for more than 9.8 million people in the U.S. and Canada. Goodwill helped 9.8 million people last year alone.

For more than 110 years, Goodwill has been an environmental leader, turning the power of donated goods into job opportunities for people in need of work. To calculate the impact of their donations, individuals can visit the Donation Impact Calculator at www.goodwill.org.

About Goodwill Industries International

Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with a presence in 14 other countries. Goodwill is one of America's top 25 most inspiring companies (Forbes). Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 3,000 stores and online at 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. In 2013, more than 9.8 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 learn more, visit goodwill.org.

To find a Goodwill near you, use the online locator at locator.goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl or @GoodwillCapHill, or find us on Facebook: GoodwillIntl.

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SOURCE Goodwill Industries International