5 Ways to Support Goodwill of the Heartland on #GivingTuesday

Goodwill of the Heartland, just like every nonprofit, area business and household, has faced unprecedented challenges from the ongoing pandemic, severe weather events (like the derecho that left a trail of destruction across the Midwest last summer) and ever-present workforce concerns. Like all of you, we learned to do things in new ways and we continue our quest for innovation so that we can meet the needs of those who depend on us.

Donations - monetary gifts as well as merchandise for resell in our stores - fuel our mission. They allow us to provide low- and no-cost job skill development, work experience opportunities, job placement assistance, day habilitation, supported community living and more. We pay your generosity forward by helping people get and keep competitive community jobs, providing new opportunities for people disabilities, assisting homeless veterans, helping reintegrate those previously incarcerated, standing by those overcoming substance abuse and, more generally, offering people of all ages a pathway forward in their career aspirations.

If you share these goals and are financially able to do so, we encourage you to make an online monetary donation. Not only is Goodwill one of the top-rated charities, we are transparent with our financials so that you can see for yourself that your donation is going to a good cause.

Another way to support our mission is to donate merchandise. We take your donated clothing, furniture, household goods, small appliances and computer equipment and resell it in our 19 retail locations. And 88 cents of every dollar we receive is reinvested in our mission and the communities we serve.

While we accept most household goods, there are some exceptions. We do not, for instance, accept televisions or outdoor grills. We accept donations at all of our retail locations except our Outlet Store.

When you shop Goodwill, your purchases support our mission. This is true when you shop in person at one of our 18 retail locations, and when you bid and win one of our online auctions.

You can find your personal style - or change it up - while you enjoy the hunt for unique items at discounted prices. Locate vintage favorites or stock up on everyday items for your home without breaking your wallet. You'll do your part for the environment too by making sure fewer functional items and textiles end up in landfills.

But, best of all, you'll know that 88 cents of every dollar you spend is reinvested in your community through job skill development, job search assistance and more.

When you visit our retail stores, you'll be asked to round up your purchase to the nearest dollar. This isn't just for #GivingTuesday, but a campaign we run throughout the year because your change can change a life.

While 88 cents of every dollar you spend at our stores is reinvested in our mission, every penny you provide through the Round Up campaign funnels to mission services. It's a little more change for homeless and near-homeless veterans, another chance for someone who was incarcerated and new opportunities for our neighbors with disabilities, seen and unseen.

The Round Up campaign directly supports life and job skill development, work experience opportunities, job placement assistance, day habilitation, supported community living and more. All of these services help our communities and neighborhoods be more equitable and safe for us all.

People care what you think and are more apt to try something when someone they know has already done so.

So when you have an excellent experience at one of our stores, donation sites or training programs tell the world through online reviews. Tell your friends and neighbors what you've found at Goodwill Stores or through our program services. Share your thoughts about why you donate to Goodwill, the people you know who benefit from Goodwill services as well as those fabulous jeans that cost $5.88.

Likewise, if your experience was less than excellent, reach out to us and give us an opportunity to make it right.

Goodwill of the Heartland is an active member of a wide assortment of social media networks, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. Chances are you found this blog post by following a link from one of our social media accounts.

While we do our best to blend into each unique online community, our overarching goal is to share information about our organization and our mission and leave each space a little better than we found it. We celebrate successes, enjoy unique finds, offer practical tips, promote upcoming educational offerings, advocate for the vulnerable and sometimes share bad jokes.

We invite you to follow us, like us and share our content because we are, without a doubt, better together.