Is Goodwill really a non-profit organization? how can Goodwill show a profit of over 2 million dollars and still be classified as a non-profit organization?

goodwill is definitly raking in the profits. As stated above, they "cherry pick" anything that would generate more and more money on their website. I shop the website looking for interesting art. I also have donated a considerabe amount of goods every year, but stopped when i learned about the cherry picking. My purpose for donating nice usable items is in the hope that someone in need has the same equal opportunity to find something nice for themselves, not end up on an e-bay type auction site where a free donated items g can fetch up to thousands of dollars from competing dealers. Come on goodwill... what are you assuming? What "goodwill" is there in the overpriced, taxed twice garage sale crap you leave at the store....for people in need.....I no longer shop the store, all that press board gives me a headache.

I have to agree with bpigati, Nasty place to work, let alone to support through shopping or donating goods. Never seen thiem help-out a homeless person for shoes/food nor anything for that matter. Let alone Re-educate a sole. Goodwill used to be a nice non-profit organization, but as time gose on, the new breed on retail corparate pratices have come into full effect.

The clothing and household goods you donate are sold in over 2,100 Goodwill retail stores and on our Internet auction site, http://www.shopgoodwill.com. The revenues fund job training and other services to prepare people for job success. Goodwill also generates income helping businesses fill gaps caused by labor shortages, time constraints and limited space or equipment. We train and employ contract workers to fill outsourced needs for document management, assembly, mailing, custodial work, groundskeeping and more. More than 83 percent of Goodwill’s total revenues are used to fund education and career services, and other critical community programs. http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about/howweoperate

I worked at Goodwill. They don't give clothes to poor people. I felt so bad charging $3 for a pair of nasty old shoes to a really poor guy. Another guy really needed a blanket. We were charging $4. for a foot by 2 foot piece of a blanket. Salvation Army and St. Vincet give needed items to poor people. When I worked there, they were training some mentally challenged people to work in their Goodwill! How conveinent. They could also work at the plant "sorting" things. Also...what they don't want to sell here in the US, they pack up and SELL (not donate) in bails to third world countries where there are even poorer people who need clothes. You Goodwill spokespeople need to do something good for people in the comunity you are selling to..I mean give clothes and housewares to those in need. People need to see this, not just some generic response about how great you are. Those of us who have never seen you give to a needy person will not forget. Let's not forget, those handicapped people you were so generous to train, acctually slaved away for you. Stop patting yourselves on the back. What's sad, is those people who ARE generous are trusting you (when they drop off their nice stuff) to maybe pay some of it forward to someone in the local community who may actually need clothes and has zero dollars. Less talk more proof. We don't want to hear your generic response about how great your company is.

The first answer was good. I would just add that the definition of a non-profit is not how the money is acquired, but how it is distributed. No investors or private individuals can receive the "profits." Good questions. Goodwill is an excellent example of a well-run non-profit business that empowers people to work and earn their own way while attempting to generate much of its own revenue through commerce rather than charity. It is a great model.

The Goodwill EXECs are the ones who benefit not the lowley workers or the community! Why in the past 3yrs in my area employees have suffered 2yrs of no pay raises while the company has increased its profits 30% almost every year! Wheres the Goodwill in that! They are keeping the very same people who are making them money at proverty level! Shame on you, bet the founders are not just turning over but Spinning in their graves! P.S. They have found that they have made such a profit on holding back raises that they are planning on holding back every other year!

Before you make assumptions on anything you should learn your facts. I am an assistant manager in a Goodwill and have worked for the society of St Vincent de Paul as well. I have answered this question many times, for both stores. Goodwill's are not large garage sales and our mission is not selling items cheaply to benefit the poor. Before somebody jumps on that, anyone truly in need and deemed to qualify by a help office, red cross, or homeless shelter, can receive up to 2 pieces of furniture, 3 entire outfits and various necessary wares for absolutely FREE! I assist these voucher individuals and families several times a week and it warms my heart assisting them. Back to our mission, we are in essence more of a fundraiser. Now to address where those funds go. Our local Goodwill inc runs a family center, a transitional home for homeless families. Where I live homelessness is prevalent and shelters for entire families are rare, most are men only or women only. Secondly most of our larger sites also host our work rehabilitation program. Oh this delights me! About three to five individuals a week go through this in my store. They go through a career education program much like our local community colleges charge a penny for and they do it for free! This is actually where most profits go. These people are not employees for a week, a common misconception. They must have a situation, disabilities or financial situations, that qualify them and they get paid well for the week they are there. We put them through aptitude and career testing, teach them social and interview skills, test them in various positions in our store to discover strong points and weaknesses. They then are assisted in finding a job and are followed uP with until it is determined they are settled in. Many come back months later to thank us all for giving them the confidence and skills to succeed. We do pride ourselves in working as professionally as a for profit retail store. Cherry-picking and favoritism are zero tolerance issues. All merchandise must be on the floor for 2 hours before purchase and must be purchased on break. So many times it'll be a day or two before you can buy something. And we do sell "salvage" (unsellable or surplus) overseas to other charities. Odd for someone to complain about that..usually people are mad because they think we throw away all of that. We produce less trash than most stores our size because we recycle paper, plastic, metal, cardboard and the clothing. We have very high standards but we work for an amazing business that takes the best and I mean ABSOLUTE BEST care of their employees. Shame on those who would bash a place who's business is helping people.I'm proud to be a Goodwill employee.

I would like to see what a CEO good will makes , i work for 8.50 hourly i made more than that in 70s

As someone who used to work there, and have friends who work there now, I know they ARE for profit. Why is it the employees' only raises are what the state demands? Why is it cooperate and managers get big bonuses? Why is it when the top people make bad decisions, they blame it on the employess who were only doing what theyre told? Shame on YOU, Goodwill2011! The stores in our district took out a lot of those programs. I find it very interesting that people who are supposed to be working non-profit can afford new cars. I got ONE raise while I was there for years. One store made a million dollars alone, and do you know what they did? Gave everyone a !50.00, raised the wage 3%....then CUT THEIR HOURS! Now, you tell me to check the facts now. I lived the facts and know people who still are. I guess Id stick up for a company I was actually reaping benefits from, too. Oh, and if you DO make it to management, the insurance rates are so ridiculous, the only people who can afford it is cooperate. They do that so they dont have to cover too many people. Thats how that is, and honestly, they should be investigated. That money is going some where, and its NOt where you claim.