Goodwill Industries

Jim Gibbons. Jim Gibbons is President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International, a network of independent, community-based agencies in the United States, Canada and 14 other countries. Founded in Boston in 1902, Goodwill Industries first put people to work by hiring them to repair and sell donated goods. Today, Goodwill trains people for careers in fields such as financial services, computer programming… See full bio.

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Story: Goodwill was founded in 1902 in Boston by Rev. Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister and early social innovator. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired those who were poor to mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold or were given to the people who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of “a hand up, not a hand out” was born. Dr. Helms’ vision set an early course for what today has become a $3.2 billion nonprofit organization. Helms described Goodwill Industries as an “industrial program as well as a social service enterprise…a provider of employment, training and rehabilitation for people of limited employability, and a source of temporary assistance for individuals whose resources were depleted.” Even with a laudable history and record of accomplishment, Goodwill won’t be satisfied when so many people still need our services. Through our 21st Century Initiative, we aim to improve the economic self-sufficiency of 20 million people and their families by 2020. Times have changed, but Helms’ vision remains constant. “We have courage and are unafraid. With the prayerful cooperation of millions of our bag contributors and of our workers, we will press on till the curse of poverty and exploitation is banished from mankind.”

Evidence of Impact Summary:

Goodwill Industries International provides training, placement and retention services to support employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. They also contract with government agencies to provide custodial positions and valued employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
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Organization Strengths Summary:

Goodwill boasts name recognition and a benefit to the community by providing a site for used goods. They have a far reach in their work as Goodwill develops programs in most large cities to allow every person with a disabillity access to a program.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

Experts in the field have highlighted Goodwill's programs as an area of improvement. According to experts, Goodwill should increase the number of programs available as well as their number of collaborations with local vocational rehabilitation programs to be more effective.
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Jim Gibbons is President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International, a network of independent, community-based agencies in the United States, Canada and 14 other countries. Founded in Boston in 1902, Goodwill Industries first put people to work by hiring them to repair and sell donated goods. Today, Goodwill trains people for careers in fields such as financial services, computer programming and health care. The organization does that by selling donated goods in retail stores and online at shopgoodwill.com and using the proceeds to fund job training and other support programs that benefit hundreds of thousands of people each year. Goodwill also builds revenue and creates jobs by working with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services such as janitorial work, packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. The organization earns 98 percent of its revenues through its various business lines, and channels 84 percent of its revenues directly into its services. Before coming to Goodwill in April 2008, Gibbons served as President and CEO of National Industries for the Blind (NIB), a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with more than 88 associated agencies around the country to enhance economic opportunities and professional development for people who are blind. Through comprehensive marketing and branding strategies and an emphasis on aggressive mission measures, Gibbons transformed the nearly 70 year-old NIB into a results-oriented social enterprise for the 21st century. An expert at social enterprise management, socioeconomic program strategy and leadership skills development, Gibbons is a veteran speaker, guest lecturer and information resource for educators, advocates and journalists. He has been featured in more than 100 national and regional media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, CNN, FOX Business News, CNN Radio, and Hearst Argyle. Prior to NIB, Gibbons was President and CEO of Campus Wide Access Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. An employee of AT&T for over a decade, Gibbons held leadership positions in operations, product management, and mergers and acquisition. Gibbons earned his bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, and attended the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, where he was the first blind person to graduate with a master’s in business administration. He has served on the Harvard Business School Alumni Association Board of Directors and Executive Committee; as a board member of the National Association for the Employment of People Who Are Blind (NAEPB); President of the World Blind Union (WBU) North American/Caribbean Region; member of the Executive Committee, WBU; Chairman of the Employment Committee, WBU; and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).

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