Goodwill
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11
"Up" is the number of experts who agree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in the
field. "Down" is the number of experts who disagree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in field.
Headquarters Location: Rockville, MD
Founded: 1902
Mission: Goodwill Industries International enhances the dignity and quality of life of individuals, families and communities by eliminating barriers to opportunity and helping people in need reach their fullest potential through the power of work.
Tags:
national, workforce development, direct services, employment training, english language training, childcare , education
Summary
Stories
Expert Reviews
Leadership
From the Nonprofit
Leadership
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. 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…
See full bio.
Financial Data
Overhead Ratio:
13.73%
Total Revenue:
$89,224,200
From the Nonprofit
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Contact Info
Address:
15810 Indianola Dr
Rockville, MD 20855, USA
Twitter:
Story:
Read about Julie Stewart's story, someone who showed that life isn't over as a senior!
My background is as a hairdresser for 38 years, but I have a bad back and can’t stand a long time anymore. I spent some time traveling in a motor home, selling at flea markets, but that was getting very difficult, and I wasn’t making enough money.
Through social security, I got a low-income apartment. I felt that I didn’t have a life, and that I would like to work. I went into the manager of our apartments and I asked her what I could do so that I could work without my rent going up. She told me about Goodwill Industries® of New Mexico.
I went to Goodwill® and found out it was the Senior Community Service Employment program (SCSEP), not just Goodwill. I enrolled in the program in 2008 and started at Ser de New Mexico as my first host agency before I was rotated to Goodwill.
When I got to Goodwill, the lady who was doing data entry for the program put in her resignation, so they asked if I’d like to apply. I applied and got the job. I do the data entry for the SCSEP program and I also do pre-enrollment assessments for the participants that are coming into the program.
I love everything — the data entry is just an adventure to keep everything clean in the system. Doing pre-enrollment assessment is wonderful because I can share my experience with the people. A lot of people have given up hope, feel that life is over as a senior, and are in such dire situations. It’s so hopeful for them to get into this program and for their life to change.
Since I started working at Goodwill, I’ve gotten a new car and a four-bedroom home with friends. I have a life that’s purposeful and meaningful. I really wanted to be a part of something that was helpful to others, and this is what Goodwill is about.
(Read more stories like Julie's at: http://www.goodwill.org/my-story/julie-stewart/)
Expert Reviews of Goodwill
Evidence of Impact Summary:
They provide workforce development services for a diverse set of needy populations. Their program model has allowed them to be both impactful and sustainable.See expert comments.
Organization Strengths Summary:
The vast majority of respondents cited leadership as a major organizational strength. Other experts cited a variety of other one-off strengths.See expert comments.
Areas for Improvement Summary:
Improvement areas are mixed but include program integration, operational improvements, partnerships, and responsiveness.See expert comments.
Expert Comments: Evidence of Impact
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Impact |
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They have a close working relationship with both clients as well as the greater business community; they take time to understand the strengths and needs of each. They have strong sectoral work and emphasis on skill building that makes participants more marketable. They operate staffing services that provide good entry level work experience, utilize retail operations to provide paid work experience while generating revenue. Finally, they serve populations that have disparate access to employment. | ||
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They are very effective at training and placing individuals with serious barriers to employment. | ||
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Goodwill has provided many people with barriers with jobs that help them rebuild their lives, while also providing support services and ensuring that they are promote sustainability through their thrift stores. | ||
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They work with the hardest to serve and have been successful in creating multiple pathways to employment for this population (both subsidized and unsubsidized work). | ||
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Goodwill has high commitment to working with low-income populations and individuals with disabilities. Our local affiliate (in Washington DC) has strong, data-based adaptability, and a strong track record of working with individuals with significant barriers to employment. | ||
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Goodwill is one of the preeminent national nonprofits focused on assisting those most in need. Goodwill has been at the forefront of innovative workforce practice, such as transitional and subsidized employment strategies. | ||
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They ability to deliver high quality programming whilst building a strong fee for service work model that gives the organization the flexibility to successfully blend, federal, and private funds to accomplish their mission. | ||
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They work with diverse populations to provide education, training, life skills, job placement, and barrier removal, etc. | ||
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They have an impact on advancement and job retention. | ||
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One of the very few organizations that provides really well conceived, effective workforce training to the very hard to employ. | ||
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This is a fantastic organization. They have compelling outcomes from their diverse range of employment services. | ||
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Goodwill's management of their network of services has directly led to employment for thousands of individuals with multiple barriers to employment. | ||
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I love that they focus on developing the hard skills of their consumers all while strengthening the individuals' relationship with their family and community. | ||
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Their connection to work supports for low income workers and providing financial security are examples of strengths. | ||
Expert Comments: Organization Strengths
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Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Leadership & Operations |
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Leadership, operations, and finance are strong. In managing thrift stores and temporary staffing services Goodwill keeps their costs of service delivery low (through a social enterprise model) and sustainability of operations high through diverse funding streams. | ||
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They have outstanding leadership, great marketing, and revenue generation ability. They have a very creative culture with the arrival of the current CEO - Debbie Alvarez Rodriguez. | ||
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Their leadership and operations are solid. They provide a diverse range of programming to meet their clients where their are at, are very professional and eager to share their lessons learned with other organizations. | ||
Marketing |
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They have very effective marketing. They are creative and solutions-oriented. | ||
Program Design |
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Their reputation and scope are strong. | ||
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I really love their holistic approach to providing services to their consumers and the community they operate in. They truly embody the approach of providing wrap around services that support the overarching goal of getting their consumers on a career track. They have also incorporated, better than most, the ability to develop social enterprises that support the direct services work of the organization. They also invest in and promotes professional development of its staff, which is critically important to an organization improving its effectiveness. The organization is also very involved in taking part in policy discussions that impact the populations it serves. | ||
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This is a terrific training and empowerment organization. | ||
Leadership |
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They are entrepreneurial (they do transitional work as well as e-commerce to create jobs for their participants) and have very strong leadership in Debbie Alvarez. They have a clear theory of change around their work, and are able to run large scale programs such as a One Stop for former offenders that sees over 2,500 people annually. | ||
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I can speak to our local affiliate (in DC) best: strong leadership, adaptability, commitment to the client, and commitment to critical post-placement supports. | ||
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Goodwill has strong leadership in John Miller (CEO) and Vickie (COO). Its regional footprint covering from Milwaukee Wisconsin south to Chicago is unique and affords it the opportunity to look for efficiencies across governmental geographical boundaries that challenge the public sectors effectiveness and many smaller nonprofits. | ||
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Goodwill's leadership plays an active advocacy role with New York City Employment and Training Coalition which supports workforce development policies and advocacy efforts. Given Goodwill's size and programmatic impact, they don't have to play as active a role, but doing so assists many smaller NYC workforce development providers. | ||
Target Population |
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They serve a high need population, and have multiple programs to meet diverse job seekers' needs. | ||
Staff & Funding |
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The organization has a strong staff and finances with diverse sources of funding. | ||
Leadership & Partnerships |
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They have strong leadership, a cooperative staff, and effective partnership-building. | ||
Leadership & Marketing |
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Goodwill has demonstrated leadership in developing an innovative human capital model; they have implemented an innovative community marketing approach. The CEO has recruited executive leadership from the for profit sector to enhance operational and financial capabilities of the organization. | ||
Leadership & Innovation |
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They have strong national leadership, are willing to take on the hardest to serve, and are looking to be innovative. | ||
Leadership & Sustainability |
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They have incredible leadership, and a mindset toward sustainability through earned revenue in one of the very few contexts in which this is truly viable. | ||
Operations |
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They are able to draw on lots of organization strengths--they leverage a lot of in-kind resources. | ||
Expert Comments: Areas for Improvement
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Foundation Professionals (F)
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Researchers and Faculty (R)
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Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
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Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Integration |
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Integration of services is a difficulty many large nonprofits face. Their connection to traditional educational institutions could be improved. While some sites have effectively established these relationships, it doesn't appear that it is truly institutionalized. | ||
Impact |
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They should ensure that jobs are long-term and family-sustaining. | ||
Evaluation |
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I haven't seen a strong emphasis on metrics and evaluation, though. | ||
Research |
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Goodwill could produce and promote research that advances the broader workforce field as well as its affiliates. | ||
Operations |
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As with any organization that is successful, talent acquisition and capacity building are key challenges for Goodwill. Like many organizations, thy are competing for the best and brightest people. Another challenge that it takes very seriously is diversification. An organization cannot rely on a single program or service anymore and must, like the private sector, seek to diversify its funding base as well as service/program mix. John and Vickie have made this a focus, however, they will need to be vigilant to keep their momentum and not allow the organization to become complacent. | ||
Partnerships |
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The organization could benefit from increasing the visibility of their partnerships. | ||
Sharing Best Practices |
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They could share their lessons learned more often. | ||
Responsiveness |
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They could be more nimble. | ||
Leadership
Jim Gibbons
President and CEO
President and CEO
From the Nonprofit
The nonprofit has not added any comments yet. If you are a representative of this nonprofit and would like to leave a comment, please email us at
feedback@myphilanthropedia.org
with your request.