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What Happens to your Goodwill Donations?
Most people know that the donation of used goods to Goodwill Industries is a great way to earn charitable tax deductions off their itemized returns. But despite being around since 1927, a lot of people still don't know what happens to their donations after Goodwill receives them and exactly how these donations help our community. Below is a simple Q&A to let you know what happens to your merchandise after you drop it off at Goodwill.
What happens to items that are donated to Goodwill?
Donations go immediately to a processing center where they are sorted by category (electronics, women's clothing, men's clothing, toys, etc.), then priced based on a good, better or best quality scale. All items are marked very inexpensively so that people of all income levels can easily afford them. At times, we also sell excess donations to other Goodwill organizations and salvage dealers, with the money generated staying locally to help Arkansas area residents get jobs.
Are your valuable donations also sold in your stores?
YES, and that's what makes shopping at Goodwill an everyday adventure. Can you imagine the thrill of finding a valuable item in the mix of our very inexpensively marked merchandise? It happens everyday.
Does Goodwill accept everything?
Except for hazardous material, CPSC-recalled items, large appliances, and used mattresses and box springs, we accept almost everything provided it's not soiled, broken or missing pieces. We advise customers to apply the “Mom Test” before donating. If the item is something you would give to your mother, then we would gladly accept it. For a more detailed list of items we do and do not accept, click here.
When donating computers, Should donors purge the operating system and other software?
To protect your privacy, Goodwill Industries of Arkansas recommends that you back up any necessary data and remove all data from your hard drives before donating your computer(s) with the exception of your operating system . You are responsible for all confidential data that may be stored on your computer(s) or on any other storage devices with or on all products you donate. You bear sole responsibility for removing or securing such data, or for transferring it to a medium under your continuing control. If available, please include your original operating system software CD(s) or diskette(s).
What happens to items that are broken or cannot be sold?
Goodwill's policy is not to accept items that are soiled or in disrepair. However, as part of Goodwill Industries of Arkansas commitment to be environmentally responsible, items that we receive that cannot be sold in our retail stores for whatever reason, are sold to salvage companies by the pound. This keeps them out of the landfills and still earns revenue to support our training and placement programs for people with disabilities and disadvantages.
When does Goodwill need donations the most?
Goodwill always needs donations of all kinds — cash, cars, clothing, furniture and housewares — because our mission to help others never ends. December is always the busiest donation month as customers seek to make a last-minute donation before the end of the tax year. The slowest time of year is historically the first quarter of the new year when donors are focused more on paying their taxes than on next year's deductions.
What is Goodwill's mission?
Goodwill Industries of Arkansas’ mission is to Help Build Lives, Families, and Communities by assisting people with disabilities and other special needs reach their highest potential through training, education, and employment services.
What exactly are disadvantages and disabilities?
A person with a disadvantage is someone who has a disadvantaging condition towards employment, such as prior history of substance abuse or incarceration, being a long-term welfare recipient, possessing little or no marketable job skills, or having poor English or math skills. A disability is either mental or physical as described by the Americans with Disabilities Act and as diagnosed by a qualified physician. Goodwill's mission is to help these people get a job by offering them a hand up, not a handout.
What happens to the money earned from your retail stores?
The money raised from our retail store locations goes towards the funding of Goodwill's mission.
How is the money used towards fulfilling the Goodwill mission?
Our Education and Training Services provides a variety of services to those who need them. Click here to a list and description of the services we provide.
Frequently Asked Questions about donating money to Goodwill?
Where can I mail a check?
Checks in support of Goodwill Industries of Arkansas job training and workforce development programs can be mailed to the following address:
Goodwill Industries of Arkansas
1110 W. 7th Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
Is my gift tax-deductible?
Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, is a 501©(3) organization, and as such, gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law.
Will I receive a receipt?
Yes. It is our policy to provide every donor with a receipt to confirm their donation amount. In the unlikely event that you have made a donation and have not received your receipt, or if you've lost your receipt, please call 501-372-5100. Please be sure to reference the date that you submitted your cash donation, as well as the method of payment
How do I leave Goodwill in my will?
Every gift Goodwill Industries of Arkansas receives helps us continue our mission to build dignity through work for the disadvantaged and disabled right here in our own community. We realize that it takes very special donors to confirm their enduring belief in our mission and remember Goodwill in their will.
To learn more about how to leave Goodwill Industries of Arkansas in your will, please visit our planned giving and bequest page.
Your legacy gift to Goodwill Industries of Arkansas will provide hope, independence, and dignity for people in need!
If I give to Goodwill, will my personal information be shared with other organizations?
No, Goodwill does not sell, rent, barter or otherwise share the personal information of its donors with any outside organizations.
How is the money used towards fulfilling the Goodwill mission?
Goodwill Industries of Arkansas provides a variety of services to those who need them. Click here to a list and description of the services we provide.
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