I’m contacting you on behalf of Goodwill® and the Ad Council.
There’s never a bad time to clear the clutter out of your home or garage or to do a wardrobe purge.
When you donate your stuff to Goodwill, the revenue from the sale of your donations helps fund job training and placement opportunities for people with disabilities and disadvantages directly in your community.
That’s cleaning with a purpose.
Did you see my Reverse Shopping Haul above? I just went through the INSANE amount of clothes we have (five daughters, need I say more?!?) and will haul 12 bags off to Goodwill. You know what those 12 bags of clothes are worth? Eighteen hours of career counseling! Isn’t that amazing?!? I get to de-clutter my house and help someone in the process!
You can calculate how much your donation helps your local community too by using Goodwill’s Donation Impact Calculator. Simply input the items you’re donating to calculate the number of hours of career counseling, on-the-job training, résumé preparation, financial planning classes, and other services you’ve helped provide someone facing challenges to finding employment.
More than 261,000 people earned jobs in 2013 thanks to the programs and support services made possible by donations of clothes and household items. That’s one person finding a job every 27 seconds of every business day. So you’re donating your stuff AND helping to create jobs.
Being a job creator is easy! Just follow these three steps.
Step 1: Gather Your Stuff
Take a walk around your home, office and garage and collect items you no longer need. That pair of jeans that’s been hanging in the back of your closet for 10 years, the Cozy Coupe car your ten-year-old has outgrown, that ugly vase you got for a wedding gift from your uncle’s second cousin twice removed, etc.
Step 2: Give Them the Once-over
Make sure you are donating items that are in working condition, contain all of their parts/pieces, and are free of stains and rips. While Goodwill accepts most clothing and household items, there are a few things they can’t accept – such as items that have been recalled, banned or do not meet current safety standards. If you’re looking to donate specialty items such as computers, vehicles or mattresses, it’s best to give your local Goodwill agency a call first to find out any rules or restrictions on these items.
Step 3: Go to Your Nearest Goodwill Store or Drop-off Location
Use the locator at the top of this page and check the box for “Donation Site” to find your nearest Goodwill drop-off location. Donating a lot of items? Some Goodwills offer donation pickup services – give yours a call to find out what’s available in your area.
It’s that simple!
It’s a win-win for everyone.
Studies show that clearing the clutter from your home helps you clear the clutter from your mind and eliminate stress from your life. Not only are you creating a clutter-free environment for yourself and your family, you are also helping people advance their career and manage their finances, which is good for the economy!
PLUS recycling your unwanted items and diverting them from landfills is good for the planet. Dell Reconnect, a partnership between Goodwill and Dell, has kept more than 324 million pounds of computer electronics out of the landfills since 2004.
Goodwill knows the power donations can have on people and the planet. For 110 years, Goodwill has been a pioneer of the “reduce, reuse, repurpose” practice.
So why don’t you take a little time off from parades, barbecues and picnics this holiday weekend and purge your stuff! Because your donated goods have the power to make a difference in people’s lives, strengthen communities and create a healthier environment.
So cool that it funds those. We donate to Goodwill all the time.
My grandfather was in the Board of Goodwill so my mother grew up with the mentality of giving things that were no longer needed but in good condition. I did as well and we keep a large bin going at all times with a monthly donation. I’m glad my kids appreciate giving to others.
The donation impact calculator is a great idea, I had no idea that 12 bags of clothes are worth Eighteen hours of career counseling! Now I just need some wine and buddy to help convince me I don't need 5 different little black dresses! LOL 🙂
We donate all of our old stuff – at the moment I have a half of a storage unit full of things that need to be donated. Unfortunately I don't have the motivation to drag them out!
We've been doing a lot of donating lately. Not only does it help with job creation, but it also helps MY sanity! It's amazing how much better you feel when your house isn't a landfill! 🙂
Where I live, we don't have Goodwill. We do have Salvation Army, though. Whenever I get rid of anything that works or is still wearable, I send it there.
We always donate to Goodwill. It's a great way to purge and help others in the process.
This is so great. I need to go through all of our closets and take stuff down to Goodwill.
We always donate to Goodwill when we can. We shop there, too!
I have never been to a goodwill before but have heard great things about them. This is awesome that you are able to go to one and donate to them!
That's so awesome, I never knew that before. I definitely have a bunch of clothes I need to donate.
I definitely need to make a donation soon. I'm sure I have plenty of nice clothes that I never wear.
We go through a household purge at least three times per year and donate our used goods to a local thrift store that benefits the mentally challenged. It always feels so good to give back and something like this makes it easy.
I did this over the weekend in my son's closet and drawers. I have 3 garbage bags of clothes (he had a growth spurt and had outgrown everything) and I'm taking them to Goodwill tomorrow or Wednesday.
We donate to Goodwill often. Every season we have outgrown clothes, we always donate what we can.
I do that quite often. I think it is good for people to give back and help others out
I donate to Goodwill pretty frequently. I love how easy it is to drop items off – I don't even have to get out of the car!
I am all about recycling and donating and I LOVE thrift stores… that is how I find deals on my clothes.
It's so important give to organizations that help those in need! We have stuff lying around that could be going to use instead of gathering dust!
You really had me at 12 bags of clothes = 18 hours of work. I bet I could find tons of clothing to donate this summer, thanks!
We donate often. I haven't to goodwill recently as I haven't heard such great things but we always, always donate what we aren't using!
I love taking my stuff to Goodwill. You also benefit by getting the tax right off for what you donated.
I've been a big fan of Goodwill since I was a kid. My mother taught me early on the tricks to finding good bargains on almost brand new items at thrift stores. I donate to Goodwill be we have a few local church thrift stores we donate to as well.
I donate to Goodwill any chance I get. Not only that, but I also love shopping there! You never know what you'll find.
I always donate my stuff to Goodwill {there's a truck right by my house that collects it} so I am happy to see it is so good for the community! I may have to go through our closets today!