Myth Busters: Here’s the TRUTH about those online rumors.

For years, there have been several online rumors circulating about Goodwill and our mission, and we’d like to clear up the misconceptions for you—because ultimately, our mission matters the most, and we want to get the facts straight.

Goodwill is a for-profit
company, not a nonprofit.

FALSE: Goodwill is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to create life-changing opportunities for people living with disabilities, needing job training and work experience, or facing health issues due to aging or disabilities. You can learn about our local programs HERE.

The definition of “nonprofit” does not mean there are no profits. It means that the vast majority (over 84%) of our organization’s profits are directed back into programs and services that fulfill our mission, instead of being used to pay the private owner or company shareholders, as is the case in for-profit businesses.

Since 1947, Easterseals-Goodwill has provided thousands of people with disabilities and other barriers in our four-state region the opportunity to achieve their highest levels of personal and economic independence.

All the good stuff gets
pulled and put online.
Nothing nice is in the
stores anymore.

FALSE: Easterseals-Goodwill received more than 929,000 donations last year, and the vast majority of items make their way to store shelves. In fact, just 1% of the donations we receive are sent to our online stores. To ensure we are being the best stewards of your donations and maximizing the value of the items we are entrusted with to provide the most return to fund our programs and services, we do pull aside certain times like fine art, designer bags and watches and collectibles for our online marketplace, shopgoodwill.com. Books, games and other media can also be found on our Amazon store. As with any purchases made in-store, all online sales support our local mission.

 

Goodwill employees get
first dibs on donated
goods.

FALSE: Easterseals-Goodwill has a strict policy about employee shopping in its Goodwill stores. Employees do not get first pick of any donated goods. Goods must have been on the sales floor for at least a day before employees are allowed to purchase them. Employees are not allowed to shop while at work. Employees are not allowed to stash or hide items, nor ask customers to purchase items for them.

 

Only a small percentage
of your profits support
your mission.

FALSE: See for yourself in our most recent Annual Report. More than 84 cents of every dollar is spent directly on our life-changing programs. The remaining amount is spent on essential support department services, like accounting and human resources, that is needed to operate.

 

You pay people with
disabilities less than
minimum wage.

FALSE: Every individual that works for Easterseals-Goodwill makes at or above minimum wage.

 

What doesn’t sell in your
stores goes to the local
landfills or third-world
countries.

FALSE: We care deeply about our community and environment, it has been a part of our roots since the beginning of Goodwill. We contribute substantially in collecting, sharing, reusing, recycling, prolonging, maintaining, and redistributing goods—from fashion, to home goods, hardware, and more.

Most items that do not sell in our stores move next to our outlet in Salt Lake City. If they do not sell there, items then move to recycling partners for further reuse or recycling. Last year, Easterseals-Goodwill diverted nearly 7 million pounds of used goods from local landfills. We are proud of our ability to recycle and upcycle, and give your donated goods second and sometimes third lives.

 

Your CEO
makes millions

FALSE: There is a rumor that has been circulating for more than 15 years that insinuates we have an owner by the name of “Mark Curran” who makes millions of dollars. As a nonprofit, Goodwill does not have an owner and no one by that name is affiliated with the Goodwill network.

Each Goodwill affiliate operates as an independent nonprofit, with its own leadership, budget and program offerings. Here at Easterseals-Goodwill, our President & CEO is Mark Sherman. His salary is determined by our volunteer Board of Directors based on the experience, leadership, innovation and performance he brings to the organization. Our financial information, including salaries of our president and executive team, along with dollars spent towards programs, is publicly available on Guidestar’s website.

 

The money raised goes back
 to Goodwill Industries
headquarters and not into
my local community.

FALSE: Every dollar spent at our stores or raised through fundraising stays here in Easterseals-Goodwill’s communities. Our organization is an affiliate of the larger Goodwill Industries International and Easterseals National networks, but the work we do is tailored to the needs of our community and the money we receive is used to support Easterseals-Goodwill services in Montana, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.