Think Before You Donate – and Get the Facts about Online Rumors!
Goodwill® has a more than 116-year track record in providing services that meet critical human needs in local communities in the U.S., Canada, and 13 other countries. Goodwill is a leading social services enterprise and is the #1 brand according to the World Brand Value Index. Goodwill is also proud to be recognized by GuideStar with its Platinum Seal of Approval, the highest rating for nonprofit organizations.
Because we are widely known and respected as a network of nonprofits that create employment placement, job training, and education services through the sales of donated items in Goodwill stores; we sometimes stand in the line of fire from individuals and organizations who are misinformed and/or misrepresent us to the public.
This negative rumor mill continually resurfaces in the form of a now more than ten-year-old email that includes a variation of a message like this: “Think about these before you donate. As you open your pockets to do a good thing and make yourself feel good, please keep these facts in mind…”
OR
*Snopes.com article.
The message then quotes erroneous information and salary figures for several nonprofit organizations’ chief executives, including a reference to a so-called “Goodwill CEO and Owner Mark Curran, who profits $2.3 million a year.”
More than 87 percent of the collective revenue from the sale of donated goods at Goodwill organizations supports and grows their critical community-based programs and services. This is a very healthy number in the nonprofit world according to BBB standards, and a solid indicator of our commitment to good stewardship of your donations. Read more about Goodwill’s impact to transform the lives of individuals through our programs.
Goodwill definitely encourages you to “think before you donate” — the one legitimate message that this otherwise spurious email contains — and to research and learn more about the charities you’d like to support. Be certain the organization you choose uses its revenue for charitable purposes that support a mission you can get behind.
Review our audited financial information form on our website. You may also access information about Goodwill Industries International on GuideStar, an online nonprofit database that has certified Goodwill with the GuideStar Exchange Seal for our commitment to transparency.
Thanks for your support, and feel free to share this message with your contacts!’s
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