Goodwill® Works With Influencers On Spring Call-To-Action Campaign

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring cleaning may have come around early this year! Since the release of the Netflix decluttering series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, local Goodwill® organizations across the U.S. have seen year-over-year increases in donations. In the D.C. area, donations have tripled, and there has been an increase of nearly 20 percent across the country, particularly in the markets of Denver, Grand Rapids, Kansas City, Roanoke, and Seattle. A recent survey by OfferUp also shared that nearly half of Americans are proud bargain shoppers, and brag to peers about finding great deals.

Donating and shopping at Goodwill also provides a variety of opportunities for community members to have a fresh start this spring. Goodwill is working with social media influencers to promote four week-long challenges to help support job seekers and career advancers, or anyone facing challenges to finding employment in communities nationwide.

1. DONATE
Spring is a time to renew and refresh! Goodwill encourages consumers to declutter their homes to simplify their lives, and make room for a new perspective. After taking inventory of bedrooms, storage closets, attics, etc., consumers can donate their unused items to their local Goodwill store so that someone else can enjoy it. Lifestyle and parenting influencer, Carmen Flores, will lead this challenge (March 21 – 27) and encourage her audience of nearly 12,000 followers to donate unused items to Goodwill.

2. SHOP
Goodwill encourages consumers to revive their spring wardrobes without breaking the bank! People can visit their local Goodwill store this season for trendy spring dresses, tops and more. Fashion influencer, Nicole Mazur will lead this challenge (March 28 – April 3) and encourage her audience of nearly 40,000 followers to refresh their spring wardrobes at Goodwill.

3. MISSION
Goodwill uses 87 cents of every dollar to fund employment and job training opportunities in local communities. Veterans and military families, people with disabilities and disadvantages, people integrating back into society, and older workers are among those that are able to receive support from Goodwill donors and shoppers. Blogger, fashion influencer and advocate for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, Jame Jackson will lead this challenge (April 4 – 10) with an American Sign Language video, sharing the impact behind donating and shopping at Goodwill with her audience of nearly 7,000 followers. Jame will also write a blog post on the campaign on her fashion and entertainment blog, TheBlondeMisfit.

4. SUSTAINABILITY
Goodwill encourages community members to practice a more sustainable lifestyle by shopping for secondhand items and do-dads for do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. Sustainable shopping is an environmentally friendly practice. In fact, Goodwill diverted more than 3.8 billion pounds of goods from landfills last year. Buzzfeed Home and Décor Producer Ashley McGetrick will lead this challenge (April 11 – 18) and encourage her audience of nearly 10,000 followers to shop at Goodwill for DIY project inspiration.

"I am so excited to be a part of Goodwill's Spring campaign!" McGetrick said. "Upcycling pieces from Goodwill not only lets you create beautiful, unique decor for your home, but it's also a great way to support your local community and promote sustainability. A triple win!"

ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Goodwill Industries International (GII) is a network of 161 community-based, autonomous organizations in the United States and Canada with a presence in 13 other countries. GII is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is recognized by GuideStar with its Platinum Seal of Approval, the organization's highest rating for charities. For the past three years, Goodwill was ranked in the top five brands that inspired consumers the most with its mission in the World Value Index, commissioned by the creative agency, enso. Goodwill has been on Forbes' list of top 20 most inspiring companies for three consecutive years, the only nonprofit featured on that list.

Local Goodwill organizations are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that offer job placement and training services, and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 3,300 stores collectively and online at shopgoodwill.com^®.

Goodwill helps people facing challenges to finding employment, including people with disabilities, veterans and military families, youth and young adults, older workers, people reintegrating into society, and others working to advance their careers. Local Goodwill organizations build revenues and expand employment opportunities by contracting with commercial, state, government and non-government organizations to provide a wide range of business services, including janitorial and grounds maintenance, flexible staffing, food service, manufacturing and contracts packaging, reverse logistics, document imaging and shredding, and laundry services.

Last year, local Goodwill organizations collectively placed more than 288,000 people in employment in the United States and Canada. In addition, more than 36 million people used computers and mobile devices to access Goodwill education, training, mentoring and online learning services to strengthen their skills, and more than two million people received in-person services.

Goodwill is both an icon and accessible neighbor: more than 82 percent of the U.S. population resides within 10 miles of a Goodwill location.

For more information or to find a Goodwill location near you, visit goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl and @GoodwillCapHill, and find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube: GoodwillIntl.

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International