Frequently Asked Questions

What is Goodwill?

Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area, Inc. is a human services agency and network of not-for-profit businesses. Our mission is to help people with special needs and barriers to employment improve their quality of life through education, training and work related services. We serve people in five WV counties and four in KY. Goodwill employs over 170 people and operates 8 retail stores and other businesses to help fund programs and to provide job training and employment opportunities for our clients.

Who owns Goodwill?

No one. We’re a nonprofit corporation. A Board of Directors, made up of business and community leaders, oversees our agency. Our President/CEO directs our day-to-day operations.

Is Goodwill a business or a charity?

We’re a charity that runs a business. Goodwill is a 501 (c) (3), nonprofit organization that funds its social service programs through revenues generated by its donated goods business.

Are all Goodwills around the country the same?

Goodwill Industries International is an association of more than 200 autonomous member organizations, each governed by a local board of directors.

Does Goodwill only provide services to people with disabilities?

No, we serve people with disabilities and special needs, including former welfare recipients, single mothers, recent immigrants, high school dropouts and individuals with a history of chronic unemployment, incarceration or substance abuse.

Donating

Why should I donate to Goodwill?

Goodwill is local and it's linked to a great cause. When you donate to Goodwill, you help us help others right here in theTri-State area to build our community one job at a time. An average of 90.2% of all revenue raised by Goodwill from the sale of donated goods supports job-training and rehabilitation programs for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment right here in this area. The other 9.8% meets administrative costs.

What happens to my donated items?

Goodwill employees and clients sort and prepare the broad selection of quality donated items for sale in our value-oriented Goodwill retail stores and on our internet auction site. Incoming items are screened by Goodwill personnel against established quality and selection criteria. The generated revenue from the sale of these donations is then invested in our many programs to give the disabled and disadvantaged in our community a hand up.

Will my contribution stay in our area?

Yes. Contributions of goods and money made to Goodwill support programs and services provided by Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area, Inc. in the Tri-State region

Do you repair items I donate?

No. Nowadays, the cost of repairing items greatly exceeds the price we charge in our stores. In addition, we focus our training programs on vocations that meet current employer demands.

How can I donate to Goodwill?

Just drop off your items at any of our retail stores or our Attended Donation Centers in the Tri-state Area, Williamson, WV or Pikeville, KY. To find the donation center nearest you, click on the map on our retail page. When you go, you'll receive a receipt for your donations, which can help you at tax time if you itemize, and you'll be helping people in our area overcome barriers to employment.

Sales/Shopping

Why do you sell stuff you get it free through donations?

We incur many expenses while collecting, transporting, sorting and selling the donated goods. They include salaries and benefits, light bills, and gas and tires for our vehicles. And we utilize the revenues generated by our stores to fund a wide array of local employment, training and counseling services.

Why sell the items instead of giving them away?

The resale of the goods is an important means of paying for our programs that assist people with disabilities and disadvantages.

What happens to items that aren't sold?

Our goal is to try to generate money to fund Goodwill programs from every item that is donated. As for items that can't be sold in our stores, we've found other creative uses for them. We recycle old clothing scraps into wipes (cleaning cloths) for buyers. Other items that are too damaged for retail sales are sold to salvage brokers who then ship the material to third-world countries. Roughly 99% of all donated goods are re-sold in some way, shape or form. Goodwill provides a valuable recycling service to our community. We receive more than 4 million pounds of donations every year diverting tons of goods away from our landfills.