What Happens to my Donations?

When you need to get rid of things you no longer need, Goodwill may be the first place you think of and for that, we’re extremely grateful! We know you’re looking for a convenient way to get rid of your unwanted stuff but did you know that your donations help people right here in our community?

When you donate gently used clothing, household goods and other items to your local Goodwill, those items go through a process to ensure we’re maximizing the value of them to further our mission – helping people find jobs!

Let’s take a closer look at what happens to your donations after you drop them off:

• First we sort items to see what can be sold in our Retail Stores to shoppers looking for quality items at affordable prices. The majority of donations we receive make it to a retail store. Some of the best items are sent to . This is sort of like our version of eBay. By selling these items online, we’re able to get more money for them which means more money for us to help people in our community find and keep jobs.

• When an item doesn’t sell in a store, we try to sell it a second time at our Outlet Stores at a significant discount. Great for you if you enjoy the thrill of the hunt!

• If something still isn’t sold, it’s sent through a salvage stream where it is either sold to textile merchants or recyclers. Did we mentioned we’re green? We do everything in our power to keep your donated items out of our landfills. Last year alone we diverted more than 25 million pounds of reusable goods and e-waste from South Carolina landfills. 

• Goodwill is lucky to have such generous donors but every so often, we do come across items that must end up in the trash. You can help us avoid this by asking yourself if your donation is something you would give to a friend or relative. Our shoppers are review looking for quality items and having to find ways to discard items we can’t sell is expensive and takes money away from the community. Also, think about the safety of our shoppers and employees and don’t donate anything that’s been recalled or could be unsafe.

• So after all that, what do we do with the money? More than 90 cents of every dollar goes right back to our community. We offer multiple services designed to help people find jobs including job fairs, job training, job placement, and more. In 2015, we were able to help more than 66,000 people and we placed more than 2,000 people into new jobs. This is Goodwill’s true mission and purpose and it wouldn’t be possible without the donations we receive.