Every time a donation of clothing, electronics or other household goods is made to Goodwill, a life is transformed. From December 29 to 31st, AMADC volunteers rolled up their sleeves and worked alongside Goodwill staff at the Glebe Road (Arlington) center to help!
By: Brendan Hurley, CMO of Goodwill of Greater Washington’s and AMADC Past-President
Every time a donation of clothing, electronics or other household goods is made to Goodwill, a life is transformed. As the CMO for Goodwill of Greater Washington, I witness the transformation first hand, on a daily basis.
Nadine received her first keys to an apartment after graduating from one of Goodwill’s job training programs because having grown up homeless she never before had a door to open; Sandra finally earned her high school diploma at age 63…graduating with her very own grandson; and Charlie, who never thought he would work again as a roofer after getting hit by a car, wound up starting a whole new career in ecommerce. These are just a few of the examples of how the money generated from the sale of donated items at Goodwill stores can change lives. The people who come through our programs are not in a position to pay for them, so we offer them free, completely funded by community donations. Learn more how a donation to Goodwill benefits the community here.
Because I understand the impact a donation can make, I am excited that AMADC partnered with Goodwill on the end of year service project to help us process the thousands of donations that are made as the end of the year approaches. It gets so busy at our donation centers that we can struggle to keep the lines moving, efficiently manage the donation process, and ensure that we’re meeting every donor’s expectations.
From December 29 to 31st, AMADC volunteers rolled up their sleeves and worked alongside Goodwill staff at the Glebe Road (Arlington) center to help. Due to its proximity to DC, this center happens to be one of the top 5 busiest donation centers in the entire country, receiving more than 1,000 donations a day at year’s end.
“There’s no better way to see the purpose and impact of marketing than to learn about an organization and then experience their mission at work,” said AMADC volunteer Carly Khanna, recounting her experience. “Volunteering at the Glebe Road Donation Center was both a great learning and community service opportunity!”
Another AMADC volunteer, Jason Tsai, added, “I had a great experience volunteering at the Goodwill of Greater Washington. Having donated or been to Goodwill many times, I enjoyed having the opportunity to help out on the other side and see the impact that the organization is having on the local community.”
2018 was one of the strongest years in Goodwill of Greater Washington’s history, both in terms of the number of donations received and the revenue generated from the sale of those donations. This resulted in more than 2,000 people in our community receiving Goodwill’s services at no cost. Additionally, we graduated 92 students from the Goodwill Excel Center Adult Charter High School and anticipate graduating another 100 or so this year. Without the support of our generous community this would not be possible.
Therefore, not only was this AMADC volunteer initiative important to funding Goodwill’s mission, but as a marketer and past president of the AMADC (2009-2010) it’s more personal. You know that “giving back” is in the nature of marketers. We all want to make an impact through everything we do, whether at work, at home or in the community. So I am thrilled that Goodwill and AMADC worked together on a project that will have tangible, measurable and sustainable outcomes.
We also were excited to learn about the AMADC’s District Current group of young professionals. Goodwill of Greater Washington has its own Young Professional’s Council and we look forward to finding new ways our two organizations can collaborate to benefit the community, the populations we serve, and each other.
“We are looking forward to creating more engagement in the community and find that Goodwill of Greater Washington is a good fit. In fact, plans are already underway to create an initiative through AMADC’s young professionals, District Current, and other young professional organizations that work with Goodwill,” says AMADC President-Elect Angela Long.