“Workin’ It” program will allow Goodwill to serve even more people who face employment challenges
Portland – Goodwill Industries of Northern New England in collaboration with eBay Giving Works, eBay’s charity fundraising program, today launched a fundraising campaign that focuses on helping people find and keep jobs. From February 7 to 13, Goodwill® will be a featured nonprofit on eBay offering everyone the opportunity to buy, sell or donate to support Goodwill’s job training programs. Dress for Success and the National Federation of the Blind will also be featured in February as part of the same campaign.
Since the eBay Giving Works program was created in 2003, the eBay community has raised $230 million for U.S. and U.K charities, and currently lists more than 650,000 charity items on the marketplace, all designated with a blue and yellow ribbon. The program offers several easy ways to support a cause on eBay: sellers can donate a percentage of anything they sell, buyers can add a donation to anything they buy, anyone can make an immediate cash donation, and nonprofits can sell directly to raise funds. During the “Workin’ It” campaign, eBay shoppers will be able to add a donation to Goodwill any time they checkout on eBay using PayPal, while sellers will also be able to donate 10-100 percent of their eBay sales to benefit their local Goodwill agency and receive insertion fee credits from eBay.
“Goodwill’s business model has traditionally been to collect and sell donations in retail stores to fund its mission of career training,” said Judy Stone, Board President of Goodwill Industries of Northern New England. “The eBay Giving Works programs present an opportunity for Goodwill to reach an untapped audience, increase its online giving, and support its employment placement services and community-based programs that enable people in northern New England to gain an increased quality of life.”
For more than 14 years, Goodwill Industries of Northern New England has taken an innovative approach to its donated goods/retail approach as a means to increase revenues for mission advancement. These efforts include an eBay auction site (www.ebay.com/goodwillnne) and book sales through Amazon.com. Last year, Goodwill generated more than $250,000 in online sales. These platforms let Goodwill agencies across the U.S. and Canada be more creative with the way they market and sell their goods, and build long-term relationships with donors who come to count on Goodwill as a frugal shopping destination.
“We work with thousands of entrepreneurial nonprofits that are exploring unique ways to reach new supporters and raise funds online, with Goodwill and its agencies being one of eBay’s biggest success stories, having raised about $8.5 million from the eBay community,” said Amy Skeeters-Behrens, head of eBay Giving Works. “At a time when jobs are still scarce, we hope that the ‘Workin’ It’ campaign will remind our community of Goodwill’s mission and tremendous work in helping employ people who face major challenges and help generate the funds to enable Goodwill to serve more people than ever before.”
For more information, visit www.ebay.com/goodwillnne. To see the Workin’ It campaign, please visit www.ebay.com/backtowork.
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About Goodwill Industries of Northern New England
Goodwill Industries of Northern New England has a 77-year history of providing innovative services that eliminate barriers to opportunity and help people in need reach their fullest potential through the power of work. Last year, we served over 80,000 individuals through job training and placement, career counseling, family strengthening services, youth employment opportunities, brain injury programs, and other community support services for people with disabilities. Our programs are funded by revenue from our 26 retail stores, grants, fees, and financial gifts. Please visit www.goodwillnne.org for more information.
About eBay Giving Works
eBay Giving Works, powered by MissionFish, is a trusted and effective program for nonprofit fundraising, helping people support their favorite causes easily and conveniently on eBay. Sellers can donate part, or all, of a sale to a participating nonprofit of their choice and nonprofits can turn in-kind donations into unrestricted funding. Buyers can easily find opportunities to support nonprofits while shopping on eBay and anyone with a PayPal account can safely make an online donation to fund a nonprofit’s extraordinary work.
