Why Donate: 6 Reasons to Give it to Goodwill
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Goodwill. All love and opinions on why you should donate are my own.
It’s spring, which means it’s a great time for cleaning and clearing out some clutter. A few weekends ago I did the big let’s see what fits afternoon with the kids, trying on clothes from last summer and new stuff I had ready for this year. By the end, we had a huge box of too small clothes gathered.
That activity is always a great catalyst for me to purge my own closet and the rest of the house of things we no longer use or need. My plans were to take all these things and have a garage sale. Last spring I had a garage sale, and it did okay, but it was a lot of work.
My neighborhood is having a sale in a few weeks and I thought that we would get in on the collaborative effort. But life is exceptionally busy for our family right now and Matthew encouraged me to just donate the items to Goodwill that I had been saving for the sale.
He was right.
Though the sale money would be nice, we just didn’t have the time to dedicate to doing a garage sale well. And frankly, donating to Goodwill is actually way more beneficial than having a garage sale because:
- It helps others: When you donate to Goodwill, you help give people jobs.
- It is a teachable act for your kids: As we prepared our donation, I was able to talk to the kids about how our donation was going to help people have jobs, as well as save people money shopping.
- It is a tax-write off: When you donate, simply request a receipt to record what you donate. If you are doing a big donation, you can bring a list with you.
- It is convenient: Goodwill has many, many drop-off locations nationwide, making it convenient to drop off a donation at any time.
- It saves time: By not having a garage sale, we saved so much time.
- It is kind: Donating items to Goodwill is just a kind thing to do!
So if are like me and have boxes of clothes that no longer fit and items you no longer need, consider donating to Goodwill this spring. (Check out this great decluttering guide from Goodwill.)
Your closets will be happier. Your homes will be happier. And the people who you help at Goodwill will be happier.
Seems like a win-win to me!
As a long-time Mom Creative follower (4+ years) I’ve noticed a lot of changes around your Blog lately and have been wondering about them. I know you’ve changed how you do Project Life “Tuesday” (and I don’t blame you one bit – that’s crazy awesome to keep up weekly!) but I’ve also noticed that most of your posts are now “sponsored” or affiliate links of some sort. Just wondering if you’re changing the direction of how you blog and if you’re going to update the “regulars and old-school followers?”
Hi Jennifer! First of all, thanks for being such a long-time reader. It means a great deal to me.
I’m not sure what “a lot of changes” means beyond what you have cited, so I’ll start there.
I decided to go to a monthly link-up for Project Life Tuesday for several reasons, but #1 being community fatigue. It was difficult for multiple readers to keep up with the weekly link-up, but monthly seemed more doable. Also, I have been working on a book this year and with the deadline and working full-time, I knew I too would find monthly to be more enjoyable (instead of the stressor it was becoming).
Also, I have been consistently using affiliate links and doing sponsored posts since 2009. So no changes there. 🙂 What you might be noticing is that how I disclose has evolved as the FTC has mandated stricter guidelines for content and how sponsored content needs to be disclosed. So for instance, in the past, I might have put the disclosure at the bottom of the post, but the FTC now requires it to be at the top. And most brands/products have affiliate links, so if they are available, I always use them. Running a blog is very costly and those links help pay to keep this site running, help support my family and make blogging worth the significant amount of time I invest in it. I hope it is apparent that I work very hard to write quality content, take good photos, etc.
I spend many hours every week on this site. I am continuously thinking about my readers. How can I make this content useful? What would I want to know if I were planning this party? What tips can I share? Is this a deal that will help other families save money? Do I love this product? etc. etc. etc.
I work very hard on my editorial calendar to keep things balanced – usually 1-2 sponsored posts a week and the rest of the posts are more my own thing (ie: parties, holiday content, vacation planning, crafty projects, etc.) The “my own thing” posts often have affiliate links in them, but I assure you that the financial gain is very modest – ha!
Regarding sponsored content, I never ever accept a sponsored post if it doesn’t fit with the content that I write about, the mission of the site (to help people cultivated a life well-crafted), and/or the season. In the case of this post, I had boxes to take to Goodwill full of clothes from the kids and it seemed perfectly appropriate. I have supported Goodwill for as long as I can remember and was honored to share their mission with this community in a post that was in line with my family’s daily life anyway! 🙂
I hope this answers your question and gives you a little more insight. Thanks again for reading.
It’s a great thing to donate to organizations!
We donate our stuff locally to shelters and other such organizations or to the Salvation Army. We don’t donate to Goodwill. One we don’t have one locally and two, from what I can gather they no longer act as a true non-profit organization {exorbitant salaries and very little money returning to communities}.
For myself, I just can’t afford most of the stuff that they sell, so I’m sure the people who need the help the most certainly can’t afford it.
I think it is a great thing to donate our unwanted things so that others can benefit from their use.
Yes, I suppose if you don’t have one locally, it would be hard to donate to them. I think supporting local community organizations is so important and am glad to hear that you do that. We love supporting a variety of both local and national non-profits.
Also, you might find this link helpful about Goodwill’s wages, etc.: http://www.goodwill.org/meaningful-work-for-people-with-disabilities/ I thought it had some good information.
I live in Middle Tennessee and I know that they do a good job of stewarding their resources here.
We have donated and shopped at Goodwill. But I have to say, I have a relative employed by them and their business tactics are rather harsh. I’m not sure we will continue to deal with them in the future.
@Nurse Bee — so sorry to hear about your relative. 🙁 Keep in mind, though, that what happens at one Goodwill location isn’t reflective of all of them; our local Goodwill does really wonderful work! I’m also a big fan of using the power of your voice….if there are specific issues that you can put to paper re: what your relative is dealing with, I’d recommend writing a letter to let the central Goodwill know what is going on.
Yes, I echo Christine’s words. I am so sorry about your relative and I would totally call or send a letter to their headquarters.
It feels so wonderful to get stuff cleaned out and moved out of the house. Nice work over that weekend, Jessica! And, I agree, a garage sale is so. much. work.
I also have to agree with the above comments regarding Goodwill. From a few things I have read over the last year or two, I really think twice before I donate there anymore. I have decided that giving hand-me-downs to other families at church or donating to local shelters or community clothing closets are a better fit for my family. I love how Jen Hatmaker talks about it in 7, “donating with intention” and really thinking about who specifically might be most blessed with the excess from my house. Or how Beth Moore talked about in her James study, “my extra could be somebody else’s treasure.”
Yes, I love the book 7! I recall the news reports about Goodwill, but feel good about them here in Nashville. I think wherever you donate, you need to be sure you feel like the gift will be used well. Absolutely.
We are blessed with much and the opportunity to bless others is a gift.
I love how this evolved for you – one of the most important things for me has always been setting an example of giving for me small people. This is just lovely.
Yes, my little ones motivate and inspire me in so many ways.
Love this post, Jess! I have worked with our local Goodwill for years and can say that I am proud to work for them. The jobs that they provide and all of the items that stay out of our landfills are both causes that I can get behind.
Thank you so much for sharing about your donation- I loved seeing this post this afternoon! xo
Great idea! I have so many things around the house that I could donate!!
Donating is good for the heart and for the earth. All those goodies are finding new homes and are NOT ending up in the landfill. Thanks for this reminder!
Jessica I just dropped off a load to Goodwill this morning! We are so fortunate to have great donation centers very accessible in the Raleigh area ~ its makes it a breeze to stop in. While I live a generally well organized life, our family gathers items we no longer need or the kids outgrow just like the next door neighbors and I’ve always viewed donating good quality items that could be sale worthy as a valuable way to bless otherwise with our treasure. Even when times are tight financially, you can always find something you aren’t using to share with someone who needs just what you have to give. Thanks for a great post that I hope encourages everyone to live with less and bless others with what they don’t need!
Jessica, I LOVE this post–so important to donate items to others, especially to the Goodwill. I LOVE ours and use it frequently. Many thanks for your smart, thoughtful post!
I am a HUGE fan of Goodwill! I donate several times a year and I also have found some awesome items there, too. 🙂
It is great to donate your things however Goodwill is a for profit orginization. Very little of their proceeds go to charity. People should donate to their local homeless shelters instead that way you know your things are going directly to the people who need them.
Terrific information!
We came to that same realization some time ago, too. We didn’t have the time or desire to have another yard sale. Plus, if we donate, others can benefit from the low cost of purchases and/or from the charity. There is a local veterans organization that runs great thrift stores in our area, and that’s where we donate.
Jennifer, I do prison ministry and Goodwill hires the residents of our transitional houses as their first jobs out of prison. It is incredibly hard to find work with criminal history, but there is a real need for a fresh Godly start and Goodwill helps by hiring! Hope this can be one more reason to donate to Goodwill. Thank you, Jennifer and Goodwill!