Myth #1: Goodwill pays its team members less than the minimum wage.
Fact: This one’s easy to debunk! All team members start at or above minimum wage. Team members are also eligible for Goodwill-funded benefits, including paid time off, insurance, and retirement.

Myth #2: Goodwill store team members get first dibs on donated items.
Fact: Goodwill has several policies to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to score those unique finds. Team members are not allowed to shop while they are working, and all items must be on the sales floor for a specified amount of time before they can be purchased by Goodwill employees.

Myth #3: Only a small percentage of revenue generated by Goodwill goes toward funding Goodwill educational, career training, and employment services.
Fact: Goodwill is a responsible steward of all funding streams — retail/online sales, private donations/grants, state/federal grants, staffing services, and business contracts. Portions of every dollar earned or received is reinvested back into the communities Goodwill serves help individuals with disabilities or other barriers enhance their lives.

Myth #4: Donated goods that are not purchased in-store are just thrown away.
Fact: All items donated to Goodwill go through a comprehensive sustainability life cycle. If they’re not sold in-store within a certain amount of time, they’re transferred back to a Goodwill warehouse, where they are processed for recycling if possible.

Myth #5: Goodwill is not a nonprofit.
Fact: For more than 80 years, Goodwill Industries of NEPA has been recognized by the IRS as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Our mission is to help individuals with disabilities or other barriers enhance their lives. We’re committed to serving the undeserved – people lacking education, people with disabilities, people with a criminal background, and individuals lacking opportunity – and all the funding we receive supports our programs.

Myth #6: Valuable, high-end items that are donated are only sold online, not in-store.
Fact: While it is true that we may set aside some items like fine art and designer handbags to be sold on shopgoodwill.com that doesn’t mean that shoppers don’t have access to the same type of items in-store! Whether an item is sold online or in-store, all sales support our mission to help people transform potential into opportunity.

Myth #7: Goodwill is owned by Mark Curran, who makes millions of dollars in salary each year.
Fact: This story often circulates on social media. As a 501c(3), Goodwill does not and cannot have an owner. The CEO of Goodwill Industries of NEPA is Kate Dempsey Jones, who was selected by a locally elected Board of Directors. Mark Curran has never owned Goodwill or worked for Goodwill Industries.

Myth #8: You shouldn’t donate to Goodwill because they don’t help anyone.
Fact: Goodwill was founded by Edgar J. Helms with the philosophy of providing “a hand up, not a handout.” This mission is still true today. Goodwill doesn’t just help someone once; we believe in teaching people the skills they need to find sustainable success.