What is Goodwill?
Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia is a nonprofit, community-based organization. Its mission is to put people with special needs to work. An entrepreneurial-minded organization, Goodwill uses the large scale collection and resale of donated items in its retail stores to fund job training programs and career services that help local residents with disabilities and disadvantages get to work.
What does Goodwill do with the proceeds from donations?
The revenue from the sale of donations in our retail stores help fund training programs and career services for local residents in the community with barriers to employment. By donating items to Goodwill, you help local residents find jobs, which builds self-esteem and self-sufficiency. Our FREE job training programs range from Digital Skills Training and CDL-B Training to Forklift Certification and Supported Work. You can even earn your high school diploma at no cost at Goodwill!
I know that Goodwill provides employment for people with disabilities and disadvantages in the community. Do those people work in the Goodwill® stores?
Actually some do work in Goodwill stores located throughout Southern/Central New Jersey and Philadelphia, but most go to work with other companies in the community. At Goodwill, we provide extensive job coaching and career training to prepare individuals to enter the workforce.
What items does Goodwill accept?
Goodwill’s motto is, “Donate to us what you would give to a friend”. We gladly accept gently used clothing, jewelry, accessories, small household items, books, toys, home medical equipment, computers and cars. Goodwill makes every effort to accept all donations; however, there are some items that we cannot accept because of safety and storage reasons. They include:
- Air Conditioners
- Appliances not in working order
- Bowling Balls
- Child Car Seats/Walkers/High Chairs/Playpens
- Clothing that is badly soiled, stained or torn
- Console televisions or stereos
- Cosmetics or skin care products
- Doors, cabinets, sinks, tubs, or other construction materials
- Encyclopedias
- Fireworks or Firearms
- Food
- Furniture that is ripped or stained
- Kerosene or Electric Heaters
- Lawnmowers/Weedwackers
- Mattresses, Waterbeds, Sofa Beds
- Paint or other toxic substances
- Propane tanks
- Recall items (i.e., car seats, cribs, play pens)
- Refrigerators
- Stoves
- Typewriters
- Washers & Dryers
- Weapons
I want to donate my car to Goodwill? Will you come and pick it up?
Yes. Goodwill does offer a pick-up service for car donations. If you have a car that you would like to donate please call, 866-233-8586 and we’ll arrange for a convenient FREE pick up. We accept cars, boats, and RVs in working or non-working condition. In return, you get a tax deduction and the satisfaction knowing you are helping others in your community.
Can I donate electronics to Goodwill?
Yes. We accept donations including: computers, printers, scanners, fax machines, and other peripheral equipment.
What happens to items that Goodwill cannot use or sell in the retail stores?
We carefully sort through all of the items donated to Goodwill. After a thorough inspection, the items that we cannot re-sell are sent to our recycling/salvage center and sold to other organizations and salvage companies who can use them to make things like industrial rags.
How often does your inventory change?
With thousands of items arriving in each of our stores daily, you’ll be sure to find whatever you need at Goodwill. At Goodwill, you never know what’s in store.
What happens if I donate an item by mistake?
Goodwill will make every effort to find your items; however, we receive millions of items a year. Once an item enters our efficient processing cycle, it’s often impossible to find a specific item. Once you realize an item has been accidentally donated, your best bet is to return to that location right away to inquire!
Does Goodwill offer a pick-up service for donations?
Goodwill has a partnership with a veteran owned business called ReSupply that will pick up your large donations such as furniture and household items and deliver them to us. A small fee is charged by ReSupply. A receipt for tax purposes is always offered. For more information, please visit Resupply Donate (resupplyapp.com). We also have convenient donation centers throughout Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia. Please visit our store locator to find a donation center near you.
Does Goodwill have clothing bins in my community?
No. The clothing donation bins located in local gas station, supermarket, movie theatre, and strip center parking lots are not associated with Goodwill. To be sure that your donations are going to Goodwill and supporting a great cause, be sure to drop them off at one of our convenient donation centers.
Does Goodwill accept home medical equipment?
We welcome donations of home medical equipment at all of our locations. We sell fully sanitized refurbished equipment at the most affordable prices around at our Goodwill Home Medical Equipment Store (300 Benigno Blvd., Bellmawr, NJ). We collect and sell everything from manual and motorized wheelchairs and scooters to canes, crutches, shower items, Hoyer lifts and much more. No prescription needed. Please visit www.goodwillhomemedical.org for more information.
Does Goodwill donate merchandise or gift cards to those in need?
Through Goodwill GIVES, we try to give back to the communities that have been so good to us through the issuance of Goodwill gift cards. To be eligible, we must receive a request on letterhead by a local social service agency, school, Church, etc. explaining the situation/hardship. This can be emailed to info@goodwillnj.org or faxed to 856-439-0843. Please note that Goodwill is a charity and we cannot honor every request. Your donations and purchases at Goodwill fund our mission of helping local residents with disabilities and disadvantages get to work. For more information on our FREE career services, please visit: https://goodwillnj.org/job-training-programs/.
Do I get a receipt for my donations for tax purposes?
Yes. Every time you make a donation to Goodwill you will be offered a tax receipt acknowledging the date that Goodwill received your donation. All of Goodwill’s donation centers are staffed by company representatives who will assist you in using our computerized kiosk for printing a receipt. It is also recommended that donors keep itemized lists of their donations as well.
How do I determine the value of my donation for tax purposes?
The Internal Revenue Service allows a deduction for each item, but the donor determines each item’s value. Generally, an item’s value should be based on fair market value – what the item would sell for in a thrift store. For general guidelines, please visit www.goodwillpromo.org and www.irs.gov.
What are Goodwill’s hours of operations?
Each Goodwill store has different hours of operation. Visit Please visit our store locator page to find out the hours of operation at your local donation center.
What types of programs do my donation fund?
Goodwill offers job training and career services that meet both the needs of the individuals with special needs who we serve and of the local workforce. Programs offered include: Digital Skills Training, Forklift Certification, CDL-B Training, Light Industrial Skills, Supported Work and Diagnostic Vocational Evaluation. At Goodwill’s Helms Academy, individuals can earn their high school diploma 100% tuition FREE while simultaneously earning college credits. By donating and shopping at Goodwill, you help fund these very important community programs.
Can I host a clothing drive for Goodwill?
Absolutely! Businesses, schools, churches, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and other civic organization are encouraged to host Goodwill Clothing Drives. Simply call us with the dates of your drive (856.439.0200, ext. 99224). You can host a drive for a day, a week, a month. The choice is yours! We’ll send you promotional flyers to post and distribute. On the designated day, we’ll dispatch attractive Goodwill donation bins to your location. Now, you’re ready to collect donations!
It is ability not disability that counts.
- Dr. Edgar J. Helms, Founder of Goodwill Industries