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Things You Should Know

Get the facts about Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont

We are a non-profit organization. Our stores fund our Mission Services initiatives.

Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Many people think of Goodwill as a collection of thrift stores, but we are so much more than that!

Donations help to stock the shelves at our six stores so that people can shop for gently used items at affordable prices. Store sales help us employ 125 to 150 people and funds our mission services initiatives. Our Mission Services team helps those with barriers or challenges in finding and maintaining employment. We provide employment training programs, including employability workshops, customer service, and custodial training.

We have three Career Centers where people can walk in and get personalized help with resumes, interview coaching, and applying for jobs. Our Suit Your Self program provides interview appropriate clothing to those job searching. For more information about Mission Services initiatives, please visit the Programs section of this site. Without your donations and purchases, and financial contributions none of these programs would be possible.

We are proud of our community partnerships including the Summer Program with MassHire for Youth Works & WIOA. Many of our participants have either entered college or obtained employment.  We celebrate in their accomplishments and milestones. 

Our Board of Directors and the leadership team annually review and sign off on the Ethical Codes of Conduct.


All of our employees make full minimum wage or higher.

Every person that Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont employs makes at least minimum wage, including our supported employees with disabilities.We follow a person centered philosophy and believe in inclusion and equality for all and this starts with fair and equal pay. Therefore, we do not use the Special Minimum Wage Certificate, which allows companies and organizations to pay individuals with disabilities a wage that is based on their abilities level rather than minimum wage, and we haven’t for more than 15 years.  In addition, our supported employees participate in all of the same training sessions alongside all other employees, including CPR and first aid, human right, soft skills and safety & diversity training to name a few.


We are an independent organization.

Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont is one of 154 independent member organizations of Goodwill Industries International. Each member organization operates independently from the rest and is individually funded. We are governed by our own volunteer board of directors and your donations are kept in our communities in the Berkshires and Southern Vermont. As a member agency, we must adhere to all professional, financial, legal, and branding guidelines set forth by Goodwill Industries International. All Goodwill member agencies have similar but slightly different missions because each region or community is different and has unique needs. This allows us to tailor our organization’s mission to the needs of the communities we serve – the Berkshires and Southern Vermont.


You can donate your old t-shirts, your old laptop and more…

Aside from the stores that partially fund our Mission Services programs, Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont is also a major recycler. That means we can accept a lot more than you might think, such as your stained or holey t-shirts, the old towels you might otherwise throw away, one shoe, your circa 2005 laptop. We’d love if you note “rags” or “doesn’t work!” on the donation so we can ship it straight to our recycling departments, but we do take those things.

We don’t sell every single thing donated to us. For instance, we get some tee shirts with rips or stains in them. But those shirts find new life through our Thrifty Rags program. Your old laptop, printer, or other computer related electronics are recycled through our partnership with Dell Reconnect. To learn more about our various recycling efforts please visit our recycling page.


Our Goodwill family stretches throughout the community

The fabric of our Goodwill family stretches far wider throughout our community than you might expect. With over 123,165 donors, 242,900 customers, 124 employees, 453 participants, and over 22 community partners during 2022-2023, you are either a part of our Goodwill family or you likely know someone who is. Without each and every person involved, our ability to carry out the Goodwill mission each year would not be possible. Thank you to every donor, every customer, every employee, and every community partner for all that you contribute. It is because of you that we are able to continue helping people gain the skills they need to find and keep employment each year, thereby finding a greater dignity, purpose, and independence than they once felt before.