Meeting the Moment

Opening Message

Meeting The Moment

We are excited to share that during FY2021 Goodwill of North Georgia made historic achievements locally, regionally, and nationally, such as:

• Putting 16,199 people to work, with 57% earning sustainable, working to middle class wages.
• Growing revenue to historic levels and funding mission at the highest level of any Goodwill in the movement.
• Providing facility services for the Centers for Disease Control and other important governmental organizations, effectively executing heightened and ever-changing safety protocols, without incident.

What thrills us the most is that we did not set out to make these achievements. They were merely a product of our intentional focus on executing our mission with excellence, commitment to the communities we serve and intentional care and engagement of our diverse stakeholders at every level of the organization. Our mission of putting people to work remains at the forefront of our daily operations. Consistent outreach to the most vulnerable people in the communities we serve does not waiver – no matter the challenge. Being intentional about recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented team, board leadership and collaborative partnerships remained amongst our highest business priorities.

The outcomes of these strategic priorities include a ranking of #1 Goodwill (among 158 territories) in the nation for job placements, and #1 for people of color placed into employment. Also, a ranking as the largest workforce development nonprofit in the Southeast. Additionally, the groundbreaking of our newest co-located store and career center on Metropolitan Parkway within one of Atlanta’s most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – in partnership with Invest Atlanta. Our Agency welcomed some of the most talented professionals from the Atlanta business community to our board – making it the most diverse in our Agency’s history. We received a historic $15 million unsolicited gift from MacKenzie Scott – who heard of the work we were doing and reached out to us to support us with unrestricted funds. Other accolades include our recognition by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a top employer at the 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Awards. Also, our agency was named as one of Atlanta's Best & Brightest© winners and received countless media placements on local television for our COVID/Post-COVID response.

These accomplishments were made possible by the collective determination of our generous board of directors, hardworking leadership team and dedicated team members, along with the support of our amazing donors, shoppers, and partners. Our shared focus on mission, service to our communities and intentional pursuit of diverse talent netted the agency a financially, socially, and professionally record-breaking year. We feel confident that we will achieve even more in coming years.

While we are grateful for our continued success, we recognize the social, economic and health challenges that our stakeholders have faced over the last year. Despite a tenuous outlook on retail and overall economic growth, we maintain hope that Goodwill of North GA will continue to be a cornerstone of recovery and support to the communities we serve.

Thank you to our supporters, donors and shoppers who make up the cycle of good and enable us, to fulfill our mission to put people to work.

Sincerely,

Keith T. Parker, President and CEO
Kirk Halpern, Chair, Board of Directors Fiscal Year 2021

Mission Spotlight

Digital Skills Training For New Opportunities

COVID-19 taught us a lot of lessons and illuminated a number of preexisting inequities within our community. The digital divide in Fulton County was one of those issues that became quite apparent as the world moved into a more virtual space during the pandemic. In response, Select Fulton, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and Goodwill of North Georgia joined forces to find a solution.

This unique partnership between a nonprofit, the public sector and private industry created a successful program to offer digital literacy training at a variety of individual skill levels from entry level to advanced. The Technology Careers Program was free to any Fulton County resident who had been adversely impacted by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 health crisis.

Eligible residents could access online or in-person classes to help develop their digital skills. In five months, more than 1,700 Fulton Country residents took classes to bolster their digital skills. People like Veronica.

Working as a customer service representative, Veronica spent her days talking to clients and assisting them over the phone. While she enjoyed her job, she dreamed of branching out into a new career. However, without any experience and limited skills, she didn’t know how to make her dream a reality. Fortunately, her partner told her about the Technology Careers Program and encouraged her to apply.

Veronica was hesitant to submit her application at first. With very little tech experience, she thought there was no way she would be accepted into the program not knowing the purpose of the program is to work with individuals at all levels.

Through her classes, Veronica learned SCRUM, ServiceNow and how to code. She even placed third place in her class’s coding competition! Best of all, after completing the program, Veronica was offered a full-time job at Accenture. Today Veronica is focused on continuing to learn and grow in her new career field of technology thanks to Goodwill’s Technology Careers Program in partnership with TechBridge.

Shopper Spotlight

Meet Marc Morris, Sr.

Where do you see yourself in retirement? Many of us would be happy to simply be in good health and have some adorable grandkids who don’t mind our tales of the past, but not Marcus Morris Sr. At the youthful age of 95, Marc is not only an avid Goodwill shopper and donor, but he is also a pillar in his community.

Marc was born in 1925 and is a true Atlanta native. As a young boy, he contracted Scarlet Fever from a sibling which resulted in permanent damage to his hearing. This would ultimately stand in the way of him serving in World War II, but it did little to dampen his passion for traveling. Marc has since visited all 50 states and another 37 plus countries, always making it an effort to go for a light jog whenever possible.

“I shuffle a little bit, but I’m still able to walk a mile or two a day” shares Marc, jokingly, and although he has had the unique pleasure of jogging along the Nile River, among many other stunning places, Marc has found a new exercise destination: his local Goodwill.

“The shopping cart helps me move a little faster, so I’d often do two or three laps around the store before I start shopping” Marc admits.

He has been a lifelong supporter of Goodwill of North Georgia. However, a recent discovery at a local store has allowed him to do his very own goodwill in his community.

Marc has a good friend by the name of Rev. Donald Lockhart who is the pastor at First Christ Cares Church in Ellenwood, Georgia. They have a ministry for the homeless where they help clothe and feed them, especially during winter months. Marc has long supported this ministry by donating his own gently used clothes, but after learning of $.99 Mondays at Goodwill, he was able to take his support to a new level.

“I saw this sign (while shopping) that read $.99 and I said ‘My goodness, let me see what I can find for Don.’ So, I started looking and I ended up with over 40 pairs of pants”! He continues on to say, “They’re going to see me every Monday up here so I can keep Don’s stock up.” We are pleased that we could amaze and delight Marc with our “$.99 Monday” shopping day.

The giving doesn’t stop there. Marc is recently widowed after losing his wife last year who happened to be a passionate collector; frequently returning home from her travels with collectibles to decorate their 14-room home in South DeKalb. Fifty-five years after originally moving into their home, Marc is now in the process of moving out and thanks to the kindness of his daughter, Margot Morris Dawkins, Goodwill is the proud recipient of his late wife’s treasures.

“Margot started bringing so much because it’s so convenient” shared Marc.

The convenience of donating and the kindness of the team are just a few reasons why the Morris family keeps coming back to Goodwill. If you ask Marc’s son, Marc Jr., he’ll tell you:

“It’s a fun way to spend some time actually because it’s a treasure hunt, you never know what you’re going to find. But you also know that when you buy things at Goodwill, you’re actually doing goodwill! You’re doing good for the community, and that’s a nice feeling.”

Donor Spotlight

New Birth Baptist Church Donation Drive

For the second year, the congregation of New Birth Baptist Church rolled up their sleeves to support the mission of Goodwill as a part of their Resurrection Week events. For more than two weeks, members of the congregation dropped off items at the church culminating in a COVID-safe, drive through donation drive on the Saturday before Easter Sunday.

In the lead up to the donation drive, we had the opportunity to host the church’s pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant to give him a behind the scenes tour of our Decatur facility and help to better explain how the donations made by his congregation help further our mission to put people to work. Dr. Bryant visited to experience the full cycle of good from the donor door, to the sales floor, to the career center. He also treated lucky shoppers and paid for their purchases that day.

The donation drive generated more than 34,000 lbs. of donations equaling nearly 700 hours of job training. Most importantly, this second drive helped to cement an ongoing partnership with the church and its leadership.

Facilities Spotlight

A Mission of Sustainability

Goodwill has always had sustainability in its DNA. From its very inception, the encouragement of repairing and reusing items not just helped those who needed a hand up, it also reduced the waste generated in communities around the country. For the last 96 years Goodwill of North Georgia has followed this path as we use the gently used items from our generous donors to fulfill our mission to put people to work. However, the agency recognizes its position as a member of the larger global community and takes seriously the responsibility we all have to care for the environment.

Since 2008 our Facility Services department has held and maintained the 14001 International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification focused on sustainability. This certification recognizes our commitment to reduce industrial waste and environmental damage. We also have an ISSA/CIMS Green with Honors building distinction which certifies that our practices are at the highest “green” standard. This commitment is evident in every part of its work.

Every product selected by the Facilities Services team is green or, if not available, is the option that is the least harmful to the environment. Additionally, we look for options that have the least amount of impact on the Facilities Services team and customers. For example, the equipment used to clean floors in contracted facilities uses ionized water rather than chemicals. We also use carpet cleaners that leave no residuals and do not contain any toxins alleviating allergens or other byproducts.

The team doesn’t stop there. Even as the federal government is looking to find additional ways to reduce fossil fuel usage, our team is ahead of the curve with the introduction of our first all-electric vehicle in use now at the Roybal campus of the Centers for Disease Control. This vehicle is used to make short haul deliveries on the largest CDC campus located in one of the most densely populated areas in metro Atlanta.

The facilities team has also taken the lead in developing environmentally friendly changes within the Goodwill agency. They have taken to replacing lighting in stores with more efficient LED lights, supported the effort to divert more trash into the recycling pipeline and even introduced a composting program at the Support Services Center.

Goodwill recognizes our responsibility to support the greater community not just through our mission but as a responsible global citizen.

Success Story

Meet Quandarious Brinkley

“In 2010, I walked into the South DeKalb Goodwill Career Center as a jobless 18-year-old father,” shares Quandarious Brinkley. Those fateful steps began an 11-year journey with the agency. In what he describes as a truly amazing experience, thinking back to that day, he could never have imagined the impact Goodwill would have on his life.

Quandarious lived within walking distance of Goodwill’s South DeKalb Career Center and on his trips to the grocery store, noticed the steady stream of people flowing through the doors. Having never worked before and in need of a job, he decided to step in. Despite his lack of experience, Quandarious was hired by Goodwill as a part-time floor tech/custodian. Career Center Manager Quinton Irvin recognized Quandarious’ potential and believed that with training, he’d be a great addition to the team.

During his time as a custodian, Quandarious took advantage of the opportunity to network with program managers and directors. After a year and a half, and a progression from part-time to full-time, these trusted mentors encouraged him to apply for a job coach position because they too saw Quandarious’ potential. Clearly, they were correct, because in October 2011, at age 20, Quandarious became the youngest job coach ever hired at Goodwill – the first of several positions he held within the agency. By 2019 Quandarious had taken a position with the Legal and Compliance team, where he was immediately offered the opportunity to become the Quality Auditor

With tuition assistance provided by Goodwill, he graduated cum laude in 2020 from Georgia State University, earning a bachelor’s in sociology with a minor in public policy. He quickly enrolled at Georgia Tech, where he is pursuing a master’s in public policy.

In mid-Spring 2021, Quandarious was contacted by a recruiter at Salesforce who was impressed by his LinkedIn profile and resume during a search for a business operations auditor for the firm’s global internal auditing department. Although he knew it would be difficult to leave his Goodwill family, Quandarious found this opportunity one he couldn’t pass up. He joined Salesforce in May 2021 where in his new role he supports and conducts risk-based audits of business operations throughout the organization, including assessing strategic, operational, financial, legal, and compliance risks of all acquired businesses and mergers.

Quandarious is remarkably humble about all that he has achieved and is quick to give credit to the many Goodwill colleagues who have helped him along the way. While he asserts that he would not have made it without the support and encouragement he received, his Goodwill family celebrates his success, knowing that it was truly his motivation, determination, and perseverance that brought him to this moment.

Highlight: Rise to The Challenge Event

Rising to the Challenge

We know that the economy was dramatically impacted by the pandemic with women, particularly women of color, bearing the brunt. Women have lost 5.4 million jobs since the beginning of the pandemic. In fact, in more than one reporting time period during the first months of the pandemic, women were the only group reported to have lost jobs.

We know that the economy was dramatically impacted In keeping with our mission to put people to work and meet the moments we currently face; Goodwill hosted the first Connect to the Cause event to discuss the unique workforce challenges women face. The discussion highlighted the increasing costs of childcare, school closings and other issues.

We know that the economy was dramatically impacted Moderated by Rose Scott, host on Atlanta’s NPR station 90.1 FM – WABE, the “Rise to the Challenge” event saw more than 100 participants logged in for the virtual lunch and learn. Participants heard the thoughts of notable businesspeople from the greater Atlanta community as they discussed new and innovative ways to create a workplace culture that works for women.

Financials

Highlights from Fiscal Year 2021

Source	2021 Dollar Total	2021 Percent	2020 Dollar Total	2020 Percent
Government grants	$7,904,000	3.7%	$4,011,000	2.8%
Contributions	$17,192,000	8.1%	$3,813,000	2.7%
United Way allocation	$76,000	0%	$90,000	0.1%
Store sales	$134,526,000	63.2%	$109,885,000	76.5%
Salvage	$9,618,000	4.5%	$7,721,000	5.4%
E-Commerce	5,688,000	2.7%	$2,874,000	2.0%
Facility contracts	$14,117,000	6.6%	$12,451,000	8.7%
Vocational services	$331,000	0.2%	$246,000	0.2%
Investment income	$23,314,000	11%	$2,564,000	1.8%
Total	$212,766,000	100%	$143,655,000	100%

Expenditures

Source	2021 Dollar Total	2021 Percent	2020 Dollar Total	2020 Percent
Stores	$105,648,000	64.8%	$108,787,000	67.9%
Collection and Transportation of Donated Goods	$10,998,000	6.7%	$11,581,000	7.2%
Salvage	$263,000	0.2%	$239,000	0.1%
E-Commerce	$3,118,000	1.9%	$1,863,000	1.2%
Contracts	$11,636,000	7.1%	$10,656,000	6.6%
Vocational Services	$15,989,000	9.8%	$14,932,000	9.3%
General and Administrative	$13,936,000	8.6%	$11,627,000	7.3%
Fundraising	$1,382,000	0.8%	$640,000	0.4%
Total	$162,970,000	100%	$160,325,000	100%

Non-Operating Activities (Gain)/Loss

	2021 Dollar Total	2020 Dollar Total
Disposal of property and equipment	($110,000)	($8,000)
Mark-to-market valuation of interest rate swaps	($939,000)	$997,000

Net Assets

	2021 Dollar Total	2020 Dollar Total
Change in Net Assets	$50,845,000	($17,659,000)
Net Assets, Beginning of Year	$120,350,000	$138,009,000
Net Assets, End of Year	$171,195,000	$120,350,000