Loading
No, these aren’t vintage bowling trophies found on a thrift store shelf — these awards are brand new.
Goodwill Manasota took home two awards this summer at the Goodwill Industries International conference in Austin, Texas.
One award is dubbed Retail Excellence: Market Leadership by Share of Used Goods, and it’s the fifth time it’s receive the honor. Goodwill Manasota also won Market Leadership by Donations for the fourth time.
Goodwill Manasota Vice President of Operations Donn Githens tells Coffee Talk, “It’s recognition of the work that the organization and the board of directors have done over the years.”
Goodwill Manasota falls under the medium-sized agency category, which includes Goodwill organizations with revenue from $26.9 million and $57.3 million.
Market Leadership by Share of Used Goods speaks to capitalizing on the highest proportion of its available used goods market. Goodwill officials say it’s measured by comparing total donated goods revenue with estimated “used goods market potential.”
Market Leadership by Donations is won by having the highest market penetration of its donor market. Market penetration is calculated by taking the number of people who shop at and donate to Goodwill in a specific region and dividing that number by the size of the relevant market population. Githens says, “We get the highest number of donations per household in the middle category.”
Part of the organization’s success, Githens says, comes from strategically aligning with the community and making locations convenient for donors and shoppers. “The convenience is a huge factor,” he says.
Growth in the area served by Goodwill Manasota has also helped the organization. “As the households grow, our donations are growing pretty close to it,” Githens says.
Despite being award-winners, Githens says Goodwill Manasota always looks for ways to improve. To identify areas for improvement in its stores, Goodwill uses mystery shoppers who evaluate stores on metrics including cleanliness, customer service, whether every item is priced, whether customers are greeted quickly and whether employees thank customers for shopping.
Githens says, “We’re constantly looking at ways to be better and get more out of what we receive in donations.”
Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.
Join thousands of executives who rely on us for insights spanning Tampa Bay to Naples.
