Make your next fundraiser a win-win-win with a Goodwill Donation Drive. With each Goodwill trailer filled, you earn money for your school or organization, keep reusable items out of our landfills and create job opportunities in your community.
Hosting a drive is easy, fun and effective. It provides employees, students, faculty and community members with a convenient place to donate the gently used items they no longer need or use. It’s never been easier to go green and get green at the same time.
In a typical year, participating Central Coast schools and organizations earn more than $25,000 through Goodwills’s Donation Drive Reimbursement Program.
Everyone can take part either through donating, reaching out to the community, or volunteering on the day of the event.
Donation drive hosts are provided a Goodwill truck to collect the goods and a friendly Goodwill employee to help collect and sort the donations for the duration of the event. We will compensate your group for every truck you fill with donated goods. You can receive up to $400 per full trailer picked up by GCC.
To help your business, school, or organization plan and execute a successful donation drive, Goodwill offers the following tips and suggestions:
- Decide on the optimal date to reserve the drive and a high profile location for the donation trailer.
- Contact your Goodwill representative to schedule the event and discuss logistics.
- Pre-collect donations prior to your event to ensure receipt of donations you may not receive on the day of your Donation Drive.
- Find and train volunteers for the day of the drive
- Pass out flyers and distribute them to all your neighbors
- Suggest to friends and neighbors it’s time to clean their garage, attic, and closets
- Tell coworkers you can help them get rid of unwanted clothing and household items
- Ask your dry cleaner if they have any unclaimed clothes to donate
- Organize a “pickup crew” to visit homes who can’t deliver to the site.
- Post on bulletin boards, church marquees, business boards, bulletins and newsletters.
- Consider coordinating the event with a city or county event and work with your city or county to advertise.
- Create buzz around your drive by adding collateral activities: i.e. live music, BBQ, dunk tank, fashion show with Goodwill clothing, dance performances, etc.
- Make known to donors what types of items can and cannot be accepted.
- Send regular email blasts to your organizational mailing list.
- Post on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and on the organizational website(s).
- Place a sandwich board sign in the street.
- Have a volunteer wave a Donation Drive sign at a nearby, highly trafficked street corner.
- Wear colorful, eye-catching clothing or costumes.
- Celebrate your success! Thank participants, publicize your results and let them know the impact their donations have on Goodwill’s mission: Helping individuals with job training; Helping the community by creating jobs; Helping the planet by keeping items in use and out of landfills.
Click this link to download a registration form, guidebook, a Donation Drive flier template and a W-9. Complete the registration form and the W-9 and email it to [email protected] or [email protected] or fax it to (831) 421-0588.
Have questions or interest in hosting your own donation drive? Contact [email protected].