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Goodwill launches online thrift store GoodwillFinds.com [Video]

Secondhand clothing is expected to see some serious growth compared to retail as customers deal with inflation.

NEW YORK — Thrifters who flock to Goodwill stores will now be able to do more of their treasure hunting online.

The 120-year-old nonprofit organization on Tuesday launched GoodwillFinds, a newly incorporated shopping venture that is making roughly 100,000 donated items available for purchase online and expanding Goodwill’s internet presence that until now had been limited to auction sites like ShopGoodwill.com or individual stores selling donations online via eBay and Amazon.

GoodwillFinds’ goal is to have 1 million items on its site in a few years, said Matthew Kannes, newly appointed CEO of the online shopping arm, which features search tools that let shoppers browse by category. Eventually GoodwillFinds will be able to be personalized based on a customer’s past purchases.

GoodwillFinds is a separate entity from Goodwill Industries International Inc. but it will support the larger organization by helping …

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Resources for Nonprofit Directors

'Band of Brothers' actors travel to historic Toccoa camp [Video]

A group of actors from the 2001 HBO series "Band of Brothers" have come together to honor the service members they portrayed and it's all happening at a historic camp in Toccoa, Georgia.It was a place where tens of thousands of military service members trained. For the first time in 80-plus years, parachute training is back at Camp Toccoa."Everybody that's here understands the significance of this place and this site. To have that training come back here is just amazing," Board member for Camp Toccoa, Brad Retting said.They're considered a band of brothers in their own right and have come back together to honor the original "Easy" Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division for the 80th anniversary of D-day. All Airborne Battalion, a nonprofit organization that focuses on conducting a number of operations to honor the legacy of service members before them, has been in charge of training the actors."To bring them back to where their heroes trained and to being them back essentially they were made, the company as a whole was made is truly the power behind this project," All Airborne Battalion president, Darren Cinatl said. For the actors themselves, many said it was surreal."To still be talking about it 24 years later in the actual place where these guys trained, the original airborne, its quite emotional," Mark Lawrence who played Cpl. William H. Dukeman Jr said.The men of Easy Company created a bond so strong that it has transcended time and people. So that bond they created during the Second World War still exists with us," Douglas Spain, who played Technician Fifth Grade Antonio C. Garcia said. The actors fully immersed themselves in the experience from the training, to living in the barracks, to enjoying a MRE.All preparing to do just like the men they portrayed did and parachute into Normandy."It just means so much to me. What these guys did for us, the greatest generation and to be here where they started out, where they became a band of brothers it's overwhelming," Lawrence said."The fact that he made a decision to 82 years ago has affected my life today. Because of him I am here. It's just tremendous and it's like I love Tony Garcia," Spain said."To just kind of follow in his footsteps, just a tiny piece it's one of the greatest things I have ever done," Lawrence said.There will be a documentary of the cast's trip from Toccoa to Normandy. If you would like to learn more, click here.

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WorkingNation Overheard: Shari Krull on social capital building on the path to a good career [Video]

25-year-old nonprofit Streetwise Partners brings together unemployed and underemployed adults with volunteer mentors to create a social network that will help launch their careers.“We have a very structured model that is very intentional around professional skills building and social capital building. Eighty-percent of jobs are found through networking. Who you know matters,” explains Shari Krull, the nonprofit’s CEO. WorkingNation sat down with Krull at Presented by JFF Horizons – See Beyond 2022 in New Orleans.“Our mentoring program is very unique. We apply a two-to-one mentoring model, so it's two mentors to one mentee. So it's just double the network, double the access. Our mentors arrange for at least four informational interviews for our participants, so the network starts to increase” she explains.Krull says hard skills are not enough, so there is a focus on soft skills as well.“How do you introduce yourself with confidence if somebody asks you in an interview, tell me about yourself. How do you leverage a professional network? How do you identify relationships so that you have a professional reference? How do you dress for particular interviews? What should you put on your resume? All of these skills that unless you were born into a household where you could absorb them through osmosis, you're really out of luck.”Krull says Streetwise Partners is proud of the outcome this social capital building has achieved – than 70% of its graduates are employed within a year and starting annual salaries increase over the year from $10,000 to $60,000. Find out more about Streetwise Partners:https://streetwisepartners.org/Our #WorkingNationOverheard interview series lets you listen in on conversations and discussions about employment and education taking place at major conferences around the country. You can find past installments at https://workingnation.org/overheard/.Check out what they are saying at JFF Horizons – See Beyond 2022 in New Orleans: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EXy_Hi93bLuN_PsvusC33vJFM4ahZ3TYou can read more about this year's conference at https://horizons.jff.org/ and learn more about Jobs for the Future – JFF at https://www.jff.org/.Follow the conversation on social media: #WorkingNation #WorkingNationOverheard #JFFHorizons #SeeBeyond #futureofwork #workforcedevelopment #skillsgap #jobs #work #career #skills For stories about solutions to the jobs skills gap disrupting our economy and the future of work, visit WorkingNation at https://workingnation.org/. Connect with WorkingNation on social media: Subscribe to WorkingNation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WorkingNation_videoFollow @workingnation on Twitter: https://twitter.com/workingnation Follow WorkingNation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-nation/Like and follow our WorkingNation Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/workingnation/ Follow WorkingNation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workingnation/

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Nonprofit's Embracing Tech To Get Work Done! [Video]

Our cohosts welcome Christine Chacko, an associate at Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC.com). Christine delivers insights into how nonprofits can harness technology and automation to work more efficiently. Her emphasis on a mindset shift towards automation and practical tips for implementation will give you actionable strategies to improve your NPO’s operations and save valuable time. As Christine aptly puts it, "The more detail they have, the less easy it is for them to engage. Make it as easy as possible for them to engage with what you need them to." Christine begins by emphasizing the importance of adopting a mindset that prioritizes automation and efficiency in daily tasks. She explains how even small automation steps can significantly save time, allowing organizations to focus more on people-centered work. One key takeaway from the discussion is the idea that automation doesn't necessarily require massive investments in new systems. Christine lists simple but effective tools like QuickBooks' spreadsheet sync feature and Bill.com for payments, illustrating how these can streamline financial processes and save hours of manual work. The conversation also addresses the importance of integrating technology for better communication within nonprofit teams, discussing project management software like Asana, Trello, and Microsoft Planner, which can help teams stay organized and collaborate efficiently, especially in a distributed workforce. The co-hosts and Christine speak to the challenges of introducing technology to teams that may not be tech-savvy. Christine amplifies on the importance of starting small, providing training, and creating a low-pressure environment for adoption. Having a designated champion within the organization can also be instrumental in driving tech adoption. Another important topic is the focus on board meetings and how automation can improve presentations for board members. Christine advocates for simplifying data visualization, emphasizing that concise and clear messages are more effective than overwhelming board members with data, and the conversation concludes with a discussion on the need for periodic reviews of automation efforts.You can also listen to the show on your favorite podcast channel. Additionally, the American Nonprofit Academy provides news, inspiration, and training for the nonprofit and social impact community.#fundraising #nonprofit #socialimpact