Annual Report 2016

by Staff Writer, Evergreen Goodwill

January 16, 2017

See the full Annual Report (PDF) | See our Financials (PDF) | Form 990 FY 2015-2016 (PDF)

A letter from our CEO, Daryl J. Campbell

Every day, together, we do our best to connect people with the jobs, services and skills they need. This annual report shows that we had another year of growth and positive influence on thousands of individuals.

Here are a few highlights from fiscal year 2015-2016:

9,767 people were enrolled in Seattle Goodwill programs
1,485 Job Training and Education students were placed in jobs
279 students enrolled in college programs
4,917 people had help completing their federal income taxes

As you spend a few minutes reading this annual report, you’ll see evidence of the impact we’ve made together. Through personal stories, you’ll hear how the Goodwill family helped people overcome barriers and achieve their goals.

“Breaking barriers” is our theme because it represents students’ progress and success. They overcame barriers such as limited English, lack of job history and adjusting to a new culture.

More people took steps forward through our new training programs and workshops. We added warehouse logistics and industrial vehicle classes to meet an increased demand for jobs in those areas. Another example is digital literacy, which is no longer just a Goodwill class. It is incorporated into our job training programs, job placement and support services assistance.

We can provide these many opportunities because of you, our dedicated partners. Your time and financial support benefit our students—and enrich the whole community. We appreciate you, the Goodwill cheerleaders, the enlightening neighbors and fearless funders who promote and ultimately make these critical programs and services possible. These conversations are multipliers for our ongoing outreach and marketing efforts.

The success stories and impressive metrics in this annual report wouldn’t be possible without your support and involvement. Thank you for believing in the value of Seattle Goodwill.

Daryl J. Campbell, President & CEO

Our Vision for the Future

Seattle Goodwill can move the needle on addressing poverty and strengthening communities. We can and we must. We deliver relevant training and education that prepares people for employment in the current and future marketplace. We run successful retail operations to support our job training programs. We must also engage with strong partners and maximize the reach of our collective network in order to expand our impact for the region. And we must mobilize more quickly to serve the growing numbers of disadvantaged people in our community.

There are three key forces informing Goodwill’s drive for amplifying our impact: a rise in poverty, limited educational and skills attainment holding people back from employment, and a growing skills gap, particularly as workers from the baby boom generation retire from the workforce.

By 2020 we will successfully increase annual job placements to 2,700 and triple the number of students on a path toward continued education to 300 annually. With self-sufficiency at the core of our work, we will expand our menu of programs and services to meet employer and student needs. Additionally, building on our existing work we will continue to integrate digital literacy as these skills are critical for obtaining employment and self-sufficiency wages.

Meet Anja Sanders: Furniture shopping led to a new career

Anja Sanders was an at-home hairstylist in Germany before moving to Bremerton with her husband and three kids about six years ago. “I’d been a stay-at-home mom for 16 years and I was afraid to go to work here. I wasn’t sure what to do next.”

Anja refinishes furniture as a hobby, and while shopping at Goodwill she noticed a flier about the job training programs. Within days she started classes and later was hired at the Goodwill store in Silverdale. Store managers rewarded Anja’s excellent work with a number of promotions, and she became a retail supervisor in summer 2016.

Grocery store turns to Goodwill
for eager, prepared workers

“Job candidates from Goodwill are eager and prepared to work,” said Jill Salamunovich, staffing manager for New Seasons Market. “They know the technical side of the job, and they have the soft skills other job-training programs don’t provide.”

The Mercer Island store’s HR assistant manager Andrew Saucedo (3rd from left) is pictured here with Goodwill program graduates Tillman Chapman, Sanny Garcia and Kelly Hines.

Meet Shak Sifagaloa: Goodwill provides family a 'sense of aloha'

Six years ago, Shak Sifagaloa was living on the island of Oahu when his eldest daughter was diagnosed with severe kidney failure. Unable to provide adequate at-home care and in need of a specialist, Shak and his family packed up and left Hawaii to seek treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

“Leaving the island was hard,” Shak said, “but our family knew this was the best option for my daughter.”

Because Shak had a felony offense in his past, he couldn’t stay with his family near the hospital; he lived out of a friend’s van while he looked for work. He enrolled in Goodwill’s warehouse logistics and industrial vehicle programs, and secured a day job working for his local Goodwill store.

One busy day between classes and work, Shak received a phone call from the doctor. They found a replacement kidney for his daughter. “It was an overwhelming moment,” he said.

Today Shak is a delivery truck driver for Goodwill. He hopes to continue his education and give back to the community by helping those who are struggling to find work. Nearly 2,700 miles from his native island, Shak can still feel a sense of aloha at Goodwill.

“You walk in the door here and you feel welcome,” Shak said. “These are people that really, sincerely want to help and see you be successful.”

Meet Donald Lambert: Never too late to follow mom's advice

At 65, Donald Lambert isn’t a traditional student. He takes classes at Renton Technical College and Seattle Goodwill, sharpening his writing skills and preparing for more advanced college classes.

Donald is eager to achieve his goal: finishing a college degree with a double major in chemical dependency and health and human services.

“My mother used to say, ‘It’s never too late.’ Her voice is constantly in my head,” Donald said. “It’s the driving force for me to finish my education.”

Donald wasn’t always laser-focused on crossing the finish line. At 16, he started drinking and using drugs. He moved to Seattle from Minneapolis in 1988 and was homeless for a while. He would start a new job or attempt sobriety, then quit when things didn’t go well.

When Donald heard that a friend was teaching at Seattle Goodwill, he committed to learning again. With encouragement from compassionate Goodwill instructors, Donald earned his diploma through the High School 21+ program. He plans to stay connected with Goodwill for life because of the help he has received breaking his barriers to success.

“Bottom line, it’s never too late to change your direction. But you need to search your soul and find what makes sense for you,” Donald said.

Meet Ta'Vion Vaughn Washington:
Goodwill experience inspired a future working with youth

Driven by a passion to inspire and support disadvantaged youth, Ta’Vion Vaughn Washington represents the power of perseverance. Before age 10 he lost his mother and father to the criminal justice system. Ta’Vion was shuffled in and out of foster care, then broke the law and was arrested when he was 17.

“I remember sitting in jail and thinking, ‘This isn’t the life I want, this isn’t how I was raised,’” Ta’Vion said. “Once I got out I started looking for a job, but no one would hire me because of my past.”

A friend suggested he join Seattle Goodwill’s Youth Green Corps program. In partnership with the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, Green Corps combines goal setting and work experience with environmental restoration and trail maintenance.

“Green Corps made me feel like I was part of a family. They shaped me,” Ta’Vion said. “And without the connections I made with politicians and community leaders through Goodwill, I probably wouldn’t have a nonprofit of my own today.”

Ta’Vion runs Boys to Men Ministries, a community outreach program that helps newly released adult prisoners with housing, educational support and a path back into society.

Helping others succeed and giving advice has long been a desire for Ta’Vion. Through his job as a Goodwill communications liaison, Ta’Vion speaks at schools, job fairs and training programs.

Impacts & Outcomes

Seattle Goodwill, a mission-driven organization, works to address poverty and strengthen communities by preparing people for employment in the current and future marketplace.

9,767 Students served through job training and education
1,485 people placed in jobs
86% Retail Program grad employment rate
700+ employers hired Goodwill students
4,9117 VITA Tax returns completed, $6 million returned
76% Goodwill grads retained a job after 1 year
279 placed in college or certificate programs
$16,063 increase in average household income upon completion of programs

Our Students

Our students are a diverse group who enter our programs with many barriers to success, but everyone wants the same thing—opportunity for a better life.

64% female
Average age: 43
Our students collectively speak 99 native languages
$8,402 average individual income
78% below 200% poverty
37% recieve food stamps
61% immigrant/refugee
30% without a high school diploma or GED
14% with a less than 4th grade English reading level
21% disabled
16% ex-offender

Your Support Helps Overcome Barriers to Opportunity

Every day we meet individuals ready to make a change. Whether their barriers to economic opportunity are related to language, culture, housing or lack of work history, people have found a path to success through Goodwill.

Seattle Goodwill Industries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to job training and education. We strive for efficiency with the resources you entrust to us. This year about 80 percent of our community financial donations and net proceeds from our retail thrift operations funded programs that positively changed lives. Thank you for being partners in our efforts.

Building tiny homes and teamwork

Drills, saws and classic rock tunes fill the air at the Tulalip tribe vocational center, where construction students build tiny houses for Seattle’s homeless.

But before they even pick up a hammer, students spend time in the classroom. Lisa Telford, of the tribe’s vocational training center, partners with Seattle Goodwill to teach workplace readiness skills.

“Students connect right away when they learn the ‘soft skills’ like teamwork, how to respond to feedback and see their own talents and strengths,” Lisa said.

The spirit of teamwork follows students to the workshop, where they have built 11 tiny houses for the Low Income Housing Institute.

Seattle Goodwill partners with the Tulalip Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) for a number of workplace readiness programs and vocational classes.

“Their instructors are engaging and enthusiastic. The students really pay attention,” Lisa said.

Lynne Bansemer of the TERO Vocational Training Center, agreed. “The Goodwill partnership is one I never want to lose.”

Thank you to our generous Goodwill financial donors and our agency volunteers during fiscal year 2014-2015.

See the full Annual Report (PDF) | See our Financials (PDF) | Form 990 FY 2015-2016 (PDF)

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