Below you will find answers to our most Frequently Asked Questions. If the answer you are looking for cannot befound here, please call (305) 325-9114 for more information.
Our main purpose is to provide rehabilitation, training and employment opportunities to help people overcome their barriers to employment.
We are a private non-profit agency, not a government agency. A volunteer Board of Directors that is made up of local citizens provides oversight to Goodwill Industries and ensures, that it meets the needs of the citizens of
our community.
Goodwill runs numerous businesses, whose only purpose is to further its mission.
Our businesses provide an opportunity and a special work environment where people with disabilities can learn skills, acquire work experience, gain confidence and build their self esteem until they are ready for competitive employment in the community. In addition, the revenues from the businesses also help support the mission, so we do not have to depend exclusively on large government support.
We operate 17 retail stores to sell merchandise donated by the public at 50 donation centers throughout Miami-Dade county. This is the business activity by which most people recognize us and have supported Goodwill for many
years. But, there are many other businesses we operate that most people are
not aware of. We manufacture military clothing for the United States
government. We make the most important flag of the United States of America
- the interment flag. We are a janitorial company that daily cleans 80
buildings with 5.5 million sq. ft. of space. We clean and prepare all of the
1,400 Metro Dade County buses to go into service on the street. We operate
the U.S. Coast Guard food service program. We receive and collate all
pre-printed advertising materials that go into five editions of The Miami
Herald - about 1.4 million packages with about 250 million pages per week.
We provide rehabilitation, training and employment for people with
disabilities and special needs. We are a rehabilitation service agency.
- They must be at least 18 years old.
- They must be able to use public transportation or have their own means of transportation.
- They must be able to provide self-care. (Eating, restroom, etc.)
- They cannot have aggressive behavior nor be dangerous to themselves or others.
The majority of those we serve have physical, mental or emotional
disabilities. We also serve people with special needs who do not have a
disability. These are people that face major barriers to employment due to a
combination of factors such as: poverty, stressful living conditions, lack
of education and training, chronic unemployment and other similar factors.
Our organization's strength lies in helping people who face major barriers to independent living such as people with disabilities and special needs. There are few organizations that can do what we do. There is also a very large
population of people with disabilities and special needs in our community.
Therefore, we like to devote our capacity to serve those who need us the
most.
If the person is not aware, we will arrange for a professional to make this determination. In fact, the first step for individuals to enter a Goodwill program is through our Evaluation Program. They will receive numerous tests to determine their aptitude, interest and to establish a plan to help them
on the basis of their needs and interests.
Some can make the transition to employment and the competitive world in just a few weeks, and for others it could take many years. It depends on the complexity of the individual's needs and problems. Goodwill's goal is to
help people make the transition as soon as possible.
It is provided at our main facility located at 2121 N.W. 21 Street.
We have vocational training in the following areas: Office Careers,
Cashiering/Bank Encoding, Industrial Sewing, Janitorial Services. And, we
have a variety of employment and supportive services that assist individuals
enrolled in vocational training.
They must have authorization for employment and a social security card.
Goodwill is subject to a federal labor law called the Fair Labor Standards Act that requires that people be paid no less than the minimum wage. There are individuals, who due to severe disabilities, have productivity that is
very low and would not be employable. In order to facilitate their training
and employment, The U.S. Department of Labor issues a special certificate to
allow these individuals to be paid at a piece rate so long as it is based on
a wage rate similar to what a non-disabled individual would earn doing
similar work. This enables us to help these individuals increase their
productivity gradually until they reach the competitive level.
They will get paid if they are in training and perform productive work. But, they are not paid when involved in classroom training where there is no
productive work.
Some can be helped to produce at a competitive level rapidly and for others
it takes a long time. This depends on the complexity of the individual's
needs and problems. Goodwill's goal is not to offer long-term employment to
those served, but rather to help them move as soon as possible into
competitive employment in order to make room to serve others in need of
Goodwill's services.
The State of Florida, Department of Children & Families and the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation refer them. Also, they are referred by the Miami-Dade County School System, United Way agencies, Jackson Memorial
Hospital and other similar organizations. In addition, a large number of
individuals come by themselves or are referred by their own families.
They pay nothing. Goodwill services are free to those who need them.
Some are enrolled in programs that are partially funded by the State of Florida, Department of Children & Families, the Florida Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation or the Miami-Dade County School System. Your
contributions to United Way also are very helpful. Citizens like you help
pay for the bulk of the services every time you take a donation of clothing,
shoes, housewares and other goods to a Goodwill Donation Center. Here is
where our business activities come into play. 90% of our revenues in our
businesses help fund the services we offer.
The cost of making home pick ups has become prohibitive. We would appreciate it if you would take your donations to Goodwill's nearest Donation Center or one of our Stores. We have 50 Donation Centers and 17 stores located
throughout Miami-Dade County. You will find all our store locations in the
Yellow Pages under "Thrift Shops". We are confident there is one near your
home.
We like clothing, household items, shoes, housewares (such as flatware, dinnerware, pots and pans, kitchen utensils), small appliances (such as
toasters, blenders, mixers, counter top grills, juicers, waffle makers etc),
toys, bicycles, books, fishing equipment, tools, collectables, decorations
and many other small items.
Furniture, mattresses, large appliances such as: ovens, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, other large equipment and items which are not in good, saleable condition.
They are partially processed at the Donation Centers where the unsaleable items are separated from the saleable items. They are then classified in to major categories. The final processing is completed in the store stock
rooms. The materials are further classified, priced and then moved to the
sales floor. After four weeks, the merchandise that has not been sold is
sent to the Goodwill plant to be sold as salvage. Clothing is then packed in
1,000 lb. bales for sales abroad. Goodwill recycles millions of pounds of
clothing that otherwise would end up in the landfills. Thus, we are helping
keep our environment clean.
There two answers to this question: First, the donations are not free. Goodwill has a very high cost in a) staffing 50 donation centers for 10
hours a day, 7 days per week, b) a fleet of trucks to move the materials and
c) personnel required at the stores to process, price and sell the
merchandise. Second; since its inception one hundred years ago, Goodwill's
philosophy has been based on teaching people to support themselves. We do
not give charity or welfare but a chance. There are other organizations
whose mission is to provide this type of welfare. If Goodwill were to
provide this type of welfare, it could compromise its primary mission of
helping people with disabilities and special needs. And, they have a
greater need for Goodwill's assistance.
Our prices are not high; they are competitive with the demand. We establish prices by surveying the market. We try to obtain the highest price that the law of supply and demand will permit. We make sure we are selling excellent
quality merchandise for a price lower than new low quality merchandise. To
ensure a continuous influx of quality donations, we cannot allow our prices
to become too low. Many of our donors would become discouraged and complain
if we sold their quality donations at extremely low prices. Our supply of
goods for sale depends on our donors who expect that we value their
donations properly and are committed to maximizing the impact of their
generosity.
We use that money to help support our mission of rehabilitating, training and employing people with disabilities and other special needs. All of our
rehabilitation services - such as evaluation, training and job placement -
are free to our program participants.
Typically, an organization that puts back 60% of its revenues into its
programs to help their cause is a good rule of thumb. Goodwill of South
Florida is proud to say that we put 95% of all the money we make back into
our training, employment and rehabilitation programs.
No. All Goodwills are operated autonomously and independently. We all have very similar missions, but how we accomplish that mission varies from
Goodwill to Goodwill. This Goodwill is unique and diversified.
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