If one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, organizations like Goodwill are transforming that adage into big business. Just read “Goodwill Hunting,” an Alta Journal feature by Edward Humes that profiles the work being done at Goodwill of Orange County. Just last year, the nonprofit diverted 60 million pounds of merchandise from local landfills, leading to a whopping $113 million in revenue for local thrift sales and fundraising, and sparing the dump from a whole lot of “treasure.” With so many items prevented from going to waste through thrifting, what does this tell us about trends in retail? Goodwill of Orange County’s CEO Nicole Suydam joins Alta Live to answer our questions about an environmental reckoning in the retail world, the accelerating trends in e-commerce thrifting, and Goodwill OC’s extraordinary employee community. Join us for a peek into a bargain hunter’s paradise, and learn about secondhand products from a firsthand source.
About the guest:
Nicole Suydam has served the nonprofit sector for 26 years, working with local and national organizations dedicated to meeting human service needs. Growing up in a low-income, single-parent home gave her a unique perspective and calling to serve others.
As the first woman appointed president and CEO of Goodwill of Orange County, Suydam leads one of the largest nonprofits in Orange County, providing workforce development programs and services to help more than 25,000 people annually. Goodwill OC’s employment social enterprise operation, which started in Orange County 100 years ago, employs more than 1,400 people through 25 thrift stores and donation sites and 15-plus workforce development programs.
Suydam is also responsible for leading, modernizing, and growing ShopGoodwill.com, an online thrift marketplace owned and operated by Goodwill of Orange County since 1999. The site was designed to be an additional funding source, beyond brick-and-mortar thrift stores, to support Goodwill’s mission to help people learn job skills and find sustainable careers. Now, 25 years later, ShopGoodwill.com is a critical mission revenue driver for 130 other Goodwill organizations across the country. Last year, ShopGoodwill.com generated record site-wide revenue of more than $340 million for Goodwill’s mission nationwide.
Most recently, Suydam led a year-long, collaborative strategic planning process for Goodwill of Orange County to guide the organization into its 100th year of service to Orange County and beyond. The completed strategic plan outlines a bold long-term vision and goal for Goodwill OC: to double its impact and footprint in Orange County over the next 10 years. Under Suydam’s inspirational leadership and the collective excitement felt from both internal and external Goodwill partners, work is already underway to make this bold goal a reality.•
