Goodwill of the Finger Lakes

What Goodwill of the Finger Lakes does

Goodwill of the Finger Lakes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1911 (originally as ABVI, the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired) and headquartered in Rochester, New York, operating across the Rochester and Syracuse regions. It runs a diversified social enterprise portfolio anchored by 16 retail thrift stores, a clearance center, and 12+ donation centers that process donated goods, plus an online storefront and the Kicks for Good sneaker program. Social enterprise units include a contact center, industrial sewing operation, and manufacturing business that participate in the AbilityOne Program through the National Industries for the Blind, providing employment for people who are blind or have other disabilities under federal contracts.

The organization's community impact programs include Goodwill Vision Enterprises (low vision exams, rehabilitation therapy, and orientation and mobility training), 211/LIFE LINE and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (24/7 phone, chat, and text referral services), the Good Neighbor Program (distributing goods to 40+ partner agencies), Workforce Development and the Goodwill Learning Academy, and specialized initiatives such as the Community Connections Desk at the Monroe County Hall of Justice, the RefashionED school program, and the Thriftfluencer influencer program. The 988 call line, launched regionally in July 2022, has driven an 86% increase in call volume and the addition of more than 20 crisis-line staff. The 2023 partnership with UR Medicine Flaum Eye Institute placed a comprehensive eye clinic inside the 5,300-square-foot Sterns Center for Low Vision, and a February 2024 partnership with Reju extends operations into textile-to-textile recycling.

Revenue is generated through thrift store sales (90 cents of every retail dollar reinvested into community programs), individual and planned giving, vehicle donations processed through Wilbert's U-Pull It, and government contract revenue from the AbilityOne/NIB network. The organization employs more than 750 people, positively impacts over 184,908 community members annually, diverted more than 26 million pounds of goods from landfills in 2022, and received a transformative $10 million unrestricted gift from MacKenzie Scott in 2022. It is led by President & CEO Jennifer Lake and is certified as a Great Place to Work (75% employee satisfaction) and a GuideStar Platinum transparency member.

Name

Goodwill of the Finger Lakes

Legal name

Goodwill of the Finger Lakes

Website

https://goodwillfingerlakes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Goodwill of the Finger Lakes is a Rochester, NY-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating 16 thrift stores, AbilityOne social enterprises, and community programs including 211/LIFE LINE, 988 crisis line, vision rehabilitation, and workforce development, serving more than 184,908 people annually across the Rochester and Syracuse regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Thrift Store Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of donated goods in 16 retail thrift stores and one clearance center across the Rochester and Syracuse regions. 90 cents of every dollar spent in Goodwill stores is reinvested into community programs and services.
2. Financial Donations: The organization accepts financial donations designated to various programs including Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, Goodwill Vision Enterprises, Goodwill Learning Academy, 211/988 Lifeline, and Good Neighbor. These include one-time gifts, recurring donations, and planned giving options.
3. Vehicle Donation Program: Partnered with Wilbert's U-Pull It to accept vehicle donations. Donors receive tax deduction benefits and the proceeds support community programs.
4. Government Contracts (AbilityOne Program): Goodwill participates in the AbilityOne Program, providing steady employment for blind or disabled Americans through government contracts. The organization generates revenue through manufacturing, industrial sewing, and contact center operations under this program.
5. Planned Giving & Estate Gifts: The organization accepts bequests, IRA charitable rollovers, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, life insurance beneficiary designations, and real estate donations as part of its planned giving program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Goodwill of the Finger Lakes is a nonprofit social enterprise that sells donated goods through 16 retail thrift stores, a clearance center, donation centers, and an online shop, while operating social enterprises (contact center, industrial sewing, AbilityOne manufacturing) and community programs including 211/LIFE LINE, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, Goodwill Vision Enterprises, the Good Neighbor program, Workforce Development, and the Goodwill Learning Academy.

Product overview

Goodwill of the Finger Lakes is a not-for-profit social enterprise organization offering a diversified portfolio of retail, social services, and workforce development programs. The core retail operations include 17 thrift stores, a clearance center, donation centers, online shopping, and the Kicks for Good sneaker program. The organization operates social enterprises (Contact Center, Industrial Sewing, Manufacturing) providing jobs for people with disabilities. Community impact programs include Goodwill Vision Enterprises (vision rehabilitation services for the blind), 211/LIFE LINE and 988 crisis helplines, Good Neighbor Program (distributing goods to those in need), Workforce Development, Goodwill Learning Academy, and the Google AI Essentials Training Course. The organization also runs specialty programs like Thriftfluencer, Community Connections Desk, and the annual Sustainability Under the Stars fashion event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Goodwill Retail Thrift Stores

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 26 million pounds of goods diverted from landfills in 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RejucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2024Goodwill of the Finger Lakes partnered with Reju, a European textile recycling innovator, to celebrate Rochester as a hub for textile-to-textile circularity. The partnership aims to give clothing new life through advanced textile recycling, keeping more materials out of landfills and reintroducing them into the supply chain.
• UR Medicine Flaum Eye InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023Goodwill Vision Enterprises and the Flaum Eye Institute partnered to improve access to vision care in Rochester. The Flaum Eye Institute opened a comprehensive eye care center within the renovated 5,300-square-foot Goodwill Vision Enterprises Sterns Center for Low Vision. The center includes six exam rooms, procedure rooms, an optical shop, and dedicated space for comprehensive and low vision exams. Technology upgrades include electronic medical records for continuity of care.
• Wilbert's U-Pull ItcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWilbert's U-Pull It manages Goodwill's Vehicle Donation Program. The partnership enables donors to conveniently donate vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats) by calling 315-589-2222. A tow company contacts donors within 2-3 business days to arrange pickup.
• Institute for Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHS is a lead partner organization for the 211 Finger Lakes Region, working alongside Goodwill's 211/LIFE LINE program to connect individuals across Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Allegany, Yates, Tompkins, and Cortland Counties with human services and resources.
• Human Service CollationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman Service Collation (HSCTC) partners with Goodwill's 211/LIFE LINE as a lead organization for the 211 Finger Lakes Region, serving the same counties to provide information and referral services for human needs.
• Horizons at HarleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoodwill collaborated with the Horizons at Harley school program on the RefashionED initiative. Students collect, sort, price, and sell donated clothes at a local Goodwill store to fund school or community projects.
• Rochester Area Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Rochester Area Community Foundation to establish the Community Connections Desk (CCD) at the Monroe County Hall of Justice, providing on-site referral services to individuals in the justice system.
• National Industries for the Blind (NIB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoodwill participates in NIB's AbilityOne Program, which generates employment for over 45,000 blind or disabled Americans. NIB and its associated agencies produce SKILCRAFT products and provide professional services including contact center, cybersecurity, and contract management services through government contracts.
• WXXIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoodwill partnered with WXXI (Rochester's public media station) on textile recycling awareness and education initiatives. WXXI covered Goodwill's work on expanding textile recycling through interviews and news features.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Salvation Army: Operates thrift retail stores funded by donations, plus a broad portfolio of social services (rehabilitation, emergency assistance, disaster relief). Most directly comparable nonprofit operating model combining donated-goods retail with social mission programs.
• Goodwill of Western and Northern Michigan: Another regional Goodwill affiliate operating thrift stores, workforce development, and community programs. Closely comparable in scale, mission structure, and AbilityOne participation.
• Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey: Regional Goodwill affiliate serving the greater New York area with thrift retail, workforce development, and AbilityOne social enterprises. Comparable operating model and adjacent New York geography.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStores: Operates a network of nonprofit home-furnishing and building-material resale stores that fund a housing mission. Comparable nonprofit-resale model where donated goods sales fund social programs.
• St. Vincent de Paul: Catholic nonprofit operating thrift stores whose proceeds fund food, housing, and emergency assistance programs. Closely comparable mission-driven retail-resale hybrid.
• National Industries for the Blind (NIB): Central nonprofit agency coordinating the AbilityOne Program across its associated agencies. Goodwill of the Finger Lakes' manufacturing, contact center, and industrial sewing social enterprises all operate under this network, making NIB both a contractual and strategic peer.
• Lighthouse Guild: National nonprofit providing vision rehabilitation, behavioral health, and employment services for people who are blind or visually impaired. Directly comparable to Goodwill Vision Enterprises' core service line.

Emerging players

• ThredUp: Online resale platform that processes donated and consigned secondhand clothing at scale. Represents the structural competitive shift in the secondhand goods market that may divert donation supply away from traditional thrift stores.

Broad incumbents

• Savers / Value Village: For-profit thrift retailer operating large-format secondhand stores in partnership with nonprofit partners. Comparable scale and customer base, with a commercial (rather than nonprofit) operating model that competes for the same donation supply.

Others

• Vibrant Emotional Health: National administrator of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline network. Both an ecosystem partner (Goodwill of the Finger Lakes operates 988 call center services) and a comparable organization in the crisis-services space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodwill-of-the-finger-lakes

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Goodwill of the Finger Lakes