What GOONJ does

GOONJ is an Indian non-profit organisation founded in 1998/1999 by Anshu Gupta in New Delhi that operates a textile-circularity model converting urban surplus (primarily clothing and household goods) into resources for rural development, disaster relief, menstrual health, and education across all 31 States and Union Territories of India. Its core operating engine is a network of Circularity Centres — processing facilities in Delhi, Dehradun, Rishikesh, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Kolkata — that sort, clean, and reconfigure donated material before routing it through partner NGOs and community-led programs. The flagship initiative, Cloth for Work, compensates rural community labor on local infrastructure (water, sanitation, access, agriculture) with material contributions rather than cash, while Rahat handles disaster response, Not Just A Piece of Cloth addresses menstrual health, School to School channels educational materials, and Green by Goonj upcycles waste into livelihood products.

The business model is not commercial but donation-funded across four streams: individual monetary giving (including the Team 5000 subscription program with a minimum Rs 12,000/year commitment); in-kind material donations collected at camps and dropping centers; corporate CSR partnerships (most notably a decade-long garment-exchange program with Raymond); and themed campaign-based crowdfunding (Rahat, Odha Do Zindagi, Goonj It!). Go-to-market is community-led through volunteer chapter heads, residential societies (RWAs), schools, and corporates — anchored by the annual October Joy of Sharing Month campaign and year-round Chaupal gatherings. Payment rails span Indian and foreign donors via Paytm, Give.do, Danamojo, Give2Asia, and ICA Online, with 80G tax-exemption and FCRA certification enabling domestic and cross-border giving.

Operationally, the organisation is lean relative to its footprint (stated 11–50 employees with state chapter heads across 12+ states and Tamil Nadu alone running 100+ members), relies on partner NGOs for rural distribution, and shows unusually deep leadership tenure — multiple team leads with 10–25 years at Goonj. Its 2025 SARRD launch signals intent to export the disaster-response model beyond India. The organisation has no proprietary technology stack, no disclosed AI capabilities, and no external funding rounds, governance instead resting on a board, donor base, and the founder's continued leadership following his 2024 Magsaysay Award.

Name

GOONJ

Legal name

Goonj

Website

https://goonj.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GOONJ is an Indian non-profit (founded 1999) that channels urban textile and household surplus into rural development, disaster relief, menstrual health, and education programs across all 31 Indian States and UTs via a network of processing centres and partner NGOs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid / Rural Development Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing (322291)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Recycled-Content & Sustainable Tissue/Hygiene Products (IMAMAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Medical & Healthcare Hygiene Disposables (Patient Wipes, Underpads) (IMAMAGAF)

Keywords

• Rural development programs
• Disaster relief services
• Clothing redistribution
• Material circularity
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monetary donations from individual supporters through online portal, bank transfers, and checks. Includes Team 5000 monthly giving program requiring minimum 12,000/year commitment.
2. Material Donations: Collection and processing of surplus clothing, household materials, and other items from urban donors, processed through Circularity Centres and routed to rural communities.
3. Corporate CSR Partnerships: Strategic partnerships with corporations for collection drives, co-branded campaigns, and fund allocation through corporate social responsibility programs. Includes decade-long partnership with Raymond for garment exchange programs.
4. Campaign-based Fundraising: Themed crowdfunding campaigns including Rahat (disaster relief), School to School, Not Just a Piece of Cloth (menstrual health), Odha Do Zindagi (winter clothing), and Goonj It!

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

GOONJ is a nonprofit organization that collects urban surplus materials—primarily clothing and household goods—and channels them through processing facilities called Circularity Centres to rural communities across India. Its flagship Cloth for Work model exchanges processed material as a dignified reward for rural voluntary labor on local development projects, and the organization also runs menstrual health (NJPC), education material redistribution (S2S), disaster response (Rahat), and textile upcycling (Green by Goonj, Goonj MY Pad) initiatives.

Product overview

Goonj is a nonprofit organization operating a portfolio of interconnected social programs centered on textile circularity and rural community development. The core offering consists of material collection and redistribution programs (Collection Camps, Dropping Centers) that channel surplus urban clothing and goods to rural communities through development-for-material exchanges. Key programs include Cloth for Work (infrastructure labor compensation), Not Just A Piece of Cloth (menstrual health), School to School (education materials), Rahat (disaster response), and Green by Goonj (upcycling). Supporting initiatives include Team 5000 (monthly giving), Chaupal (annual gatherings), Dignity Diaries (storytelling), and various seasonal campaigns like Joy of Sharing Month and Odha Do Zindagi winter distribution. The organization operates processing centers in major Indian cities and maintains a network of partner NGOs across 31 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cloth for Work: Community development initiative using clothing as a resource for rural development
• Not Just A Piece of Cloth (NJPC)
• School to School
• Rahat
• Green by Goonj
• Team 5000
• Chaupal
• Joy of Giving / Joy of Sharing Month
• Menstruation Dialogue
• Goonj Ki Gullak

Products and services

• Cloth for Work (CFW) Flagship initiative that uses donated clothing as a resource and reward for rural community development work, where villagers contribute voluntary labor (shramdaan) to infrastructure projects (water, sanitation, access, education) in exchange for material assistance.
• Not Just A Piece of Cloth (NJPC) Menstrual health and hygiene initiative that addresses menstruation as a human issue, working to normalize menstrual health discussions and provide dignified menstrual products to underserved women.
• School to School (S2S) Educational initiative that connects urban students with rural communities by channeling surplus educational materials (notebooks, stationery, bags) from city schools to rural government schools, while building empathy among urban children.
• Rahat Disaster response and rehabilitation program that provides immediate relief and long-term recovery support to communities affected by natural disasters across India, from earthquakes to floods, cyclones, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Green by Goonj Environmental sustainability initiative that transforms waste materials into upcycled products, promoting the 4Rs concept (Reuse, Recycle, Reduce, Recover) while generating livelihood opportunities in textile upcycling.
• Goonj MY Pad Biodegradable sanitary pad made from repurposed cotton cloth, produced as part of the Not Just A Piece of Cloth initiative to provide dignified menstrual products to underserved women.
• Team 5000 Monthly Giving Program Recurring monthly giving subscription where individuals commit to sustained contributions (minimum Rs 12,000/year), becoming part of a community of change-makers supporting GOONJ's ongoing rural development, disaster response, and community programs.
• Collection Camps Organized donation collection drives conducted across cities with GOONJ offices, accepting used clothes, household items, and educational materials from urban donors, managed by volunteers and chapter heads.
• Dropping Centers Permanent collection points established at residential societies, offices, and partner locations for ongoing material donations throughout the year, some open weekly for material collection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 million+ lives touched across 31 States/UTs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Raymond LifestylecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2026Decade-long partnership through annual Garment Exchange Program. Raymond customers donate pre-loved clothes to Goonj in exchange for tailoring vouchers redeemable at Raymond stores. The program, themed 'FIT FOR YOU. FEELS LIKE YOU,' focuses on circularity in fashion. Donated garments are processed through Goonj's Circularity Centres and routed to rural communities as rewards for local development efforts. The 10th edition was launched in Bengaluru on July 8th, 2026.
• Teach For IndiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned alongside Goonj as key organisations working across education, rural development, disaster relief, and social justice in India.
• PrathamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned alongside Goonj as key organisations working across education, rural development, disaster relief, and social justice in India.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity India: Global NGO channeling material/financial donations into housing outcomes for underserved communities — directly comparable to Goonj on the model of converting donated goods into development outcomes at scale.
• Oxfam India: Large, established Indian NGO addressing poverty, gender, and disaster response — overlaps with Goonj on disaster relief, rural development, and individual/CSR fundraising at pan-India scale, though with a much broader program portfolio.
• Pratham: Major Indian education NGO frequently cited alongside Goonj in pan-India impact rankings; comparable on volunteer-driven rural program execution and CSR fundraising, with similar brand recognition and donor base.
• SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association): India-based organization of poor, self-employed women workers providing livelihoods, healthcare, and disaster relief — comparable in rural/grassroots program design, women's empowerment focus, and pan-India federated structure.
• Akshaya Patra Foundation: Largest mid-day meal NGO in India with pan-India operations, similar institutional scale and multi-State infrastructure, competing for the same CSR and individual donor pools as Goonj but focused on school feeding.

Emerging players

• Hasirudala: Bengaluru-based nonprofit building waste pickers' livelihoods through material recovery and recycling — overlaps with Goonj's Circularity Centres on material recovery and creating dignified work from waste streams.
• Boondh: India-based menstrual health nonprofit addressing taboos and access to products — closely comparable to Goonj's Not Just A Piece of Cloth (NJPC) and Goonj MY Pad initiatives on menstrual health advocacy and product delivery.
• Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group: Indian NGO working on waste picker livelihoods, circular materials, and environmental justice — overlaps with Goonj's Green by Goonj upcycling, material diversion from landfills, and sustainable livelihood creation for underserved communities.

Direct peers

• FabricAid Foundation: US-based nonprofit that collects surplus clothing from companies and individuals and redistributes it to people in need through partner NGOs — the closest international analog to Goonj's urban-surplus-to-rural-recipients circularity model.

Others

• Teach For India: Explicitly named alongside Goonj as a key Indian social-impact organization; comparable pan-India nonprofit scale, volunteer pipeline, and CSR relationships, though operating in education rather than material circularity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/goonj
• Xx.com/goonj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2274712

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 GOONJ