What Goodwill Manasota does

Goodwill Manasota (legally Goodwill Industries-Manasota, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and mission-integrated social enterprise headquartered in Bradenton, Florida, that operates donated-goods retail stores and workforce development programs across 11 counties on Florida's east and west coasts. Established as an autonomous organization in 1981 after separating from Goodwill Suncoast, the organization runs two regional divisions: Goodwill Manasota (west coast) and Goodwill Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast (east coast, a wholly owned subsidiary). Its primary constituents are individuals with barriers to employment — including people with disabilities, justice-involved individuals, veterans, those recovering from addiction, and individuals facing housing or financial instability — and it provides free services through Job Connection, GoodPartner Coach, Supported Jobs Plus, and Veterans Services. In 2025, the organization served 7,527 individuals, placed 1,296 in jobs, provided 44,538 hours of education and training, and processed 104.4 million pounds of donated goods.

The organization's commercial engine is a network of retail thrift stores, attended donation centers with drive-thru access, and Community Resource Centers that collectively convert a community donation stream into mission-funded employment. Underlying operations are built on three proprietary technology platforms developed over decades: WESA (Web-Enabled Statistical Analysis) for retail, donor, and labor data analytics; Goodwill®U, a learning management system developed in partnership with Reflection Software and powered by Cognition LMS, providing prescribed learning paths for team members; and HandUP Learning Content, comprising 15 topics and 29 eLearning modules covering workforce skills, donated-goods operations, and leadership. These platforms are also commercialized externally via Mission Development Services (MDS) subscriptions to other Goodwill affiliates.

Revenue is generated primarily through donated-goods retail sales, supplemented by philanthropic donations (amplified by the Flanzer Philanthropic Trust matching program) and subscription fees for MDS products. The operating model is community-led: marketing emphasizes mission storytelling, partner outreach, and volunteer engagement to drive donations and program enrollment. Caritas-style financial flows are governed by the 501(c)(3) structure, and operational credibility is reinforced by 2025 CARF International Gold Seal Accreditation.

Name

Goodwill Manasota

Legal name

Goodwill Industries-Manasota, Inc.

Website

https://experiencegoodwill.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Goodwill Industries-Manasota, Inc. is a Bradenton-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating donated-goods retail stores, donation centers, and workforce development programs across 11 Florida counties, serving individuals with barriers to employment and veterans through free job-placement, coaching, and supported-employment services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Workforce Development and Social Enterprise

akta.pro primary industry

Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination (HSAFABAI), Textile & Apparel Sorting/Recovery Facilities (EUAIADAJ), Donation Pickup & Reuse Hauling (HSAKALAI)

Keywords

• Thrift retail operations
• Workforce development services
• Job placement programs
• Supported employment services
• Donated goods processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bradenton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donated Goods Retail: Goodwill Manasota operates retail stores selling donated clothing, furniture, electronics, household goods, and other items. Revenue from these sales funds job training programs and employment services. In 2025, over 104 million pounds of goods were processed through retail operations.
2. Philanthropic Donations: The organization accepts financial donations including matched giving programs such as the Ignite the Match campaign with Flanzer Philanthropic Trust. Individual donations support mission services and emergency assistance programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Goodwill Industries-Manasota, Inc. operates a mission-integrated social enterprise combining donated goods thrift retail with free workforce development services. The organization accepts gently-used donations at Attended Donation Centers, sells them through thrift retail stores, and channels the proceeds into employment programs — Job Connection, GoodPartner Coach, Supported Jobs Plus, and Veterans Services — for individuals with barriers to work. The organization also licenses its proprietary workforce technology (WESA, Goodwill®U, HandUP) to other Goodwill affiliates through Mission Development Services subscriptions.

Product overview

Goodwill Manasota operates as a mission-integrated social enterprise offering a portfolio of workforce development and retail services. The core offerings include donated goods retail operations, job placement services (Job Connection), supported employment (Supported Jobs Plus), veteran services, and the GoodPartner Coach coaching program. MDS Subscription Services extend the organization's expertise to partner Goodwills through Goodwill®U (LMS), WESA analytics, and HandUP learning content. The organization serves 11 counties across Florida's east and west coasts, transforming donated goods into employment opportunities for individuals with barriers to work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mission Development Services (MDS): Assists partnering Goodwills to develop an effective, mission-integrated donated goods business, expand donor acquisition efforts and enhance job creation initiatives
• GoodwillU
• WESA
• Job Connection
• GoodPartner Coach
• Supported Jobs Plus
• Veterans Services

Products and services

• Job Connection Free job-placement service helping participants assess career goals, prepare resumes and cover letters, identify prospective employers, and conduct successful job interviews. Provides computer, fax, phone, and printer access for job seekers at Community Resource Centers.
• GoodPartner Coach Program Provides mentoring, coaching, life and career goal-setting, and financial literacy services to all Goodwill team members. Includes comprehensive family assessment of needs, goal setting, and case management to address barriers to employment.
• Supported Jobs Plus Employment program helping individuals with significant physical, psychiatric, or intellectual disabilities gain positive workplace behaviors and skills while earning a paycheck. Features workplace accommodations and job/life coaches and has demonstrated a 90% two-year retention rate.
• Veterans Services Helps returning veterans re-acclimate to civilian life and assists them and their families with employment and other services. Provides case management, vocational services, job search classes, emergency resources, notary services, peer Coffee Social events, and free DAV-certified Veteran Services Officers.
• Mission Development Services (MDS) Subscription-based consulting and management service assisting partnering Goodwills in developing mission-integrated donated goods businesses, expanding donor acquisition, and enhancing job creation initiatives. Delivered with Goodwill®U, WESA, and HandUP Learning Content subscriptions.
• Goodwill®U (Learning Management System) Training platform delivering tailored learning for team members, developed in partnership with Reflection Software and powered by the Cognition LMS. Includes workflow support, prescribed learning paths, role-based assignments, and a growing course catalog. Marketed via Mission Development Services subscriptions.
• HandUP Learning Content Learning content library supporting mission-integrated donated goods retail strategy to improve production, revenue, efficiency, and mission delivery. Includes workforce development power skills, donated goods functional training, and leadership curriculum (15 topics, 29 eLearning modules).
• WESA (Web-Enabled Statistical Analysis) Platform automating sales, donor, and labor data analysis. Works with staff and vendors to implement data automation, providing strategic consulting and implementation support for performance-oriented culture development. Licensed via MDS subscriptions to partner Goodwill affiliates.
• Community Resource Center Physical location providing community members access to Job Connection services, GoodPartner Coach support, and partnerships with external service providers. Located at 2705 51st Ave E, Bradenton, FL 34203. Services open to the public without purchase.
• Donated Goods Retail Retail operations selling donated gently-used items including clothing, shoes, books, electronics, furniture, and household goods. Revenue funds job training and employment services for community members with barriers to work. In 2025, 104.4 million pounds were processed.
• Attended Donation Centers (ADCs) Attended donation centers accepting gently-used item donations from the public. Features drive-thru options at multiple locations for donor convenience, open 8 a.m.–8 p.m. daily. Each donation generates more than three hours of job training and support.
• Stuart Bookstore First-ever Stuart Bookstore opened on the Treasure Coast under Goodwill Industries of Palm Beaches, representing a new specialized retail format for donated books.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% two-year retention rate for Supported Jobs Plus participants with significant disabilities
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Project 180coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject 180 is a Florida-based nonprofit focused on reentry support for individuals returning from incarceration. Partnered with Goodwill Manasota to host Reentry Simulation events, helping community leaders understand barriers faced by returning citizens. Simulation included 81 community leaders navigating stations representing housing, employment, ID access, and probation requirements. Project 180 builds Next Step Coalitions to address specific reentry barriers including employment, housing, and policy.
• Florida Department of Corrections, 12th CircuitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState correctional agency providing professional facilitation for Reentry Simulation events. Brought real-world grounding to simulation stations ensuring accurate reflection of systems returning citizens encounter. Represents shared responsibility for reentry success between corrections, nonprofits, and community organizations.
• SunCoast Blood CentersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlood center partnering with Goodwill to host mobile blood drives at Goodwill locations across Sarasota and Manatee counties. 32 drives scheduled May through August 2026. Donors receive $30 SunCoast e-gift card and $20 Goodwill gift card. Locations include Corporate Campus, Mecca, Cortez, Ranch Lake, North Port, and Arcadia.
• Manatee Clerk's Child Support ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuarterly onsite services at Goodwill Manasota's Community Resource Center bringing child support assistance closer to families. CSP staff assist new and existing customers with child support questions, case support, locating parents, establishing or modifying support orders. Services offered quarterly on first Wednesday of month at Goodwill location (2705 51st Ave E, Bradenton).
• United Way SuncoastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing emergency assistance funding and collaborative support. Manatee Clerk partnership leverages United Way infrastructure for hurricane recovery Long Term Recovery Groups. Sponsors Community Ambassador Awards.
• All Faiths Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood bank partner supporting community food security. Goodwill collects food donations for distribution to local food banks (250,592 pounds collected in 2025).
• Credit Union 1minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial wellness partner providing enrichment services to Goodwill team members and community. Part of community partner ecosystem supporting financial literacy and banking access.
• The HavencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for Supported Jobs Plus program. External job coaches from The Haven work with individuals with disabilities on training and employment skills before transitioning to Goodwill's ongoing support.
• Easterseals-Southwest FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for Supported Jobs Plus program providing external job coaching services for individuals with disabilities. Ruby sponsor for Community Ambassador Awards. Helps individuals gain workplace behaviors and skills.
• Loveland CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for Supported Jobs Plus program. External job coaches work with individuals with disabilities on employment training and skills development before ongoing Goodwill support.
• Crossings MinistryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing strategies for overcoming addiction and referral services to Job Connection program. Supported Christine's journey from addiction recovery to employment at Goodwill.
• Streets of ParadiseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing furnishings for individuals moving into housing. Helped Megan transition from work release center to independent apartment living after incarceration.
• Season of SharingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency assistance program providing first month's rent support for individuals in housing transitions. Helped Amanda secure first apartment and Megan move from work release to independent living.
• GulfCoast Legal ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal services referral partner helping individuals navigate family legal issues. Referred Amanda to obtain guidance for difficult marital situation.
• Manatee County Long Term Recovery Group at Hope PathwaysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHurricane recovery partner assisting neighbors impacted by Debby, Helene, or Milton. Provides long-term recovery support for those with storm-related needs.
• Sarasota Long Term Recovery Group at United Way South SarasotaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHurricane recovery partner assisting Sarasota County neighbors impacted by major storms. Part of coordinated community recovery effort.
• Hope DeSotominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeSoto County hurricane recovery partner assisting community members affected by major storms.
• DAV (Disabled American Veterans)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified Veteran Services Officers providing free, professional assistance to veterans and families in obtaining benefits. DAV representatives help navigate VA benefits, provide outreach, and represent veterans' interests at government levels.
• Gulfstream Goodwill IndustriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization at whose headquarters the Tiffany Drive ADC is located. Goodwill Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast operates as subsidiary of Goodwill Industries-Manasota, Inc. at this location.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• United Way Suncoast: Regional federated giving organization and active Goodwill Manasota partner operating community impact, emergency assistance, and workforce-adjacent programs across the same Florida counties—comparable as a community resource hub.
• CareerSource Florida: State-funded workforce development board network operating in the same Florida geography as Goodwill Manasota; a peer for employer-matching, training dollars, and job-seeker services that Goodwill Manasota both partners with and competes against for funding.

Emerging players

• Easterseals: National nonprofit providing employment services, job coaching, and supported employment for individuals with disabilities—directly overlaps Goodwill Manasota's Supported Jobs Plus and disability employment programs.
• Dress for Success: National nonprofit providing workforce preparation and professional attire to individuals facing barriers to employment—overlaps with Goodwill Manasota's job training and second-chance hiring mission in a more focused segment.

Direct peers

• Salvation Army Family Stores: Runs a national network of donated-goods thrift stores funding social services including workforce and rehabilitation programs—closest direct peer in mission-integrated donated goods retail at scale.
• Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana: Large regional Goodwill affiliate operating comparable retail, workforce development, and mission integration programs; an MDS customer and peer reference point for scale, headcount, and operational sophistication.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStores: Operates donation-driven home goods and furniture resale stores whose proceeds fund a nonprofit housing mission—directly comparable thrift-retail-funds-mission model with similar donation center infrastructure and reuse logistics.

Broad incumbents

• Savers / Value Village: Largest for-profit thrift operator buying and reselling donated textiles globally; represents the commercial benchmark for thrift retail unit economics that Goodwill Manasota must compete with for donor supply and shopper traffic.
• Goodwill Industries International: The national umbrella for ~150 regional Goodwills; comparable as the federated parent brand and network that Goodwill Manasota both belongs to and sells subscription services to via Mission Development Services.

Others

• thredUP: For-profit online resale platform competing for the same donated/resold apparel supply and budget-conscious shoppers; represents the structural competitive threat to Goodwill Manasota's physical thrift retail model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/flgoodwill
• Facebookfacebook.com/GoodwillManasota
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodwill-industries-manasota
• Instagraminstagram.com/goodwillmanasota
• Xx.com/goodwillfl

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Goodwill Manasota