Goodwill Southern California

What Goodwill Southern California does

Goodwill Southern California (legal name: Goodwill Industries of Southern California) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1916 by Katherine Higgins in Los Angeles. It is part of the Goodwill Industries International network and operates a regional footprint covering Los Angeles (north of Rosecrans Ave.), Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. The organization's mission is to place individuals with barriers to employment — including people with disabilities, veterans, ex-offenders, at-risk youth, and the homeless — into sustainable jobs. Its career services operation served 27,656 people last year and over one million since inception, delivered through three campuses, five Career Resource Centers, and three WorkSource Centers.

The commercial engine is a large-scale thrift retail network comprising 80+ retail stores, 13+ boutiques at attended donation centers, four outlet/clearance stores, and 46 attended donation centers, each retail location restocked with roughly 2,000 items daily. Revenue is generated through (i) retail sales of donated goods, (ii) online sales via eBay storefronts and OfferUp listings, (iii) wholesale bulk sales of textiles, shoes, and recyclables sold by bale/pallet/gaylord, (iv) B2B services including Goodwill Print Shop, fulfillment, custodial/landscaping, recruitment, document shredding, and e-waste recycling, and (v) monetary donations, with the organization stating 92-95 cents of every dollar funds programs. Pricing is unit-based, with rotating weekly color-tag discounts ($2.79 Thursday, $2.49 Friday, $1.99 Saturday) and demographic discounts (10% for military, seniors 55+, students, and first responders).

Beyond retail, the organization is one of Southern California's largest recyclers, diverting 130+ million pounds of reusable goods from landfills annually, and runs an emerging circular-economy pilot — a multi-brand footwear take-back program with The Footwear Collective and processing partners Homeboy Threads, FastFeetGrinded, SuperCircle, and TerraCycle. The organization is led by President and CEO Patrick McClenahan (appointed 2015) with a full C-suite (CFO, CHRO, CMO, CDO, CIO) plus regional and functional directors. It holds CARF accreditation, AbilityOne/SourceAmerica membership, U.S. Department of Labor approval, California State Department of Rehabilitation and Industrial Relations certifications, and municipal/county certifications across LA, San Bernardino, and Riverside — credentials that gate access to federal and state vocational rehabilitation contracts.

Name

Goodwill Southern California

Legal name

Goodwill Industries of Southern California

Website

https://goodwillsocal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Goodwill Southern California is a 1916-founded nonprofit operating 80+ retail stores, 46 donation centers, and career services across Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, funding job training and placement for people with barriers to employment through thrift retail, e-commerce, and B2B services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 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. Retail Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of donated goods at retail stores, boutiques, and outlet locations throughout Southern California. Proceeds fund career training and placement services for individuals with barriers to employment.
2. Online Sales: Revenue from eBay storefronts including the main Goodwill SoCal shop and dedicated bookstore, offering jewelry, art, antiques, collectibles, and books online 24/7.
3. Wholesale Bulk Sales: Sale of donated goods in bulk quantities including paired and single shoes, hats, caps, purses, belts, textiles, soft toys, books, VHS tapes, cardboard, household metals and plastics, sold as bales, pallets or gaylords.
4. Financial Donations: Monetary contributions from donors that fund career services programs. 92 cents of every dollar donated goes toward preparing and placing someone in sustainable employment.
5. Business Services: Contract services including document imaging, secure shredding, e-waste recycling, landscape, custodial, commissary, assembly and contract fulfillment services provided to businesses at competitive rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Goodwill Southern California sells donated, gently used goods through 80+ retail stores, boutiques, and outlet stores across Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, along with an eBay online storefront and OfferUp listings. It provides free Career Services including job training, work experience, and placement for individuals with disabilities, veterans, ex-offenders, at-risk youth, and homeless individuals. It also delivers Business Services such as document imaging, secure shredding, e-waste recycling, custodial, landscaping, commissary, assembly, and contract fulfillment to business clients.

Product overview

Goodwill Southern California operates a multi-channel retail and services platform centered on its network of over 80 retail stores, outlet stores, and boutiques throughout Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. The organization supports its social mission through retail sales of donated goods (clothing, home goods, electronics, collectibles) and commercial business services (printing, fulfillment, custodial, recruitment). An online eBay store and wholesale bulk sales extend reach, while gift cards and various discount programs (military, senior, student, first responder) drive customer acquisition. The company also offers a footwear recycling program in partnership with The Footwear Collective for circular recovery of footwear materials. Career services providing job training and placement for individuals with barriers to employment are funded by retail operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Goodwill Southern California Exchange: A return/exchange policy for retail goods purchased at Goodwill Southern California stores, allowing exchanges within 14 days with receipt and original tags.
• Goodwill SoCal Boutiques

Products and services

• Goodwill SoCal Retail Stores Traditional retail stores offering gently used and new donated items including clothing, accessories, home goods, electronics, books, and collectibles at deeply discounted prices. Open 7 days a week, restocked with nearly 2,000 items daily. Available to individual consumers and families across Southern California.
• Goodwill SoCal Outlet Stores Discount outlet stores featuring steep savings on furniture, clothing, housewares, books, toys, and more. Four locations: Los Angeles (3150 N. San Fernando Rd), San Bernardino (8120 Palm Lane), Panorama City (14565 Lanark St), and Riverside Warehouse Clearance Center (1049 Spruce St). Open 7 days a week, items sold as-is, with fresh merchandise daily.
• Goodwill SoCal Boutiques Curated boutique locations at select attended donation centers offering premium clothing, accessories, home décor, books, and more at discounted prices. Locations include Agoura Hills, Arcadia, Culver City, El Segundo, Montrose, Pasadena, Redlands, Riverside, Temecula, Walnut, West Hills, Woodland Hills, and Yucaipa.
• Goodwill SoCal Online Store (eBay) 24/7 online shopping through eBay featuring jewelry, art, antiques, collectibles, estate pieces, and a dedicated bookstore. Revenues support Goodwill Southern California's career mission. Available to individual consumers globally.
• Wholesale Bulk Sales Wholesale bulk sales of donated goods sold in bales, pallets, or gaylords to enterprise buyers. Items include paired and single shoes, hats and caps, purses and belts, textiles, soft toys, books, VHS tapes, cardboard, household metals and plastics. Pricing via direct contact with [email protected].
• Goodwill SoCal Gift Cards Goodwill Southern California gift cards available for purchase at store registers, valid for use at any GSC retail location. A flexible shopping option for gift recipients.
• Career Services Free job placement and employment services including work experience training, placement assistance, veteran employment, disability services, and youth programs serving individuals with disabilities, veterans, ex-offenders, at-risk youth, homeless individuals, and those with limited education or work experience. Funded by retail operations.
• Business Services Commercial services for business clients including custom printing (Goodwill Print Shop), contract fulfillment, custodial and landscaping, recruitment solutions, document imaging, secure shredding, and e-waste recycling. Delivered at competitive rates to companies seeking workforce and facility support.
• Donation Pick-Up Service Convenient donation pick-up scheduling service for gently used clothing and home goods, accessible through the Resupply App integration at goodwillsocal.org. Available to individual donors in the service territory.
• Footwear Recycling Program Partnership-led footwear recycling program with The Footwear Collective and material processing partners (Homeboy Threads, FastFeetGrinded, SuperCircle, TerraCycle) to collect, sort, and process end-of-life footwear for circular recovery and recycling across 50 Goodwill Southern California locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27,656 people served last year through career services
• +5 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Footwear Collective (TFC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025First multi-brand-led take-back program in the U.S. focused on footwear recycling at scale. TFC coordinated collection of 30,525 pounds of end-of-life footwear across 50 Goodwill Southern California locations. The initiative aims to build the business case for industry-wide circular solutions.
• Homeboy ThreadscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner that sorted the collected end-of-life footwear from Goodwill Southern California locations for distribution to material processing partners.
• Resupply AppminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party app partnership for scheduling donation pick-ups. Accessible via goodwillsocal.org/donate/donation-center-locator/ and goodwillsocal.org/donate/.
• eBaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marketplace partnership for selling donated goods including jewelry, art, antiques, collectibles, and books 24/7 through Goodwill Southern California's eBay storefront.
• OfferUpminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMobile marketplace partnership for listing furniture, home goods, clothing and décor. Customers purchase and pick up at designated Goodwill stores.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Savers / Value Village: Largest for-profit thrift retailer in North America operating Value Village and Savers stores. Directly comparable secondhand retail business model — processes donated goods through a network of for-profit thrift stores across the U.S. and Canada.
• Salvation Army: Operates a national network of thrift/family stores funding social programs, including adult rehabilitation centers. Directly comparable donation-and-resale funding model for mission-driven services.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStores: Nonprofit home-furnishings reuse retail network across the U.S. Operates donation-and-resale thrift stores (furniture, appliances, building materials) that fund housing mission — comparable reuse-retail operating model.
• Goodwill of Orange County: Neighboring Goodwill chapter serving the exact adjacent territory (Orange County) excluded from Goodwill SoCal's service area. Most direct comparable local chapter competitor in the SoCal region.
• Buffalo Exchange: For-profit resale clothing chain with stores across the western U.S. including California. Comparable buy-sell-trade secondhand retail model targeting fashion-forward shoppers.
• The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Centers: Specifically operates the thrift-funded rehabilitation program model, providing a direct peer for the dual mission of resale + workforce services for vulnerable populations.
• Deseret Industries (LDS Charities): Operates a chain of thrift retail stores funding welfare and job-training programs through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Strong comparable model combining secondhand retail with workforce and rehabilitation services.
• St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Stores: Operated by Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a network of thrift retail stores funding programs for the poor and homeless. Directly comparable donation-funded resale model with social services mission.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries International: Parent/affiliated network of 150+ autonomous Goodwill chapters across North America. Directly comparable mission and operating model at national level — serves as the system context for Goodwill SoCal.

Emerging players

• ThredUp: Public, online-first recommerce marketplace selling secondhand apparel. Represents the digital-native resale model competing for both donors/sellers and shoppers that Goodwill SoCal serves through retail and eBay.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/goodwillsocal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GoodWillSoCal
• Facebookfacebook.com/GoodwillSoCal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodwill-southern-california
• Instagraminstagram.com/goodwillsocal
• TikToktiktok.com/@goodwillsocal?lang=en

Compliance13 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Goodwill Southern California