This Campaign Shows How Goodwill Turns Donations into Job Development

A new campaign from agency Blue Chip puts faces on the power of Goodwill in ads that show how everyday donations fund career development and job training. The lead TV spot, 'Last Day – First Day' illustrates the cycle of a donation by juxtaposing the last day of Kyle’s turntable from college with the first day of Kyra’s new career in IT, and the packing up of Crystal’s childhood tea collection with Sarah’s first day of management training at Goodwill. The point is to show 'purposeful repurposers' – primarily women 25 to 60 - a compelling reason to give new life to their old memories. 

“We want our customers to understand that the Goodwill down the street from them is not just a convenient place to donate things they no longer use,” said Onney Crawley, chief marketing officer at Goodwill Industries International. “Rather, donations that are sold at Goodwill stores help fund life-changing career training and placement programs for people who have faced unthinkable hardships and just want a fair shot.”

“We’re changing the donation conversation from convenience to impact,” said Joel Walker, ECD at Blue Chip. “By connecting the last day for one person’s donation with the first day of another person's opportunity, we’re giving people a more empowering way to think about donating and an emotional reason to seek out Goodwill. Putting faces and stories on change creates a platform the brand can build on in countlessly relatable ways.”

Goodwill and Blue Chip tested TV creative at NBC Media Centre, a state-of-the-art consumer research facility located at Universal Studios Florida.

The campaign also features new print advertisements, showcasing emotionally resonant, inspirational stories from a diverse range of people who have accessed Goodwill services, paired with real donations from Goodwill stores across the country that made stories like theirs possible. 

After viewing the print ads, 77% of donors were more interested in donating their goods to Goodwill and 69% were more interested in shopping at Goodwill stores. Similarly, 76% of thrifters were more interested in shopping at Goodwill stores and 78% were more interested in donating their goods to Goodwill.

The :30 and two :15s will run through mid-September on Meta, TikTok, and through the end of 2024 on select network and cable stations. Programmatic display ads will run simultaneously across a wide range of online sites. 

The campaign also features a storytelling microsite with stories of more than 30 individuals who have found a better future through Goodwill-sponsored education and job training programs.