Any Detroit school or business can run a Goodwill donation drive to fund job training

Goodwill of Greater Detroit has an open invitation for any group with a little space and a cause: turn a closet clean-out into fuel for a neighbor's next job.

"Hosting a donation drive is an easy way to give back whether you're a school, business, community organization, faith group, or neighborhood team," the organization says on its site.

A drive collects the used goods that pile up in closets and garages, and Goodwill accepts a wide range of them: women's, men's, and children's clothing, children and adult reading books, kids educational toys, small kitchen appliances, and furniture like couches, chairs, and tables.

Where the goods go afterward is the point. "Ninety-two cents of every dollar earned through Goodwill of Greater Detroit stores supports personal and workforce development programming," the organization says. That programming includes workforce efforts the nonprofit runs under names like Flip The Script, Career Academy, and its Career Centers, along with behavioral health services such as its A Place Of Our Own Clubhouse. Across the region, the nonprofit's work spans workforce development, behavioral health services, and employment programs for individuals with disabilities in the Detroit area.

Running a drive is not complicated. Goodwill's guide lays out seven steps: build your team, confirm approval and logistics, choose your date, set a goal, promote your drive, place donation bins, and share the results. Goodwill delivers large collection bins and places them in the secure areas a host identifies, then weighs everything at the end and reports the total pounds collected back to the host.

Timing is flexible. Hosts contact [email protected] to pick a one-day or multi-day window for the drive. The guide suggests promoting the drive at least two weeks in advance.

For a block club, a PTA, or a small office, it is a low-lift way to clear space and send it toward training and jobs close to home. Groups ready to start can email [email protected], and Goodwill posts a downloadable guide with the full steps on its donation drives page.