Spring cleaning may have come around early this year! Since the release of the Netflix decluttering series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, Goodwill of Middle Georgia & the CSRA has seen a significant increase in donations in the first two months of this year over the same period in 2018. A recent survey by OfferUp also shared that nearly half of Americans are proud bargain shoppers and brag to peers about finding great deals.

Did you know that donating and shopping for affordable finds at Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA also provides a variety of opportunities for community members to make a fresh start this spring? Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia & the CSRA is part of a federation of 161 autonomous 501c3 charities governed by local volunteer boards of directors. Goodwill is working with social media influencers to promote four week-long challenges to help support our community.

1.       DONATE

Spring is a time to renew and refresh! Decluttering your home can help simplify your life, and make room for a new perspective. Take inventory of your bedrooms, storage closets, attic, etc. A good rule of theme is if you haven’t used something in two years, you could probably go without it! Donate unused items to Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA so someone else can enjoy it. Lifestyle and parenting influencer, Carmen Flores kicked off the challenge, encouraging her audience of nearly 12,000 followers to donate unused items to Goodwill.

2.   SHOP

Revive your spring wardrobe without breaking the bank! Visit Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA for trendy spring items for men, women and children. Shopping at your local Goodwill helps to promote a sustainable lifestyle and make a stand against fast fashion. Model and fashion influencer Nicole Mazur is leading the shopping challenge, encouraging her audience of nearly 40,000 followers to refresh their spring wardrobes at Goodwill®.

3.   MISSION

Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA uses 86 cents of every dollar to fund employment and job training opportunities in communities across its 35-county service area. Veterans and military families, people with disabilities, people integrating back into society, and older workers are among the people that benefit from the support of Goodwill donors and shoppers. Blogger, fashion influencer and advocate for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, Jame Jackson will lead this challenge (April 4 – 10) with an American Sign Language video, sharing the impact behind donating to and shopping at Goodwill with her audience of nearly 7,000 followers. Jame will also write a blog post about the campaign on her fashion and entertainment blog, TheBlondeMisfit.

4.   SUSTAINABILITY

Practice a more sustainable lifestyle by shopping at Goodwill of Middle Georgia & the CSRA for secondhand items and do-dads for do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. By doing this, you’re giving another life to items that might otherwise end up in landfills. Goodwill organizations collectively divert more than 3.8 billion pounds of goods from landfills each year. Buzzfeed home and décor producer, Ashley McGetrick will lead this challenge (April 11 – 18) and encourage her audience of nearly 10,000 followers to shop at Goodwill for DIY project inspiration, and do good for the environment.