Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) received a $10 million contribution from acclaimed writer and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This discretionary gift is the largest donation in the charity’s 45-year history. 

The local Goodwill is one of 384 organizations nationwide selected by Scott after months of due diligence. She announced the historic financial contribution in her December 15 blog post, 384 Ways to Help, where she invites others to transform communities through charitable giving.  

Scott wrote in part: “To select these 384, the team sought suggestions and perspective from hundreds of field experts, funders, and non-profit leaders and volunteers with decades of experience. These 384 carefully selected teams have dedicated their lives to helping others… They help by delivering vital services, and also through the profound encouragement felt each time a person is seen, valued, and trusted by another human being.” 

“Our local Goodwill is deeply grateful for MacKenzie Scott’s recognition of our organization’s strategic delivery of vital services to people with the greatest needs,” said James K. Stiff, president of Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA and Helms College.  “Her visionary and impactful capacity building investment will be transformative as we thoughtfully invest her gift to build career pathways out of poverty.  Our team of over 800 employees is feeling more energized than ever as we roll up our sleeves to carry this blessing forward to every person who comes to us for help. Now we are able to open more doors faster and wider.”  

Scott’s investment positions Goodwill to respond to the urgent need created by the COVID-19 crisis in the organization’s 35-county service delivery area and to accelerate the organization’s expansion of its scalable Helms College career education model within its territory and beyond. This increase in Goodwill’s capacity will support the surge of people in need of mastering new skills required for high-demand occupations relevant to the post-pandemic workforce. The generous donation also helps Goodwill reach the halfway milestone of its two-phase $20 million comprehensive Hand Up Campaign (goodwillworks.org/HandUpCampaign). 

“It is our hope that Ms. Scott’s gift will inspire other generous donors to help Goodwill eliminate poverty in our communities,” Stiff said.