North Central WI — Every year during the first full week of May, Goodwill organizations worldwide celebrate Goodwill Week. The observance raises awareness about Goodwill’s mission. Within the international Goodwill movement, Goodwill North Central Wisconsin’s (NCW) service area includes 27 stores and donation centers and one outlet store in Wisconsin, from La Crosse to Eau Claire to Green Bay, the Fox Valley, Manitowoc and in between. This Goodwill Week, which runs May 4–10, Goodwill NCW is encouraging the public to “Get to Know Goodwill.” For those who know Goodwill NCW best for its “Smiling G” logo and secondhand stores, here are a few facts to launch the week:
 

• Goodwill NCW is a nonprofit organization. Although Goodwill NCW’s brand is often associated with its 28 retail store locations, advancing its mission of Elevating People by Eliminating Barriers to Employment throughout north central Wisconsin is the reason the organization is in operation.
• On average, 90 cents of every dollar in sales from Goodwill NCW retail stores is reinvested to fund the mission. Revenue generated from Goodwill NCW operations is the primary source of funding for mission and operational expenses. This model is unlike most other nonprofits that depend primarily on raising support from private financial gifts, grants or government funding.
• In 2024, Goodwill NCW increased the collective annual income of program participants with a disability by more than $1.6 million. Individuals were served by Goodwill NCW skill-building programs, employment services and community assistance programs. Goodwill NCW is ranked in the top quartile for the number of lives impacted by its mission, out of more than 150 independently governed Goodwill organizations worldwide.