Goodwill Industries International Looks To A Stronger Future in Toronto Region

ROCKVILLE — Goodwill Industries of Toronto, Eastern, Central and Northern Ontario (Goodwill TECNO) has been disaffiliated from membership in Goodwill Industries International (GII), effective immediately. The decision was made after the motion was passed by the Board of Directors of GII, which is made up of 32 private sector representatives and CEOs of autonomous Goodwill® organizations throughout North America.
The disaffiliation comes after an evaluation process by the GII Board of Directors and its membership standards committee. The board determined that the resignation of the Goodwill TECNO Board of Directors resulted in the immediate shuttering of 16 Goodwill stores, 10 donation centers, and all services. These egregious acts resulted in non-compliance of GII membership standards.
“After a thorough review, it was concluded, with regret, that there was no viable way for compliance to be restored, and that the best possible opportunity to restore a stable Goodwill presence in the future was to work with the broader Canadian membership of Goodwill community-based organizations to determine a path forward,” said Brian Itzkowitz, GII board chair, and president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Arkansas. “All Goodwill members are held to a defined set of membership standards that protect the integrity of the Goodwill mission.”
Membership standards are determined by the membership for all of its autonomous, community-based Goodwill organizations across Canada and the United States. Goodwill TECNO may no longer represent itself as a member of GII, and must cease all use of the Goodwill name, trademarks and logos.
“Goodwill TECNO has received a variety of consultations and recommendations from Goodwill Industries International (GII), and has been under the review of GII’s Membership Standards Committee over many years,” added Itzkowitz. “Throughout these years, GII has worked to support Toronto by providing a variety of consultations and recommendations.”
The Board issued a directive to create a technical support and transition team comprised of GII experts, from Canada and the United States, to understand the services needed by the communities formerly served by Goodwill TECNO, and to identify the best course of action moving forward.
“GII is, first and foremost, concerned with the serious implications for the thousands of people served by the former Goodwill in the greater Toronto and Northern Ontario region,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International.  “We will work with the broader Canadian membership of Goodwill organizations and the communities of Toronto and Ontario. We look forward to supporting a successful future.”
There continue to be six other committed and healthy Goodwill organizations serving communities in Canada.  Every day, they rely on donations to help fund the job placement, training, and other critical social services to people facing barriers to employment.
About Goodwill Industries International (GII): 
GII is comprised of autonomous and independent organizations governed by their own community-based boards of directors. This principle of Goodwill’s membership is a core element of Goodwill’s effectiveness in developing and deploying services that meet the needs of each community in which it operates. GII’s membership structure is based on this autonomy of local Goodwill community-based organizations and is dependent on adherence to a set of standards.
 
CONTACT: Lauren Lawson-Zilai
Director, Public Relations
Goodwill Industries International
(240) 333-5266
[email protected]