Rockville, MD – The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) has awarded Goodwill Industries International with an Excellence in New Communications Award for its internal website, MyGoodwill, which has had more than 20,000 unique visitors so far this year. Professionals who work for the 165 local, independent Goodwill agencies in the United States and Canada use MyGoodwill to gain valuable information that increases their effectiveness at work and their agencies’ ability to provide job training programs and career services to people in their communities. Staff at all levels of the Goodwill enterprise, as well as volunteers and local board members, can use the site to access a variety of resources and network with peers in their employment areas. MyGoodwill was honored in the Internal Communications Category in SNCR’s Nonprofit Division during the 6th Annual SNCR Symposium and Awards Gala, recently held at Harvard University’s Faculty Club.
“MyGoodwill enables Goodwill professionals to stay current on trends in their fields, exchange best practices with one another, and acquire new skills,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “The easy-to-navigate intranet is built around communities of interest, and allows each Goodwill agency to become stronger, ready to help people access employment opportunities and support themselves and their families.”
Goodwill agencies have been using MyGoodwill since 1990. The internal website houses more than 21,000 documents and files, which are divided into communities to suit the various disciplines of staff, including workforce development, contracts and business development, donated goods retail, finance, marketing and communications, and others. In 2010, Goodwill began plans to redevelop the site to make it easier for professionals to find information and connect with one another. New features include allowing users to mark favorite communities, and a customizable dashboard so each user can configure his or her home page.
“We are honored to recognize Goodwill Industries International through this awards program,” said Paul Gillin, SNCR senior fellow and chair of the SNCR Excellence Awards committee. “Goodwill’s success with MyGoodwill proves the importance of communications and technology in supporting a mission-based nonprofit organization.”
Since the redesign of MyGoodwill, weekly visits to the site have increased by more than 137 percent. Average page views rose from 1,600 a day in 2010 to 1,800 per day in 2011. Goodwill’s goal is to continuously improve MyGoodwill, and the organization looks to web analytics research and user satisfaction surveys to enhance the site’s relevance.
“The team at Goodwill Industries International has embraced technology to be more efficient and environmentally responsible in the way we exchange information with local Goodwill agencies,” said Gibbons. “These technological advances helped Goodwill provide job training services to more than 2.4 million people in 2010.”
SNCR’s prestigious awards program honors individuals and organizations that are pioneering the use of social media and Internet communications technologies. In 2010, Goodwill received a SNCR award for its MyStory blog and podcast, through which participants who have received employment services from Goodwill to share their stories of success.
