Are you capturing every possible donation by leveraging community and corporate partnerships? Are you curious to know how other Goodwills are doing this? This pre-conference workshop addresses these questions by integrating best practices in marketing and community outreach, business development, sustainability and retail operations -- and how each function can help develop and grow profitable engagement. We focus on “diversifying” your donation stream through various types of partnerships and highlight successful models for each. Attendees will hear from Goodwill leaders deploying various partnership strategies in Denver, Winston-Salem and Grand Rapids. If you're responsible for donation acquisition, corporate or community partnerships, outreach and marketing, business development or sustainability, this workshop is for you. We strongly suggest team leaders from each of these disciplines attend as a group to maximize the experience and start building new concepts together. (Limited seats 65)
Facilitated by: Sara Huber, Manager of Cause Partnerships, GII and Susanne Fredericks, Sustainability Specialist, GII

As a result of this session, participants will:

• Successful programs for implementing discard donation programs, community and college partnerships, corporate and consumer donation drives
• Techniques to implement and a "roadmap" for each model
• Tools to budget for donation drives, measure impact and ROI, plus realistic benchmarks to help you assess the efficiency and impact of your current efforts.

Fee: $150

Online Giving Cohort participants will engage in an information-packed, day-long workshop where we will discuss marketing and fundraising objectives, show how to those translate into online strategies, and determine specific tactics that can drive results. The workshop will be facilitated by top-notch consultants from Charity Dynamics, an online marketing agency focused on leveraging technology to generate results for non-profit organizations and initiatives. Participants will walk away with work plans that will include several specific tactics and approaches tailored to their unique organizations to implement an end-of-year online giving campaign. This workshop is invitation only.

As a result of this session, participants will:

• How to take advantage of the upheaval in the media industry
• Using social media to build a relationship with a reporter or blogger
• What to say or write to grab their attention.

Fee: $150.00

• Obtain current data regarding the potential risks from an active shooter and effective strategies to survive.
• Discuss practical plans in response to an attack.
• Practice offensive and defensive strategies to survive an attack.
• Start to build an action plan that will work for your Goodwill facilities.

This is an interactive session. If you are planning to attend this session, please wear long-sleeve shirts and heavier material pants - airguns will be used.

• Learn the value of transmedia storytelling for brands.
• Understand how various media, such as images, contribute to storytelling.
• Hear examples of how brands are employing multiple channels in their storytelling efforts.
  
  
  

• Learn about Behavior-Based Safety and why it makes a difference in the lives of your employees and the results of your operations.
• Learn how you can facilitate a joint partnership to produce a well-integrated and comprehensive safety conscious culture.

• Learn about promising practices that have yielded positive results in protecting assets, reducing risks and strengthening safety programs at local Goodwill member organizations.

Have you already initiated BYOD at your organization?  Do you have the proper security and policies to support this initiative?  We will discuss supporting BYOD and how this has impacted your organization.  If you have not yet taken the plunge, we will provide examples of what works and pitfalls to avoid.  Sample policies and reimbursement considerations will also be covered.  

Presented by Margaret O’Brien and Laura Walling

This presentation will focus on the latest challenges and opportunities faced by contractors including:    

• OFCCP rules and regulations
• AbilityOne modernization
• Special Wage Certificate (FLSA Section 14c)
• Sequestration Impact

The Quality Work Environment (QWE) Initiative is designed to expand areas of capability and share your agency’s best practices with others. By participating in QWE, Goodwill’s have the unique opportunity to perform a self-assessment and then develop a strategic action plan. Strengths and weaknesses in the following areas are discussed in the process: productivity, wages, assistive technology, work of choice, employee growth, community and educational linkages, and workplace supports. The Employee Research System (ERS) is a data collection system that tracks individual employees with disabilities over time. ERS data is used to advocate, support and learn about employees with disabilities. The charted results allow a Goodwill agency to market their program in easily explainable means rather than anecdotally. Learn more about the opportunities included in both such as grants available to improve your programs and assist in the implementation of these exciting initiatives.

Some members are undergoing IRS audits or have been notified that they will undergo an audit by the Internal Revenue Service and some members have recent experience with IRS audits. Hear from two Goodwill members, a large and small Goodwill perspective, about their experience. They will share their some tips and lessons learned. An experienced CPA from outside of Goodwill will moderate the discussion and offer professional advice.

As a result of this session, participants will learn the following:

• Learn about the experience of two Goodwill members with an IRS audit
• Gain understanding of how to prepare for an IRS audit
• Learn about professional CPA advice on an IRS audit

On the one hand, Purchasing professionals might make the case that by centralizing purchasing, their organization can secure lower prices through consolidated buying power, standardizing the purchasing processes, and ultimately lowering accounting and inventory carrying costs. 

On the other hand, Managers in a decentralized environment might make the case that the lack of “red tape” enables them to do their jobs more efficiently - enabling them to get what they need when they need it without waiting for another functional area to acquire it.

There is a third case that might also be made regarding the benefits of a hybrid approach. This infrastructure centralizes the purchases of goods and services used throughout the organization and at its various locations but provides for local control and purchase of unique, specialty or critical interest items at individual locations.

This session will explore the pros and cons of the centralized, decentralized and hybrid approach to purchasing. The facilitator will provide information, which the audience can use to assess which type of purchasing organization may work best for their Goodwill. The session will also include a recipe for effectively converting an organization from a decentralized infrastructure to a centralized/decentralized (hybrid) infrastructure.

Out-of-the-box solutions can work for many Goodwill organizations, but in some cases professional analysis and implementation should be considered. Security is an obvious concern and needs to be at the top of the list when it comes to making a decision. We will share experiences and discuss what products work well for small, medium and large organizations. Assessing requirements such as integration with existing solutions, the ability to communicate with multiple locations and custom reporting and scalability are some examples of what will be covered.

You see them everywhere…various loyalty card programs which offer you incentives and discounts to shop.  How does a loyalty program fit the Goodwill Model?  Hear how Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana designed their program and what results they have seen.  In just under two years they have captured almost 400,000 shoppers in their database.  Hear Eric Schlegel (Vice President of Retail Operations) and Kent Kramer (Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer) talk about their shoppers’ behaviors and what incentives they are using to drive results. 

Topics covered will include:

• Why did they decide to start a loyalty program?
• What obstacles did they face as they were building their loyalty program?
• How did they roll out the program and market it?
• Results to date and bottom line impact
• Future plans for the initiative

As a result of this session, participants will:

• Learn reasons for implementing a loyalty program
• Understand key mechanics of operating a loyalty program
• Learn of key strategic partners (internal and external) needed to roll out a successful program
• Hear a case study of a successful program including what has worked and what has not

In this session we will discuss IT specific policies that need to be considered, end user security, network and server security, on-going Security Awareness training and physical security.  We will provide best practice examples for handling sensitive information based on job responsibilities and then delve into a more technical discussion of assessing your current IT environment and developing a strategy to address your findings. 

Need a proven process and tools to hire and promote the right people for the right fit? 

RightPath partners with 33 Goodwill’s to reduce turnover in key positions; specifically the Store Manager Role!! 

·         See how Goodwill’s have reduced turnover by an average of 27% in the Store Manager position!

·         Experience a proven tool that is changing the way Goodwill’s interview and select Identify why behavioral talents are so important in successful hires and good fit.   

·         Discover how integrating behavioral interview questions into current hiring processes will lead to a good fit and a win-win in selection.

·         Identify Goodwill Positions currently benchmarked as Store Manager, District Manager, and Employment Specialist, with Case Manager

As part of session attendance, you will have access to a complimentary sample of the behavioral tools discussed in the session (Path4/6).  To receive this $95 assessment for free, attend the session, or email contact@rightpath.com and reference GII Summer Event

Does your organization conduct prevailing wage surveys and worker productivity time studies to ensure compliance with Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act?  Do you thoroughly document how each person who is paid less than the minimum wage is disabled for the work he/she is doing?  Are you unsure how to calculate piece rates using acceptable personal, fatigue and delay allowance?  The Special Minimum Wage Certificate is an employment tool that provides work opportunities for persons with significant disabilities who have had limited opportunities in a competitive work setting.  However, over the past several years, there has been increasing concern over inappropriate use of this provision and as a result, increased monitoring by the Department of Labor (DOL).  In order for you to understand what is necessary to be in full compliance with Section 14(c) regulations and to continue to offer employment under the certificate in your retail and contract businesses, you are strongly encouraged to participate in this session.  This session will give you the opportunity to exchange information and give you a better understanding of the Fair Labor Standards Act, Section 14(c). 

Learning Objectives:

•                      Review the special minimum wage law

•                      Understand the key documentation needed to support compliance with the regulations

•                      Discuss common violations identified in recent DOL audits

The size of your organization and technical staffing will play an important part in considering what’s a good fit.  Hosting can provide you with many levels of control and reduce the routine server maintenance and hardware repairs by your staff.  In addition, the expenses are more predictable and manageable since capital expenditures are virtually eliminated.  We will discuss the many options and look to the attendees to be engaged in a lively discussion weighing the pros and cons of hosted IT.   

The Gordon Biersch beer and restaurants were founded in 1987 by Dan Gordon and Dean Biersch. Gordon Biersch is known for their German style lagers brewed according to the strict Reinheitsgebot or German Purity Laws. Dan received his degree in brewing from Technical University of Munich; the most prestige brewing school in the world. In 1997 Gordon Biersch built a state of the art brewery in the Japan Town district of San Jose. You will enjoy a night of brewery tours, beer tasting including tastes of unfiltered beer directly from the lagering tanks, local California wines, and a delicious barbeque meal prepared by Chris Benson proprietor of C.B. Hannigans, a well known and much awarded bay area pub.

Crisis communications can present challenging situations from a public relations, branding and employee communications perspective.  What you will take away from this session:   How to best plan for a crisis before it begins; The role of employee communications during a crisis and  Managing the media throughout a crisis

In this session we will discuss the impact of security audits and approaches for handling analysis and remediation.  We will cover why security controls must be integrated into any new design or implementation.  Most of us have all been faced with sifting through the documentation provided from an assessment, but how successful are we at addressing the remediation items?  In most cases, management has the ultimate say in allocating the necessary resources to correct the security gaps or simply accept the risk based on information provided.  This will ultimately dictate your timelines and what you are able to accomplish.  Learning from each other’s experiences will help us refine the process and become more successful.     

Network with over 120 organizations and discover up-to-date information on the latest industry trends and solutions for your retail, IT, operational, finance, contracts/operations, business development, human resources and marketing needs.

Come pop some tags, look for a come-up and join your colleagues for a fast paced fresh approach to recognizing the best of the best at the Donated Goods Retail Recognition Reception.  We will honor accomplishments of 2012 by celebrating and being inspired by the champions as they share their stories of how they got there, what it took to get there, and what your agency might do to reach new heights.  We sell their granddads clothes and we are incredible – this is gonna be flipping awesome!!!  Appetizers and drinks will be served during the reception.

Join GII General Counsel Judy Branzelle  for a robust conversation about GII trademarks and what Goodwill®  marketing professionals need to know about brand protection. Share challenges our marketing departments face across the enterprise regarding Goodwill trademarks, and your suggestions. 

Sustainability is a hot topic – and it is becoming commonly accepted that it is something that is worthwhile and beneficial for Goodwills to do, from a mission, financial and environmental standpoint.

Currently, many Goodwills are focusing on different aspects of sustainability, such as conducting a lighting retrofit, benchmarking their data via Energy Star Portfolio Manager, implementing the 14 Goodwill Green Guidelines, developing ‘green’ fleet management processes or using the sustainability plan template to craft and crystalize their sustainability effort. There is, however, the need for bringing these tactical elements together into a framework that facilitates a strategic organization-wide approach.

So what is the business case for implementing sustainability organization-wide? How can you make that case at your Goodwill – especially if this is not within your job description? What if your Goodwill is already taking some actions in that direction? How can Goodwill be profitable, do mission and have a positive impact on the environment?

This interactive workshop will provide tools to help you make the case for implementing sustainability organization-wide at your Goodwill. The workshop features Goodwill members that have already incorporated or are in the process of incorporating sustainability into their organizational strategy, as well as members who are excelling in reducing their waste to landfill and energy use.

The first part of the workshop will feature a panel of your peers who will share how they made the business case to management and their Board, and recount their journey to getting to where they are today. The second part will showcase best practice examples from fellow Goodwills in waste and energy. The third part will provide an interactive opportunity to share best practices and address your priorities and challenges in this important area.

The workshop will also provide recommendations and opportunities for discussion and knowledge sharing within the Cohort setting – whether you are participating in the sustainability cohort or another cohort.

As a result of this session, participants will:

• Obtain ways to make the business case for sustainability from Goodwills that have successfully done so
• Learn about best practice approaches to waste reduction and energy efficiency
• Identify their top priorities and challenges  as it relates to sustainability
• Share best practices and network with peers

·         Understand key elements of real estate contract documents.

·         Learn about the different financing mechanisms employed by Goodwill member agencies, their impact on cash-flow and balance sheets.

·         Explore different forecasting mechanisms to use as a basis for proforma income projections for new stores.

·         Learn how to apply risk/reward analysis to different financing models they explore in the future.

·         Hear perspectives and best practices on new store development, financing and growth planning from other Goodwill professionals as well as real estate/financing professionals.