Goodwill Industries International, Inc. Goodwill Industries International, Inc.
Goodwill Industries International, Inc.

 
  
Saturday, August 8, 2015
 
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Donated Goods Retail Train the Trainer Program
Facilitated by Todd Chester, Manager, Management Development Programs, GII and Bill Parrish, Senior Consultant, Donated Goods Retail, GII
The Donated Goods Retail Train-the-trainer (DGR T3) program is intended to provide a tool for trainers, and others responsible for delivering training, to customize and deliver high impact, skill-enhancing curriculum to retail employees at your Goodwill. Attendees will learn to:  Formulate a Training framework around which to develop a Donated Goods Retail Training program for your Goodwill organization; Customize a Training program that fits your specific Goodwill situation by using a step-by-step Training manual; Understand Training principles that apply to face-to-face and technology based formats; Practice current Training Techniques that assist in making you a more effective Trainer and Collaborate with other Goodwill Trainers to discuss lessons learned, best practices, and start developing a Training plan to implement at your Goodwill location. Note: This is a two-day workshop and the registration fee covers both days with a continental breakfast and lunch included.
Registration Fee:  $250
 
Sunday, August 9, 2015 

 
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Concurrent Pre-Conference Sessions

Preserving Reputation through Effective Crisis Management   
Presented by Patti Giglio, Strategic Communications Consultant, PSG Communications, LLC and Lauren Lawson-Zilai, Director, Public Relations
When you're the biggest nonprofit provider of job training and one of the leading brands in the country, effective crisis management is a necessity, not a luxury. Lauren Lawson-Zilai, director of public relations, Goodwill Industries International, and Patti Giglio, a longtime GII strategic communications consultant, will discuss how to manage a crisis whether it lasts days, weeks or longer.
 
Using common Goodwill crisis case studies, this session will analyze best practices for responding in real-time; arming your employees and allies as advocates; and handling social media complaints, protestors or other disruptions.
 
You'll learn:
  • What are the most common crises faced by Goodwill agencies.
  • Who should be on the crisis response team and what your role should be.
  • How to work with media to minimize negative coverage and humanize your organization.
  • Why social media (a crisis game-changer) is your friend, not foe.
Registration Fee:  $150.00
 

8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Concurrent Pre-Conference Sessions

Donated Goods Retail Train the Trainer Program
Facilitated by Todd Chester, Manager, Management Development Programs, GII and Bill Parrish, Senior Consultant, Donated Goods Retail, GII
The Donated Goods Retail Train-the-trainer (DGR T3) program is intended to provide a tool for trainers, and others responsible for delivering training, to customize and deliver high impact, skill-enhancing curriculum to retail employees at your Goodwill. Attendees will learn to:  Formulate a Training framework around which to develop a Donated Goods Retail Training program for your Goodwill organization; Customize a Training program that fits your specific Goodwill situation by using a step-by-step Training manual; Understand Training principles that apply to face-to-face and technology based formats; Practice current Training Techniques that assist in making you a more effective Trainer and Collaborate with other Goodwill Trainers to discuss lessons learned, best practices, and start developing a Training plan to implement at your Goodwill location. Note: This is a two-day workshop and the registration fee covers both days with a continental breakfast and lunch included.


9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Point of Sale (POS) Development
Presented by Richard Halter, Global Retail Technology Advisors, LLC and Robert Walker, PMP, DGR Business Services Merchandising Consultant, GII
As competition for donations and retail sales increases, the need to make better, data-based, decisions has increased.  Our POS systems can be a powerful business intelligence tools by collecting data on both shopper and donor habits that will better equip us to make the right business decisions.

This session will discuss many aspects of developing and/or improving your POS system in order to serve as a tool to help identify strengths and weaknesses in how you manage your existing business and go-forward strategy.  It will also highlight opportunities that can make your POS system more efficient by knowing how to design it to interact with outside software and discuss a preferred list of POS vendors and go into detail on what to incorporate into the POS RFP process to help make your system more secure and compliant with PCI standards.

Presenters will include Richard Halter, from ARTS. ARTS is the technical component within the National Retail Federation which is a community dedicated to helping retailers and solution providers identify, adopt and integrate current emerging information technology into their systems.  Richard has worked with many companies both domestically and internationally and has helped in the POS development now in place in over 100,000 retail outlets across the globe.  Goodwill agencies will also present on their experiences and efforts in developing a POS system within their own organizations as well as the benefits that can be realized through compiling and making available POS data points from across the Goodwill enterprise.  David Downes, from Goodwill Industries International, will speak on preferred POS vendors as well as cyber security and the importance of incorporating security into your development and maintenance plan.

 
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Concurrent Pre-Conference Sessions

Mission First: Catalyzing your Goodwill's Performance by Leading with Mission
Presented by Brian Pearson, Vice President of Business Development - Assistive Technology Services, Dell; Craig Fergusson, Director of Training and Development, Seattle Goodwill Industries, Inc.; Elizabeth Fisher, Store Manager, Seattle Goodwill Industries, Inc.; Jackie Halleen, Senior Vice President of Retail Operations, Goodwill of Central Arizona, Inc. and Richmond Vincent, Jr., Senior Vice President of Workforce Development, Goodwill of Central Arizona, Inc.           
As specialists in business, we invest years into fine-tuning our craft and becoming subject matter experts in our respective focus areas.  Our organizations further reinforce that by developing initiatives to improve processes, productivity and efficiency, with the intention that successes from these initiatives will ultimately help us circle back to strengthening and advancing our mission. However, if our mission is our guiding principle, and why we exist, aren't we going about that in reverse order?  Shouldn't mission come first and drive other business decisions?  What would a "Mission First" and consequently "Mission Integrated" approach mean for our internal operations, be they retail, marketing, IT or finance?  Join representatives from DGR, Marketing, IT, Finance and Mission as we explore strategies to intentionally integrate mission into all the different functional areas so that mission can be the driver, rather than the end result of success.

Engaging Community Stakeholders Through Goodwill Site Visits
Presented by Christa Brothers, Chief Development Officer, Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region & Goodwill Heritage Foundation; Betsy Delgado, Vice President, Mission Advancement, Goodwill of Central Indiana, Inc.; Kyle Lanham, Vice President, Business Development, Goodwill of Central Indiana, Inc.
Building awareness for key stakeholders, investors and advocates can help you increase financial support, advance mission and deepen the relations with your community.  This preconference will feature experienced member Goodwills providing organizing frameworks to plan and execute successful site visits that will inspire those in your community and national stakeholders to invest their time, money and partnership in your success.  Topic will include: planning  and preparing the site visit, telling your Goodwill story, showcasing your mission success and conducting DGR tours. 

The State of Purchasing Across the Goodwill Network
Facilitated by Joanne Marquez, Purchasing Director at Goodwill Industries of Orange County (Orange County, CA), and Warren Ballard, Purchasing Director and head of the National Cooperative Purchasing Program, Goodwill of Central Virginia (Richmond, VA)
Are legacy issues preventing your Goodwill from developing a 21st century purchasing program? Need a toolkit to facilitate centralized purchasing? This pre-conference will use a combination of keynote speakers and poster presentations to explore how the purchasing function adds value to the Goodwill Enterprise. Using a multidisciplinary approach, Goodwill Members and corporate partners will share the purchasing industry standards, best practices, and innovations that have enabled them to contribute to the triple bottom line - people, planet, and profit. Topics may include:  Negotiations  & Contract Development, Contracts, IT, Operations, Retail, Organizational Design, Real Estate, Services, Supply Management, Sustainability and Vendor Management.
 
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Kickoff General Session – Planning for the “New Normal”
Presented by David Pearce Snyder, Consulting Futurist
What will life be like in ten years? What are the implications for Goodwill, our communities, our employees and the people we serve? As demographics shift, economies evolve and technology disrupts, we need to proactively prepare. Look over the horizon with David Pearce Snyder, futurist and discussant.
 
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception
 
6:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Finance/IT Dinner – Registration Closed 
Seating is limited and for pre-registered attendees only

Resource Development Dinner - Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront
Seating is limited and for pre-registered attendees only

PR Dinner - Nel Centro Restaurant  
Please join the GII communications team for its annual dinner to network and better acquaint yourselves with your PR, digital/social media and marketing colleagues across the enterprise. This is an annual event sponsored by the GII public relations team and is a private meeting for those only within the communications discipline.  We hope you can join us!


 
Monday, August 10, 2015

 

 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Cohort Meeting #1

Adaptive Leadership in Disruptive Times  -  Facilitated by Wandia Creswell, Manager of Donations Strategies, GII and Lane Schonour, Senior Director - Leadership Development, GII
Every few years in business there seems to be a new, latest and greatest, management approach that offers THE keys to success and profitability.  This time around, it seems to be Disruption.  Disruptive Leadership in particular, leading to other disruptions such as disruptive innovation.  In simple terms, disruption means an interruption of the norm through newly created strategies, tools, products or processes, resulting in a permanent change.  It follows then, that there must be an incumbent, a disruptor and some form of imagination or re-imagination.  In the world of donated goods retail, though we may not think of it that way, we have also experienced disruption in acquisition strategies.  Think of the proliferation of unattended clothing bins operated by third-parties,  or the more impactful recent growth of curbside textile recycling programs,  or the shared-economy/consignment models that are emerging online.  This cohort is intended to provide a platform to explore opportunities to evolve beyond our traditional donations acquisition models.  To essentially become self-disruptive in order to avoid the fate that befalls most incumbents – irrelevance.  Blockbuster anyone? 
 
Building Our Future Through Collaboration and Partnerships – Facilitated by Ryan Kuhn, Senior Director, Marketing, GII
Today, the world is a complex, interconnected web of partnership and interdependence. From the global economy to mass and viral communications to pre-competitive business partnerships, it’s time to face facts: The only way to stay ahead is to collaborate with others. Even with more than 100 years of experience, the future of Goodwill’s mission and donated goods retail business is no exception. This cohort is for people from any discipline. Join your colleagues from across the Goodwill enterprise as we not only share our experiences and knowledge, but actively build a solution for tomorrow, all around collaboration and partnerships. This cohort will be full of creative ideas and, at the end of the conference, put forward an idea that may shape the very way Goodwill does business in the future.
 
Business Services and Development (Contracts) – Facilitated by Margaret O’Brien, Sr. Director of Organizational Strengthening and Accreditation, GII
The Business Services and Development (Contracts) cohort will explore how to plan for future growth and opportunities in your Goodwill. The discussions will build off cohort member questions; lessons learned; and best practices from across the Goodwill enterprise. It will give cohort participants time to participate in discussions on business services and business development issues such as commercial contracts, e-recycling and staffing service opportunities. In addition best practices and opportunities for product and other service lines of business as well as other topics identified in advance by cohort members will be discussed. As business services and contracts evolve, it is important for us to also have discussions around alignment of our metrics and benchmarks for this area of our business.
 
Extracting Donor Value Beyond Bricks and Mortar – Facilitated by Randy Dohne, Donated Goods Retail Consultant, GII
This cohort will explore ways to get more value from existing donations, outside of the “bricks and mortar” environment of your full-line retail stores.  You have the donations—how do you get more value out of them?  Our initial discussions will focus on aftermarket and e-commerce as drivers of incremental donation value.  These areas are strong drivers of revenues, key ways maximizing donation value, and engines for job creation and waste reduction.  Across all Goodwills in 2014, aftermarket and e-commerce accounted for more than $500 million of revenue, representing about 15% of total DGR revenue.  The cohort approach is a great opportunity to share successful approaches and network with like-minded Goodwill colleagues who operate in the value-creation arena.  Join us and help drive the discussion to explore topics and challenges that are relevant to your business today.  The scope of this cohort could include topics such as:  outlets, salvage pricing/budgeting, vendor management, recycling, auctions, e-commerce business lines such as collectibles/jewelry/books, setting expectations and partnering with stores for e-comm success, and others.  We hope your cohort experience will inspire you to find ways to get more value from your donations!
 
Finance – Facilitated by Hana Redd, Director of Financial Services, GII
The Finance Cohort will identify issues relating to Goodwill members’ financial planning, management, and growth, including (among other possible topics) identifying and using relevant information resources; developing and implementing effective planning tools; building sufficient infrastructure (from software to bricks-and-mortar and everything in between); paying for growth through cash flow and financing; and engaging other team members in the financial planning process.
 
Leadership Development – Facilitated by Todd Chester, Manager, Management Development Programs and Everett T. Shupe, Executive Development Program Director, GII
Successful Goodwill leaders are committed to lifelong, transformative learning.  During this cohort experience, attendees will have the opportunity to identify leadership development issues facing the Goodwill network, work together to identify themes and questions related to these issues.  Participants will also synthesize information presented in Test Kitchens related to these leadership development issues and develop action plans that they can take back to implement within their respective agencies.
 
Modernizing Internal Communication: Strategies for Fostering Employee Engagement
  – Facilitated by Arlene McCrehan, Senior Director, Online Media and Marisa Harriston, Communications Project Specialist, GII
What’s the current state of your employee communications?  Are you finding the right tools for distributing your messages in ways that match the needs and work styles of your various employee groups?  Are your communications helping to create a culture that moves your employees from being good workers to Goodwill advocates and brand ambassadors? Join this cohort to share strategies that are working well, problem solve your internal communications issues with your peers, and create your own strategy for improving your Goodwill’s employee communications.
 
Moving from IT Aspirations to Action - Facilitated by Sarah Newhard, Program Manager of Technology Training, Information Specialist and Joe Shaw, Senior Director, Information Technology, GII
Please join us for highly interactive conversation with presentations in a Cohort learning environment where attendees can discuss their IT aspirations and develop a plan of action. During the Cohort we will provide an overview of presentations and perspectives on specific IT topics and issues that will be discussed over 3 days.  We will then take a deeper dive into these topics during our Test Kitchen sessions scheduled throughout the conference.  Our goal is to work together in developing recipes for success that we can all take advantage of.
 
PR and Marketing – Facilitated by Charlene Sarmiento, Public Relations Manager and Dara Kahn Peskin, Senior Marketing Projects Specialist
Public relations and marketing are increasingly intertwined. How can we make sure our external communications effectively reach our donors and customers in this rapidly changing communications era with the clutter of traditional and digital outlets? During this cohort, we’ll share and take home best practices and tactics on how to take advantage of our existing resources to cut through the noise and successfully promote Goodwill on multiple channels. 
 
Purchasing – Facilitated by Joanne Marquez, Purchasing Director at Goodwill Industries of Orange County (Orange County, CA), and Warren Ballard, Purchasing Director and head of the National Cooperative Purchasing Program, Goodwill of Central Virginia (Richmond, VA)
The Purchasing Cohort will explore the purchasing decision and how by standardization, consolidating, and centralizing purchases at the individual-Member, regional and national levels, Goodwill Members can save millions of dollars. With the increased competition for donations, and flattened sales, there is a renewed focus on securing savings across the board – and capitalizing on leveraged purchasing opportunities for products and services offers a fail-safe way to reduces expenses and costs. This cohort’s activities will build off of key elements of successful procurement strategies strategies and practices, providing participants the opportunity to design and/or refine their Goodwill’s purchasing policies and procedures. This cohort is perfect for the finance and purchasing professionals who are looking to maximize the savings through negotiations, optimizing contracts, and leveraging buying power to finance growth and mission. 
 
Recipes for Operational Economics – Facilitated by Kevin Meier, Project Director, GII 
Join this cohort to understand the ongoing economic challenges with supply and demand as it relates to DGR operations.  What does the supply of donations look like in your market, and what kind of demand do our shoppers have for products in our stores?  What type of labor supply do you have and what does your organization demand for applicant’s in markets with increasing minimum wages?  Take away recipes on how to improve your operation to combat theses economic factors. This cohort is for anyone in the areas of operations that wants to connect with their peers from other Goodwills, share knowledge, get ideas and ask questions.
 
Resource Development/Partnerships – Facilitated by Doug McKenney, Director of Philanthropy and Teri Leavens, Resource Development Program Manager, GII
Learn how to communicate your impact, whether sharing your story in print, online or in-person. Join us to examine best practices in engaging potential funders by developing the Goodwill story to effectively share the impact of our mission.
 
Risk Assessment, Mitigation, and Management – Facilitated by Gretchen Evans, Strategic Planning Consultant, GII
In today’s world of recent events and trends, Goodwill recognizes the widespread implications for Goodwill members related to assessing, mitigating, eliminating and managing risks. This includes agency wide risks impacting mission service delivery and human resource challenges. This cohort will afford participants time to have some “deeper dive” discussions on some of the following risk related topics such as:  
  • Cybersecurity including a focus on client data security
  • Inability to attract, develop & retain talented workforce for the future 
  • Failure to identify early warning signs and/or react quickly to changing economic conditions, industry trends, political realities, etc.
  • Loss of life, property damage and/or business interruption associated with hazards or catastrophic events
  • Future costs of doing business such as minimum wage increases and insurance costs
  • Understanding and exploring implications of serving diverse populations
 
Stats and Stories: Illustrating Goodwill’s Impact – Facilitated by Jenni Baker, Online Content Program Manager (On-line Editor), and Adam Stiska, Director of Mobile and Digital Strategies, GII
Effectively telling the Goodwill story means shifting our goal from awareness to conveying impact. Cohort participants will discuss how to collect, interpret and communicate Goodwill’s impact. Sessions will include conversations on how to create effective messaging through a combination of data and statistics (macro-impact) and personal stories (micro-impact), as well as how these communications can be used to influence a range of Goodwill stakeholders, including shoppers, donors, program participants, financial givers, policymakers, partners and investors.
 
Sustainability and Facilities Management Cohort – Breaking Down Barriers to Integrate Sustainability and Facilities Management to Improve the Triple Bottom Line at Your Organization  -  Facilitated by Susanne Fredericks, Sustainability Specialist, GII; Jennifer Nelson, Senior Director of Sustainable Operations, Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc.; Gary Kubancsek, Director, Facilities Management, Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana
Join us as we cook up different ideas and programs to link several concepts together, Sustainability, Facilities Management, Finance, DGR and others. With the help of your colleagues, add a little spice, change a few ingredients, and let your sous-chefs help you identify which of these recipes could apply to your Goodwill and would create innovative ideas to move your Goodwill forward. Internally, how can we make the connection between buildings, logistics, operations, marketing, return on investment (finance) and sustainability to break down barriers and improve our focus on the triple bottom line? Together, through interactive, lively discussions, we will brainstorm ways to blend our various disciplines to create new recipes for success.  Building on the various activities and information learned we will then present our innovative Goodwill entree to the broader conference.

As a result of this session, participants will:

  • Be exposed to new perspectives and parameters for viewing the triple bottom line through different lenses.
  • Brainstorm ideas on how to incorporate a multitude of disciplines to create new recipes for success.
  • Hone in on one or two recipes and best practices that could apply to their Goodwill.
 
Technology Based Learning – Facilitated by Jack Wexler, Director, Technology Based Learning, GII
The world of learning is dramatically changing with the assistance of technology, and it is imperative that Goodwills understand the various alternatives and supplements to instructor-led training. In this context, technology refers to platforms, tools and apps that instructors should consider, based on their audiences and learning requirements. This technology includes:  Web-based authoring tools, Vendor web-based training (wbt) content, Virtual classrooms, Text messaging, Mobile learning, Learning Management Systems and Gamification.  The participants in this cohort will:  Share their learning strategies; Share their learning tools/platforms and ones they are researching; Identify critical learning challenges that could benefit from technology; Share success stories ; Discuss how we create a learning culture; “sharing is caring” and “Connect-Collaborate-Create-Community(Sharing)”and Investigate areas of interest where the cohort can work as a group for the next year.
 
Using Business Intelligence (BI) in the Changing DGR World – Facilitated by Bill Parrish, Senior Donated Goods Retail Consultant, MarCom & Donated Goods Retail Support and Robert Walker, DGR Business Services Merchandising Consulting GII
This cohort will discuss how business intelligence is increasingly relevant to Goodwill® donated goods retail through accelerating and improving decision making; optimizing internal business processes; increasing operational efficiency; driving new revenues; and gaining competitive advantages over business rivals. For example business intelligence can help to answer these questions: Is a low expense to revenue ratio always good? Is a higher expense to revenue ratio always bad?
 
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Networking Break
 
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Learning Sessions
Conference Living Room:  Practiced Spontaneity – Applied Improv as a Recipe for Innovative Thinking
Facilitated by Izzy Gesell, Organization Alchemist, Humorologist, Facilitator, Keynoter, Author
We all need to be nimble, attentive, confident and creative these days in order to personally thrive while positively relating to others. Interestingly, the same is true of Improv Theater performers because the skills that make improvisers so successful are the same ones that make non-performers successful.  Improv players gain confidence to allow their own spontaneity to flow without self-censorship, poise to allow the spontaneity of others to flow without criticism, and proficiency in their ability to solve problems.   In this entertaining, informative and immediately applicable program we’ll go behind the curtain and into the mind of improvisers and leave with an “innovation mindset” as well as ways to be more confident, spontaneous, innovative and balanced people. (During this session you will learn tips that you can use during your cohort presentation at the Closing General Session.)

 
Test Kitchen:  Attracting Awesome Talent
Presented by  Pat Boelter, Chief Marketing Officer at Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc.; and Mike Lepis, Co-founder and Creative Director at Vignette Brand Communications, Portland, OR
Let’s face it, you need talent in every level of your organization to reach your goals.  And finding and retaining that talent takes an “entire village”. In this test kitchen, participants will hear from leaders discussing various strategies to recruit the best talent for their organizations.  Do applicants really know you?  Learn about messaging your organization’s brand in an authentic way to attract awesome talent.  Take away recipes on how to build a connection between your brand and the right candidate.  Are rising wages causing your best candidates to walk away from an offer?  You will hear from Goodwills that have evolved in order to remain competitive in some of the highest minimum wage markets in the country.   
 
Test Kitchen: Creating New Business Opportunities in the Government Sector
Presented by  Melissa McKenzie, Senior Program Manager, SourceAmerica National Office; Jerry Cook, Director of Contracts, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers, Inc.; Mark McKeever, Vice President of Work Services, Goodwill Industries of San Antonio, (via AdobeConnect)
Contracts/Business Services is the second largest revenue generator for Goodwill, representing 12.4 percent of total revenue at $666.9 million in 2014 employing over 18,000 individuals.  Although the AbilityOne sector out-paced commercial and government non-AbilityOne contracts combined, these contracts continue to see significant reductions and changes in scope that impact operating costs and margins. These reductions can be attributed to the combined federal budget cuts and troop drawdowns, as some Goodwill members held contracts with military organizations.  In this test kitchen, we will explore strategies that some Goodwills have used to continue building their government sector opportunities.
 
 
Test Kitchen:  Deconstructing Business Problems and Collecting Data, A Systematic Approach to Problem Solving
Presented by  Dave Wells, Vice President - Organizational Development, Goodwill Industries - Mannasota, Inc.; Elaine Armstrong, Director of Public Relations, Goodwill of North Georgia; and Charles Canton, Vice President of Operations, Goodwill Industries of Houston 
In the business world, the challenges and issues professionals face are very complex involving people, processes and technology.  This test kitchen will help cut through the chaos to help participants simplify those challenges and understand the difference between a problem and a symptom.  Included will be a discussion on the application of different research methodologies (primary vs. secondary) as well as the pros and cons of each.  We will also discuss how data and intuition can work together in the problem solving process.   Participants in this test kitchen will learn how to 1) properly frame and scope the issues they are facing in their business and 2) how to use research and data to make informed business decisions.
 
Test Kitchen: Developing Strategy at Your Goodwill in Today’s World – Innovative Approaches
Presented by  Tim O’Neal, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries of Central Arizona (Phoenix) and Daniel Burns, Vice-President, Donated Goods, Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina (Charleston, SC)
National and global trends continue to change the environment for nonprofits, including social enterprises like Goodwill. Although change is nothing new, the highly accelerated pace at which social, technological and economic shifts are now occurring and affecting one another, presents radical challenges and demands increasingly adaptive responses. Many Goodwill organizations have begun to address the impact of change through innovation in their strategic planning approach and methodology.  Goodwills have recognized that they must become more strategic in their approach and that it is imperative that it be a fluid and flexible process to address the disruptions in the external environment. In this test kitchen you will learn about some of the innovative approaches from two Goodwill members, one from a CEO with an overall organization approach and one from a Vice-President of Donated Goods Retail focused approach. The presenters will share their innovative approaches followed by Q & A and discussion groups.
 
Test Kitchen:  Halloween
Presented by  Cheryl Kulp, Senior Director of Retail Operations, Goodwill Keystone Area; John Hannam, Executive Sales Manager, Goodwill of the Columbia Willamette;  Dave Roberts, Senior Marketing Services Manager, Goodwill of the Columbia Willamette; Dale Emanuel, Media Relations Manager, Goodwill of the Columbia Willamette; George White, Public Relations and Communications Manager, Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region
Learn how your agency can become the “go to” place for Halloween in your territory. In this session, we’ll discuss the benefit of saving merchandise year-round for Halloween, how to plan themed sections in your stores, and how to creatively merchandise for optimal sales. We’ll also discuss best practices for developing marketing content that will drive awareness of your Halloween-related merchandise, how to create the best possible customer experience using Goodwill best practices and tools, i.e. the Goodwill Costume Look BookTM and Goodwill Costume AngelsTM .
 
Test Kitchen: Donor Retention: Why it’s Critical; How to Measure it; and How It’s Done
Presented by:  Jay Love, Co-Founder & CEO, Bloomerang

Research reveals that across the nonprofit industry, for every $100 gained, $92 was lost from lapsed donors and smaller gifts from current donors. And, for every 100 new and returning donors, 102 lapsed*. Keeping donors engaged for the long-term can maximize net revenue and build a pool of major donors. Join Jay Love, Co-Founder and CEO of the online donor management platform Bloomerang, and one of the most well-known senior statesman on donor retention as we examine leading practices in donor retention measurement and proven practices in donor loyalty. Learn how your Goodwill can strengthen its capacity to keep donors long-term and develop strong ambassadors for your mission.

*2014 Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) Survey Report 

Test Kitchen:  Managing IT Support and Major Projects
Facilitated by Joe Shaw, Senior Director, Information Technology, GII; Presented by: Jeff Ton, Senior Vice President Corp Connectivity & CIO - Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana; Jeff Winn, Director Cyber Risk Services - Deloitte & Touche, LLP; Brian Pearson, Vice President of Business Development – Assistive Technology Services, Dell; Noah Duffy, IT Manager, Goodwill Industries of Southwest OK and North TX; Joe Williams,  Vice President of Information Technology, Goodwill San Antonio
 
This session will be a debate format where we will hear from several IT Subject Matter Experts about how they manage day to day support, while remaining focused on major projects. We will discuss ways to minimize distractions, the pros and cons of outsourcing and utilizing tools and resources more effectively.  We encourage participation from the attendees to share what’s working and what they would like to do better. We are all faced with multitasking so controlling the flood of information while dealing with crisis, conflict and change are keys to moving your operation to the next level. 
 
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Tradeshow & Lunch
 
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Learning Sessions
Conference Living Room:  Practiced Spontaneity – Applied Improv as a Recipe for Innovative Thinking
Facilitated by  Izzy Gesell, Organization Alchemist, Humorologist, Facilitator, Keynoter, Author
We all need to be nimble, attentive, confident and creative these days in order to personally thrive while positively relating to others. Interestingly, the same is true of Improv Theater performers because the skills that make improvisers so successful are the same ones that make non-performers successful.  Improv players gain confidence to allow their own spontaneity to flow without self-censorship, poise to allow the spontaneity of others to flow without criticism, and proficiency in their ability to solve problems.   In this entertaining, informative and immediately applicable program we’ll go behind the curtain and into the mind of improvisers and leave with an “innovation mindset” as well as ways to be more confident, spontaneous, innovative and balanced people. (During this session you will learn tips that you can use during your cohort presentation at the Closing General Session.)

 
Test Kitchen:  Facilities Management: As we create a recipe for success, remember, there's more to Facilities Management than leaky faucets...
Presented by  Gary Kubancsek – Director, Facilities Management, Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana; Rolf Halverson – Facilities, Goodwill Industries of The Columbia Willamette; Cynthia Anderson, Salvage and Logistics Manager, Goodwill Industries of The Southern Rivers, Inc.; Jeff Cole – CIO, Goodwill of Greater Washington DC; Robert Randall  - VP Donated Goods, Goodwill Industries of South Florida
The ingredients that it takes to run a successful facilities management operation are intertwined with pretty much every aspect of Goodwill’s operations; however, many of our stakeholders do not make that connection. Internally, how can we make the connection between preventive maintenance and building operations, safety, staffing practices for hiring technical people, storeroom operations, sustainability & green initiatives (e.g. recycling, lighting retrofits, etc.), and logistics? This test kitchen will link several concepts together, Facilities Management, Finance, DGR, Sustainability, Purchasing and others to make that connection. This learning session will provide different perspectives and innovative ideas from Goodwill members that have successfully incorporated facilities management principles through a variety of programs and best practices and show how they all come together to add-value from the maintenance perspective to the GW mission. So whether you are facility managers, construction professionals, logistics managers, maintenance department staff, or in accounting, purchasing or operations, join us as we pull together all the right ingredients to create just the right recipe for success.
As a result of this session, participants will:
  • Be exposed to new perspectives as it relates to facilities management.
  • Brainstorm ideas on how to incorporate a multitude of disciplines to create new recipes for successful operations.
  • Hone in on one or two recipes and best practices that could apply to their Goodwill.
 
Test Kitchen:  Building Talent
Presented by Todd Chester, Manager, Management Development Programs and Everett T. Shupe II, Executive Development Program Director, GII.
Forming a strong team takes time, and members often go through recognizable stages as they change from a collection of strangers to a united group with a common goal.  This session will help Goodwill leaders understand and implement strategies to help teams become effective more quickly. These strategies will include best practices about how to;
  • Communicate the expectations of the organization.
  • Understand the development needs of team members.
  • Provide support and guidance to increase performance.
 
Test Kitchen: Creating New Business Opportunities in the Commercial Sector
Presented by: Melissa McKenzie, Senior Program Manager, SourceAmerica National Office;  Jim Humphrey, Vice President of Commercial Services, Goodwill  Industries of Central Indiana, Inc.; Mark Lane, Director of Public Relations & Special Events, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit
Commercial contract revenues totaled over $224 million in 2014, up 13.1 percent over 2013, seeing the highest percentage growth of all contract opportunities. With 21 different business lines across all sectors, staffing services continue to achieve the highest revenues, with more than $62 million.  Janitorial and other contracts closely followed. In this test kitchen, we will hear about other commercial ventures that Goodwills have engaged in to continue building the commercial side of their business and the strategies used in order to provide a variety of employment options for the people they serve. We will explore how to find the right business opportunity for your community based on your competencies as well as how to get the business started.    

Test Kitchen:  Future Trends of Donated Goods Retail: Digital Strategies.  
Presented by  Wandia Creswell, Manager, Donations Strategies, GII and Adam Stiska, Director of Mobile and Digital Strategies, GII; Joshua Peterson, E-Commerce Operations Manager, Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette; Mark Steiner, Principal. Lenati; Loren Bors, Principal, Lenati
Bring your apron -- this test kitchen may get a little messy! We’ll sauté a variety of digital strategies that could help prepare your Goodwill to thrive in the ever-expanding world of e-commerce and consumer technology. Our menu features a generous portion of e-commerce retail strategies with a healthy side of donated goods acquisition innovations. This is a session for all retail, marketing, and IT professionals who want to discover a recipe for success for their donated goods retail programs.
 
Test Kitchen:  Harnessing the Power of Data to Support Strategic and Tactical Business Decisions. 
Presented by: Nicole McIntosh, Director of Advertising, Goodwill of North Georgia; Charles Canton, Vice President of Operations, Goodwill Industries of Houston; and Ray Couch, Vice President, Real Estate and Market Development, Goodwill Industries - Mannasota, Inc.
What is the hot topic for every major retailer and enterprise in the market today?....Data.  In this test kitchen,  we will discover how data supports business intelligence and tactical business decision-making; and discover how it can guide better engagement with and marketing to Goodwill® customers---shoppers, donors, and persons served.  Analyzing data doesn’t have to be long and complex – the 80/20 rule applies.  Participants will learn how to pull meaningful insights from data as well as various ways to communicate insights to stakeholders to make better business decisions.   To make the most out of this session, it is recommended that participants have a good understanding of problem solving and data collection methodology.
 
Test Kitchen:  Creating a Risk-Conscious Culture through Compliance and Communications
Presented by  Katherine Boury, Communications Manager, Seattle Goodwill and Lauren Lawson-Zilai, Director, Public Relations, GII Jeff Winn, Director Cyber Risk Services, Deloitte & Touche, LLP; and Kristen O'Donnell, Director of Public Relations and Marketing, Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc.
An effective compliance and ethics program is one that promotes an organizational culture that encourages appropriate conduct and a commitment to compliance and quality operations. However, the concept of a risk conscious culture is often difficult to create in organizations and may be competing with other strategic priorities or operational goals. In addition, external events, especially those of a catastrophic nature, may impact organizational processes. Hear from GII’s public relations and two Goodwill agencies on how to create a culture where all employees naturally consider organizational risks before taking action in order to protect your organization. You’ll hear case studies on how external events such as loss of life, embezzlement, cybersecurity, and wage issues, to name a few, impact the stability of the work environment, and suggestions for ways to mitigate those situations so that employees know how to manage and speak about those situations in order to reduce brand risk for Goodwill. In addition, we will explore approaches toward creating a risk conscious culture as well as discuss issues such as not attracting a talented workforce for the future and the implications of serving diverse populations.
 
An effective compliance and ethics program is one that promotes an organizational culture that encourages ethical conduct and a commitment to compliance and quality operations. However, the concept of a risk conscious culture is often difficult to create in organizations and may be competing with other strategic priorities or operational goals. Creating a culture in which all employees naturally consider organizational risks before taking action protects your organization and fosters a more cohesive, stable and quality environment. In this test kitchen we will explore approaches toward creating a risk conscious culture specific to some commonly identified risk areas.  We will also look at some potential risks that are not always identified, such as not attracting a talented workforce for the future; implications of serving diverse populations; and technology risk issues. We will also explore methods of mitigating these risks.
 
Test Kitchen: The Future of IT
Presented by Chuck Mills, Senior Technologist, RackTops Systems, David Downes, Vice President IT and Scott Ellis, Security Manager, GII
As technology demands continue to accelerate, the landscape is dramatically changing and is having a direct effect on the role of IT departments.  We all need to be aware of what’s on the horizon so we can properly resource our teams and get the most bang for the buck.  We will discuss the impact and expectations for Big Data/Analytics, rapid growth in the Cyber Security arena, changes in PCI Compliance and how this all affects your organization financially and from a staffing perspective. We will ask attendees to provide real world scenarios that can be reviewed and offer possible solutions or next steps for addressing a given situation.          
 
Test Kitchen: The Transformational Financial Donor
Presented by Terry Axelrod, Founder and CEO Benevon, Seattle, WA
Over the next 30 years, trillions of dollars in generational wealth transfer will occur in this country.  There is an unprecedented opportunity for the Goodwill® enterprise to engage major financial donors to expand the scale and impact of our mission in transformational ways. To be successful in seizing this opportunity,  Goodwills will need to build capacity expertise and culture to engage major donors in new ways as partners, and over the long term, to meet our aspirations for serving our communities. Join us to learn what Terry Axelrod, Founder and CEO of Benevon and her team have learned about leading practices in donor engagement to strengthen your organizational capability to engage the major donors who share our passion for the Goodwill Mission.
 
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Awards Reception


 
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 
Learning Session
Test Kitchen:  Creating a Culture of Inclusion
Presented by Kim Lewis, Executive Director Goodwill of East Texas; Jim Thiess, Goodwill of the Columbia Willamette; Brian Pearson, VP of Marketing for EVAS; Sean Kelson, Program Manager Goodwill of the Redwood Empire; Deanna David, Administrative Assistant for WFD Goodwill of the Redwood Empire; Annette Riess Grove, MA, MBA, Accreditation and Organizational Assessment Consultant, GII
Creating an inclusive working environment is about more than just giving everyone equal opportunities. It’s an environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, where the talents and skills of different groups are valued, and where productivity and customer service improves because the workforce is happier, more motivated and more aware of the benefits that inclusion can bring.  Embracing diversity means creating a workplace in which people of all backgrounds and cultures feel included, welcome, and valued. Inclusion involves respecting individual differences and capturing the advantages they provide. In this test kitchen we will explore how can managers can foster an inclusive work environment and explore effective ways to make every member of a team feel valued.

Test Kitchen: Millenials Unwrapped: Nourishing a New Generation of  Goodwill® Supporters
Presented by   Howie Hutchinson, Partner Engagement Manager, Goodwill Industries of Denver and Lynne Dahl, Director of Store Design & Property Management, Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota, George White, Public relations and Communications Manager, Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region. 
If your agency has yet to develop a strategy for inspiring young adults to get involved with Goodwill,  it’s time to start cooking! In this test kitchen, you’ll get a taste of three Goodwill recipes for enticing the 18-35 crowd to shop, donate and support our organization. You’ll hear about a new concept store aimed at getting younger shoppers in the door, a university partnership that encourages students to donate – and not dump – their stuff, and a program that’s getting young professionals engaged and energized about Goodwill. The session will conclude with a brainstorming session around how to get Millennials hungry for your Goodwill’s stores and services.
 
Test Kitchen:  IT Security and Risk Management
Presented by  David Downes, Vice President, Information Technology, GII and Scott Ellis, Information Security Manager, GII
This session will consist of several security exercises that will allow multiple teams to develop responses to specific security events.  We will break into groups to review the “event” assigned to you, gather data points, develop a response plan and close out with the recovery.  Participants should be prepared to offer different approaches based on their current capabilities. We will then reconvene and share the details of each security event discussion so everyone has an opportunity to weigh-in on the results.  
 
Test Kitchen:  Owning Your Brand
Facilitated by David Roberts, Senior Marketing Services Manager; Gilbert Vizon, Creative Manager, Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette
For our donors, shoppers, program participants and staff, the Goodwill brand communicates a promise to maximize the value of each donation, offer a compelling shopping experience, continuously increase mission awareness, and provide a rewarding work environment.  Learn how Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette’s marketing team uses an integrated approach to build a high-value brand.
 
Test Kitchen:  Planning for Growth: Connecting the Dots!
Presented by  Vicki Holschuh, Senior Vice President and Chief Retail Officer, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago in Milwaukee, WI; Naomi Byars, Finance Director, Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois and Wisconsin Stateline Area in Rockford, IL ; Joanne Haase, Director of Mission Services, Goodwill of Great Plains in Sioux City, IA; Mitch Grossman, Vice President of Operations, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers, Columbus, GA 
Growth is the key to long-term success…but what does that really mean? Does it mean to expanding mission activities, increasing retail revenue, or growing other business enterprises? Or all of these?  How do we plan for growth?  How do we pay for growth in all areas of the organization and how do we balance the growth based on revenue projections and other needs of the organization? Is it necessary that Goodwill make short term sacrifices to realize long term benefits?   Who needs to be at the table to “talk growth” and how do we best translate talking into action? Retail is often the economic engine for our mission activities, so increasing retail revenue can and should have a positive effect on mission activities. Are the retail, mission and other key leaders in your organization talking to one another when planning for growth?
 
Join our “Planning for Growth: Connecting the Dots” Test Kitchen and hear from colleagues that have successfully planned for and executed retail growth plans that enabled them to expand their mission activities and outcomes.  Learn from their successes and hear the challenges they had to overcome.  Learn which strategies for growth work best and how they might apply to your Goodwill.  Learn what common practices can be adopted…and what you may want to avoid. Come engage in the discussion and go home with new perspectives and energy to plan and execute your growth opportunities.
 
Test Kitchen:  Retaining Talent
Presented by  Everett T. Shupe II, Executive Development Program Director, GII; Barbara Stolle, Executive Vice President, Business Enterprise, Goodwill of the Southern Piedmont; and Jeffrey Ukrainec, Vice President, Donated Goods Operations, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit
As your team moves through the stages of development to maturity, your responsibilities as a team leader will naturally change.  Depending on the day and the situation, your team may need you to provide guidance, serve as a sounding board, run interference or add a little muscle to get the job done. An important element of these tasks is to retain the talent you have worked to attract and develop. In this test kitchen, you will hear from a panel of Goodwill practitioners about their approach to employee retention.  Topics will include:
  • How self-awareness impacts the employee-leader relationship.
  • How leaders can develop and maintain trust throughout the organization.
  • How leaders can demonstrate a shared commitment to personal and organizational growth.
 
Test Kitchen:  SLP Capstone Project:  Contracts—What are the New and Bold Opportunities?
Presented by  Jimena Cabello – Salazar, Sr. Training and Development Manager, Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette; Diana Creasy, Marketing Manager, Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc.; Nathan Vander Plaats, Director of Mission Services for IA/NE, Goodwill of the Great Plains, Robert Ingersoll, Retail Store Manager, Seattle Goodwill Industries, Inc.
 
A Senior Leader Program (SLP) Capstone project focused on the assessment of the current state of Goodwill efforts and strategies to build the contracts line of business.  By identifying effective practices, innovative approaches, new business line opportunities, we can insure the continued success of Goodwill and expand the employment opportunities for individuals served through our mission programs. In this test kitchen you will hear and discuss the results they identified including: 
  • Alternate lines of contract opportunities that are emerging that can be replicated across the enterprise
  • Possible franchise opportunities that would align with our current competencies that would allow for easy replication
  • Emerging lines of contract opportunities that should be considered that would broaden our core competencies
  • The challenges members are encountering in their efforts to build their contracts line of business
 
Test Kitchen:  Technology Based Learning
Facilitated by Jack Wexler, Director, Technology-Based Learning, GII;  
Technology based learning is increasing at a phenomenal pace especially with the rise of smartphones.  Participants in this test kitchen will hear how other Goodwills are implementing technology based learning for staff and program participants and understand the approaches taken including the tools/platforms. Additionally participants will learn about the future of learning technology to include new approaches like gamification and others.
 
Test Kitchen:  Sustainability: We are not 'just green' anymore! Using Sustainability and the Triple Bottom Line as an ‘Action for Impact’.
Presented by  Susanne Fredericks, Sustainability Specialist, GII; Jennifer Nelson, Sr. Director of Sustainable Operations, Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida; Ken Moler; VP Retail Sales, Goodwill Industries of Central Florida; Mike Pritchard; CFO, Goodwill Industries of Denver; Beth Forsberg; Vice President of Operations, Goodwill Industries of San Diego County
Sustainability and the Triple Bottom Line of people, planet and prosperity has been intimately intertwined with Goodwill’s mission since Goodwill’s inception; however, many of our stakeholders do not make that connection. What can we do to make that connection and position sustainability so donors and other stakeholders see that Goodwill = sustainability? How can we position the Triple Bottom Line and sustainability to grow donations within Goodwill? To decrease costs and increase our returns on investment (ROI)? To create new partnerships? To ‘green’ our facilities management operations? Through this test kitchen, get new ideas, get creative, and get your questions answered! This session will get you thinking about ways you can apply the triple bottom line to increase donations, decrease costs, create partnerships and support the mission at your Goodwill. We will accomplish this by providing different perspectives and innovative ideas from Goodwill members that have successfully incorporated sustainability principles and the triple bottom line into their programs and best practices across a variety of disciplines.

As a result of this session, participants will:

  • Learn how other members successfully leveraged the Triple Bottom Line to increase donations, decrease costs, create partnerships and support the mission.
  • Brainstorm ideas of additional actions to incorporate others outside of our own disciplines.
  • Leave with at least one to two ideas of how to incorporate different perspectives and innovative ideas at your Goodwill using sustainability principles.  
 
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Networking Break
 
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Cohort Meetings #2
 
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Lunch & Tradeshow

 
2:30 o.m. - 5:30 p.m. 
Disruptive Leadership Spanning the Spectrum of Donations Strategies Workshop
Presented by  Mark Steiner, Principal, Lenati; Loren Bors, Principal, Lenati; Eric Schlegel, Vice President, retail Operations, Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc.; Tonya Darrow, District Manager, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, Inc.; and Lane Schonour, Senior Director - Leadership Development, GII
GII’s DGR team is currently working to document the various strategies for donations acquisition currently used by Member agencies along with related resource requirements.  The intention is to develop a tool that Members can use as a reference, to inform decisions on their own strategies for donations growth, given resources considerations.  The tool will be formatted as a four-quadrant graphical representation of the various donations acquisitions strategies on varying scales of resource requirements and ROI.  The interactive online spectrum will also include case-study format profiles of various Members within each quadrant.
 
During this workshop, participants will get an in-depth review of the spectrum, through the eyes of disruptive leadership.  Why disruptive leadership?  In recent years, we have experienced interruptions to our traditional methods for donations acquisition, with no sign of change in the headwinds.  As we envision the Goodwill of the future, adoption and change will be integral to our continued successes.  It takes leadership to achieve that.  Simply reacting to our competitors’ activities is a failing strategy, a topic to be explored during the workshop.  Instead, we will need to infuse imagination and a fresh approach, though challenging to the traditional norms, in order, not just to be more agile to adopt to change, but more importantly, to create and lead with change. 
 
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette Tour
Locations that will be toured include Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette Headquarters ► Halsey Retail Store ► Airport Outlet ► Goodwill on Hawthorne Boutique 


 
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Town Hall Meeting
Facilitated by Jim Gibbons, President & CEO, Goodwill Industries International, Inc.
  
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Networking Break
 
10:30 a.m. – 12:00
Cohort Meetings #3:  Action Planning for Closing Session
 
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Closing Session Luncheon
What did you learn during the 2015 Summer Conference?  What big ideas, new programs or services do you want to implement when you get back to your agency?  During this interactive general session, each cohort will share a 4-minute presentation with their colleagues 

1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette Tour
Locations that will be toured include Cedar Hills Retail Store ► Bronson Creek Donation Center ► Hillsboro e-commerce ► Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette Headquarters
 
Goodwill Industries International, Inc.
15810 Indianola Drive
Rockville, MD 20855
(800) GOODWILL
[email protected]
"GOODWILL ®" is a registered trademark of Goodwill Industries International, Inc.
© 2014 Goodwill Industries International. All rights reserved.