Page 6 - 2018 Strategic Planning Trends

Understanding changes in shopper behavior, Goodwill organizations continued to explore and increase and
investment in e-commerce solutions. Most examined the broader e-commerce spectrum to determine how they
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could use a variety of e-commerce platforms, such as shopgoodwill.com and reStich . Several also established
their own domains for online sales, and others looked to create new methods to make online shopping easier for
consumers. There was ongoing discussion regarding how the network might best utilize e-commerce strategies;
most local Goodwill executives agreed it is a critical channel, and there was continued interest in using e-
commerce as a complement to, not replacement for, brick-and-mortar stores.

INVESTING CAPITAL
Facing revenue declines and increased expenses in recent years, many local Goodwill organizations deferred
expenditures during this period of time as budgets were tight. Key capital improvements, including retail store
updates, technology infrastructure and other projects, were deprioritized, and many Goodwill organizations
streamlined process improvements and efficiencies to improve their margins. With same-store sales rebounding
slightly in 2018, local leaders had more margin to invest and took the opportunity to make capital improvements,
such as updating stores and back rooms, and acquiring up-to-date technology including point-of-sale and human
relations systems. Goodwill teams looked to these capital investments to increase customer traffic and ensure
efficiencies across the organization.

MAKING DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS

Motivated by the financial pressure of shrinking margins in 2017, leaders recognized the need for real-time data to
react faster to market changes. Gateway, the network-wide data-reporting and analytics platform, was a response
to local Goodwill leaders’ requests for more data-informed decision making. Many strategic planning teams
prioritized building systems and processes to collect mission impact and customer feedback data — both data
sets members are invited to provide in Gateway that speak to community impact. While the majority of Goodwill
organizations have been in the nascent stages of collecting mission impact data, many began to create and utilize
customer feedback loop tools to inform strategy. Tools included customer loyalty programs, customer surveys and
secret shoppers. Local Goodwill organizations also began examining data on all fronts, integrating data across
their organizations and conducting cross-departmental analyses for better decision making.

STRENGTHEN BRAND

ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY

Continuing a strong trend from 2017, local Goodwill organizations prioritized community engagement as they
focused on community impact. Leaders shifted to broader engagement, relationship-building and helping
communities connect the dots, rather than focusing on one-off engagements or operating in isolation. Goodwill
organizations chose a variety of approaches to community engagement, such as hiring community engagement
staff to spearhead efforts, while others were intentional about raising community engagement expectations for
whole teams throughout the organization. Community engagement goals ranged from understanding community
needs and building both mission and business partners, to increasing Goodwill’s leadership and positioning in the
community while increasing awareness of Goodwill’s mission.

6 2018 GOODWILL NETWORK STRATEGIC PLAN TRENDS
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