Goodwill of Greater Washington is an approved non-profit charitable 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to transforming lives and communities through education and employment. Its mission is supported through generous donations and a range of revenue-generating activities, including its e-commerce store. The organization serves a large region spanning Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and adjacent parts of Maryland, reaching over 5,000,000 residents.
At Upright Labs, we’ve built a strong partnership with Dawn Holland, the Vice President of Donated Goods at Goodwill of Greater Washington, as we’ve worked closely together to support the organization’s growth and success over the years. Since 2020, Goodwill of Greater Washington has relied on Upright Lister to enhance its e-commerce operations, and our collaboration with Dawn has been integral in driving continuous improvement and innovation within their warehouse.
Various aspects of Goodwill of Greater Washington’s workflows and operational efficiencies have seen noteworthy enhancements as the partnership evolved through the years. For example, from 2020 to 2023, the amount of items listed on their marketplace has increased by 106%, leading to a substantial 67.39% increase in revenue. We will take a closer look at their data and more in upcoming discussions, as these improvements offer insights into how the collaboration with Upright Lister has contributed to ongoing progress within the organization.
Dawn describes her overall experience with the Upright Lister software and Upright Consulting services as both enlightening and evolving. Throughout her tenure in the Upright Labs partnership, her understanding and involvement has continuously grown in an effort to maximize the potential of the Goodwill of Greater Washington organization.
Her involvement has become more hands-on, focusing on optimizing the software’s potential to enhance operational efficiency. Dawn noted that she continues to see opportunities for further learning and development from our innovations, expertise, and insights.
“Over this past year, I've had a much more hands-on role in understanding and making sure that we're maximizing our potential through the use of the software that [Upright Labs] put together and built. So, I think my involvement and my interaction is becoming stronger… I still think there's growth for me to continue to learn from you all, as the experts of the software system itself.”
Dawn Holland
The integration of Upright Lister into Goodwill of Greater Washington’s existing systems has been highly effective, with Dawn highlighting its seamless compatibility and customization with their unique needs.
Recently through our partnership, Dawn has worked closely with Blake and Aish on our implementation and client services team here at Upright to gain support and guidance on the direction Goodwill of Greater Washington wants to go in. One of the organization’s strategic goals is to expand its e-commerce presence. Having software that is very flexible and adaptable where someone can easily make adjustments based on a sales trend or opportunity, has been very beneficial for the Goodwill organization. They found it to be simple, straightforward, and effective in reaching their goals.
“The ability to merge our needs with what the software offers was great…customizing it to meet those needs and, more importantly, helping us grow our footprint in the e-commerce marketplace, is really helpful. It’s very simple to just change something or modify something based on a trend we've identified or an opportunity we’ve identified within our organization.”
Dawn Holland
The customization and implementation of our software has significantly boosted efficiency and reduced operational redundancies for Goodwill of Greater Washington. Dawn mentioned that the tailored solutions have streamlined their processes by addressing and eliminating duplicative tasks identified during the audit process.
Previously, the organization faced inefficiencies from repeated activities and complex problem-solving approaches. However, by leveraging Upright Lister’s capabilities, it found that data-driven insights can quickly reveal solutions, bypassing the lengthy and often cumbersome manual analysis.
“One of the benefits of working with Upright Labs is that if you follow the system, the data will lead you to the answer. This approach takes you to the solution versus the human mind and going through all these intricate detailed steps. It might take me six months to figure it out or find the time to do so, whereas if I just follow the system, typically within about 45 days I can find out what's real.”
Dawn Holland
After using the software data to identify and remove unnecessary redundancy within its workflow, the organization saw great improvement in its efficiency to list items. For 9 consecutive months, between July 2023 and May 2024, Goodwill of Greater Washington’s team listed 10,000 or more items online. To add to the success, they also sold 13,833 more items through Upright Lister all throughout 2023 than the year prior.
Goodwill of Greater Washington has experienced notable quantitative improvements in its e-commerce operations since integrating the Upright Labs software. This transformation has resulted in better financial oversight, with more precise expense tracking and cost-saving measures, particularly in shipping and supplies management. By optimizing financial processes and strategically managing inventory and sales, the organization has strengthened its overall financial health.
“We've been able to really fine-tune and focus on the expense side, like shipping supplies. As a result, we save money on expenses.”
Dawn Holland
Dawn also mentioned the organization had a significant increase in the number of online listings and an enhanced sell-through rate in several categories, thanks to the sales data and insights identified through our software.
Goodwill of Greater Washington saw its monthly revenue from online sales rise by $17,119.66 from 2022 to 2023. Additionally, its overall revenue increased by an impressive 67.39% from 2020 to 2023.
Upright Lister offers detailed reporting and advanced business analytics to help find growth opportunities for e-commerce businesses. This performance boost Dawn and the team witnessed highlights the substantial impact of leveraging data-driven insights to drive success.
“Most of the KPIs we measure have shown increased performance over the past quarter, especially since we started focusing on leaning into and following what the software tells us. When we list more items, sales are higher. When we list the right items, our sell-through improves.”
Dawn Holland
Goodwill of Greater Washington has leveraged software reports from Upright Lister to strategically reduce its inventory backlog by selling similar items in bulk. This approach has freed up space for new inventory and shifted the organization’s focus toward prioritizing best-selling items with strong sell-through rates for their e-commerce platform.
To further capitalize on these quantitative improvements, Goodwill of Greater Washington is conducting targeted training on the software for store managers and leaders that manifest. This training will ensure consistent application of best practices for manifesting and increasing inventory logically across all locations in its service area, reinforcing the effective use of data-driven strategies to boost revenue.
In 2023, Dawn’s team increased revenue in 12 product categories and looks to continue to see increases throughout 2024. Some of these categories include jewelry, collectibles, and electronics. The Upright Labs team is excited to see how these ongoing improvements will drive even greater success and further optimize their e-commerce performance.
“We've increased revenue through enhanced training. In fact, we are going to conduct a training session with our store managers and all the leaders at our different locations that manifest to walk through some of the improvements and ensure we're all following the same criteria for what we select to go over to e-commerce.”
Dawn Holland
Upright Labs has been instrumental in helping Goodwill of Greater Washington tackle various challenges by providing tailored solutions and hands-on support. Dawn highlighted how our team excels at guiding secondhand partners through the software, ensuring that they fully understand how to leverage its capabilities. Whether it’s setting annual goals, addressing specific issues, or identifying opportunities for improvement, we always make sure to offer the most up-to-date actionable insights, suggestions, and solutions.
“Upright does a really good job of walking you through the software. You sit down and you understand and describe what you're trying to accomplish. If you say, ‘Hey, here's my goal for this year, here's my goal for next year, here's my issue, here's what I've noticed, here's what I can't figure out,’ I think Upright Labs does a fantastic job of helping you figure those things out, offering suggestions and solutions along the way. It's not left to the agency to take you from there and figure it out, Upright absolutely will walk beside you, and I think that's great from a high level.”
Dawn Holland
This collaborative approach has been particularly effective in enhancing operational efficiencies for the organization, helping to optimize its donation mix for e-commerce. Dawn noted that while market trends are consistent, each organization’s needs are unique, and Upright tailors strategies to maximize potential based on specific inventory and market conditions.
Between May 2023 to April 2024, Goodwill of Greater Washington produced an 88.43% average sell-through rate online.
“...it's really going to be about operational efficiencies and understanding how to maximize your potential based on your specific donation mix. I think that's probably going to be different from agency to agency. There are things that sell well overall in the market, and if everybody has the exact same quantities or percentages of categories, it'd be easy. But it's not that simple. You have to go, ‘Okay, what do you have that would be best marketed on an e-commerce platform, and how can we help you do that?’”
Dawn Holland
At Upright Labs, our commitment to exceptional support and responsive service is a cornerstone of our partnership with Goodwill of Greater Washington and all of our customers.
We go beyond just providing software; we work alongside our clients to ensure they have the guidance and solutions needed to thrive in the ever-evolving e-commerce space. This dedication to client success has been a game-changer for organizations like Goodwill of Greater Washington, as they navigate the complexities of their operations with confidence, knowing that expert help is always just a call or click away.
“I’ve always thought the responsiveness has been there. I think it's always been top-notch. I've never had a complaint… [building a partnership with support] is something that I've taken advantage of in the more recent past, and understanding its potential and seeing how that partnership just really can catapult and move us to another level.”
Dawn Holland
We take pride in being not just a service provider but a trusted partner dedicated to the success of our clients. Our support team is readily accessible through chat and email, ensuring that any questions or issues are addressed swiftly and effectively.
Here’s a glimpse of how we deliver on our promise of prompt and reliable support:
Our response times for chat is right on target with the industry standard of 3-5 minutes. For email, we significantly exceed the industry standard response time of 12-24 hours, responding to client emails in 47.37 minutes on average.
Dawn has found her experience with Upright Labs and Upright Lister to be highly collaborative and enlightening, offering valuable insights into the e-commerce sector. She appreciates our team’s responsiveness and openness to feedback, as well as the expansion of knowledge and expertise she has gained through the partnership. With this solid foundation, Dawn is confident that our ongoing collaboration will continue to drive sustained growth and success for Goodwill of Greater Washington in the online marketplace.
“My experience with Upright Labs has really been a growth opportunity for me. It's been collaborative, it's been enlightening, and has opened my mind to another part of the business where I don't have the expertise like I've had throughout my career. The team is responsive and receptive to insight and feedback. I think that makes for a really strong partnership. As for the future of our organization in the online sector, I think we'll just continue to grow.”
Dawn Holland
Goodwill of Greater Washington’s rapid e-commerce growth, driven by Upright Labs’ tailored solutions and strategic guidance, necessitated a move to a larger facility to accommodate their expanding operations. Upright Labs played a crucial role in this transition, not only by providing the tools and insights needed to scale their online sales but also by executing an in-depth facility build-out and audit. Over a four-day period, our team worked closely with everyone from leadership to front-line workers, conducting a comprehensive Kaizen event to streamline their e-commerce operations. By removing unnecessary elements, implementing the 5S methodology, and reducing waste, we identified and enhanced the true value stream.
The results were remarkable: in the three months following the audit, shipping productivity increased by 26%, listing productivity grew by 36%, and average monthly revenue surged by $17,000. On top of that, in October 2024, Goodwill Greater Washington hit its highest revenue number yet, breaking $600,000! These improvements highlight Goodwill of Greater Washington’s commitment to operational excellence and continued growth in the e-commerce space.
Interested in discovering how Upright Labs can transform your e-commerce operations? Schedule a demo with us today to see how Upright Lister is the right solution for your organization’s needs.
