Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette (GICW), based in Portland, provides vocational opportunities to people with barriers to employment across northern, western, and central Oregon and southwest Washington. The Portland-area Goodwill is consistently among the top in the country for donated goods and store revenue. Cathy Hannam serves as president and CEO. Website meetgoodwill.org.
Goodwill runs a social enterprise: people donate used clothing and household goods, Goodwill sells them in its thrift stores, outlets, and online, and the proceeds fund vocational training and employment services. Donating and shopping are the main ways the public supports the mission.
GICW's stated focus is providing vocational opportunities to people with barriers to employment, turning the value of donated goods into job training and placement across its region.
The Portland-area Goodwill is consistently ranked at or near the top in the country among Goodwill organizations for the volume of donated goods and store revenue it generates. Portland's strong culture of donating and thrift shopping helps drive that volume.
GICW operates retail stores, outlet locations, and two online shopping sites, and owns dozens of properties across its territory, giving it a deep retail base to fund the mission.
The agency provides job training, work experience, and placement for people who face barriers to employment across northern, western, and central Oregon and southwest Washington. Cathy Hannam serves as president and CEO.
As with all Goodwills, the organization is both a trainer and an employer, providing paid work and on-the-job experience alongside its formal training programs.
Goodwill accepts clean, gently used clothing, shoes, accessories, housewares, books, and many household items; check the donation guidelines before a large drop-off. Donations go to attended donation centers and stores across the region.
Donations are tax-deductible, and donors should keep a receipt and an itemized list for their records. For a full breakdown, see our guide on what Goodwill accepts.
Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette is a 501(c)(3) organization, and revenue from its stores and online sales funds its mission programs. Its EIN for tax-deductible cash gifts is 93-0386840.
Because GICW handles such a large volume of donated goods, its retail operations support a correspondingly large set of vocational programs.
Both Goodwill and the Salvation Army run thrift stores funded by donated goods, but Goodwill focuses on vocational training and employment while the Salvation Army funds recovery and broad social services. For donated clothing and housewares in the Portland area, either is a strong option.
If your priority is job training and you want your goods to go where donation volume is highest, GICW is one of the busiest Goodwills in the country; for goods better suited to direct distribution, a local shelter or reuse nonprofit may fit better.
Last updated June 2026. Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette service area (northern, western, and central Oregon and southwest Washington), standing among the top US Goodwills for donated goods, retail operations (stores, outlets, two online shopping sites), and CEO Cathy Hannam from the organization (meetgoodwill.org), its team page, and KGW reporting; EIN 93-0386840 from ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. We are not affiliated with Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]