President's Message

In Support of the “I Live Here, I Give Here” campaign.

In the spirit of full disclosure, Goodwill is one of about 100 “voices” for the Austin Campaign for Philanthropy’s “I Live Here, I Give Here” campaign (see www.ilivehereigivehere.org). The focus of my message is not so much about Goodwill as it is about all nonprofits in our area that are in the same boat.

I recently read an interesting article in the Austin American-Statesman entitled “What Makes Austin’s Economy Grow.” It hit on several statistical points for which we as Austinites should all be proud.

• Four times the innovation level of the national patent average per person
• Nearly 40 percent hold college degrees
• Average yearly income of $43,083 (107.3 percent of the national average)

We are an educated, well-heeled city, and enjoy a sportive quality of life. We can catch a show on 6th Street, run a 5k around the lake, and cool our toes at Barton Springs all in the same day. Austin is the “best place for…” in so many categories that it boggles the mind, but when it comes to giving back to our community, we are “missing the boat.”

“I Live Here, I Give Here” found that Austin ranks 48 out of the 50 largest cities in the nation in per capita giving (money)—a dismal reality—but let us tout our accomplishments. According to a report released by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Austin ranks third in the nation in volunteer rate. Austinites are engaged citizens who generously donate our time, but we hold tight to our treasures and fall way behind in monetary contributions. Most of us report that giving money to nonprofits is key to building and maintaining a strong community, but we simply do not practice the values we preach. Public Strategies found in a recent survey that most Austinites believe we meet our local charitable needs, with 82 percent claiming they would give more if they understood those needs--so here it goes.

There are many people who go without food, shelter and medical care on a daily basis, and who simply do not have the training or resources needed to secure a job. Parents in these situations often have a hard time keeping their families together. It's concerning to know that we have 41,000 children who go to bed hungry every night, and of the 4,000 homeless people in Austin, 1,000 are kids. Strengthening families strengthens the community—this is Goodwill’s mantra, and this continues to be our focus.

No matter your belief or current focus, I ask each one of you to hone your passion and find a cause to start supporting. Give your time, give your talent, but also give your treasure—it’s up to you to change our culture.

Gerald Davis, President and CEO