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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: May 2026 Expires: May 2028

Goodwill Industries of Mississippi

Standards Not Met
Standards Not Met
13 14 16
(601) 853-8110
104 East State Street
Ridgeland, MS, 39157
http://www.goodwillms.org/
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Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Goodwill Industries of Mississippi does not meet the following 3 Standards for Charity Accountability:

Standard 13 (Accuracy of Expenses in Financial Statements)
Accurately report the charity's expenses, including any joint cost allocations, in its financial statements. For example, audited or unaudited statements which inaccurately claim zero fund raising expenses or otherwise understate the amount a charity spends on fund raising, and/or overstate the amount it spends on programs will not meet this standard.

GIM does not meet this Standard because:

  • Although the organization's 2024 audited financial statements indicated it received $108,406 in contributions, GIM reported no fundraising expenses.

Standard 14 (Budget)
Have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program activities, fund raising, and administration.

GIM does not meet this Standard because, when the organization provided budget information, it indicated that the budget:

  • Did not identify total projected program service expenses and did not break program service expenses down by major program category (stores and contributed goods, vocational, grants and contracts, salvage, e-commerce).
  • Did not identify total projected administrative expenses.
  • Did not identify total projected fundraising expenses.

Standard 16 (Annual Report)
Have an annual report available to all, on request, that includes: (a) the organization's mission statement, (b) a summary of the past year's program service accomplishments, (c) a roster of the officers and members of the board of directors, (d) financial information that includes (i) total income in the past fiscal year, (ii) expenses in the same program, fund raising and administrative categories as in the financial statements, and (iii) ending net assets.

GIM does not meet this Standard because the organization's 2024 annual report did not include:

  • Total expenses for each program in the same categories that appear in the organization’s financial statements (stores and contributed goods, vocational, grants and contracts, salvage, and e-commerce).
  • Total program expenses.
  • Total administrative expenses.

Goodwill Industries of Mississippi meets the remaining 17 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to transform lives through lifelong learning and meaningful work."

Year, State Incorporated:
1955, MS

Goodwill Industries of Mississippi (GIM) reports that it operates a donated goods retail model to fund workforce development and supportive services for individuals facing barriers to employment, including limited education, disability, justice system involvement, and long-term unemployment. Additional activities include reentry services, youth workforce initiatives, and targeted training opportunities aligned with regional labor market demand. Through its Career Centers, the organization provides job readiness training, skills development, digital literacy instruction, career navigation, and job placement assistance. GIM states that it partners with local employers to connect qualified candidates to available positions and to address workforce needs. The organization reports that it serves 59 counties in central Mississippi.

For the year ended December 30, 2024, Goodwill Industries of Mississippi's program expenses were:

Stores and contributed goods $6,099,033
Vocational $849,958
Grants and contracts $330,657
E-Commerce $246,137
Salvage $92,080
Total Program Expenses $7,617,865

Chief Executive
Brad Steffani, Chief Executive Officer and President

Compensation*
$234,833

Chair of the Board
Curnis Upkins III

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Senior Project Coordinator, Jackson State University

Board Size
13

Paid Staff Size
187

*2024 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Television, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements

Note: Since the BBB Wise Giving Alliance disagrees with GIM's allocation of fundraising expenses, we are unable to verify the ratio of fundraising expenses to related contributions. See the Conclusions section of this report for more information.

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Goodwill Industries of Mississippi's audited financial statements for the year ended December 30, 2024.

Source of Funds
Store sales $7,835,769
Vocational services $1,119,653
Salvage $622,430
E-Commerce $424,450
Investment income, net $119,352
Contributions $108,406
Grant income $31,652
Miscellaneous income $6,853
Total Income $10,268,565

Programs: 87% Fundraising: 0% Administrative: 13%

Total Income $10,268,565
Total expenses: $8,722,949
  Program expenses $7,617,865
  Fundraising expenses $0
  Administrative expenses $1,105,084
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $1,545,616
Beginning Net Assets $10,042,753
Other Changes In Net Assets $889,867
Ending Net Assets $11,588,369
Total Liabilities $7,779,169
Total Assets $19,367,538

Note 1: Since the BBB Wise Giving Alliance disagrees with GIM's allocation of fundraising expenses, we are unable to verify the ratio of fundraising expenses to related contributions. See the Conclusions section of this report for more information.

Note 2: In the above financial section, "other changes in net assets" refers to a prior period adjustment.

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB Serving Mississippi