What’s in a thank you?

This question has been on my mind a lot lately at work, for a million reasons. The pre-season for taxes is the most challenging time for me, and I’ve had to learn to ask many people for help on various projects, which leads to me thanking them for lending their time, skills, and support. Until this past weekend, I really didn’t think much about how I thanked people – I just knew I was thankful and I expressed my feelings.

Last Saturday our Rockford tax site opened its doors for the first time, and we were thanked for our services from one taxpayer in a unique way: they shoveled our sidewalk for us. While the gesture was something we do at our own homes all winter long without giving it a second thought, having it done for us as a token of appreciation was incredibly touching. That thank you meant more to me than receiving tangible things as a token of appreciation.

Last night another taxpayer wanted to offer their thanks for our postcard reminder service by paying for our postage. Like the shoveling, I don’t really think much about stamping an envelope or sending something in the mail, but having it put back on me as another showing of one’s appreciation was one of the nicest gestures I’ve seen.

Sharing a thank you shows compassion, acknowledgment of another’s work, appreciation, and very importantly in the workplace, teamwork. If we don’t have others to thank, or if we never are thanked, we most likely aren’t positively influencing anyone. Working together, at the tax site in the large projects or in the small daily tasks in life, is critical to everyone’s success in the workplace and in life.

I have been asking myself over and over again, “how do you say thank you?”. I wish I could wear a pedometer of sorts to track how many times a day I say thank you or express my appreciation through a note, action, etc. Would seeing the number of thank yous at the end of the day make me feel better or worse about my job and myself as a whole? Would it lead me to live my life as a thankful person? The answer for me is yes. Being aware of this can help me to reach out to thank others for things I would normally take for granted, and can cultivate an environment of thankfulness, regardless of the situation I am in. How can a thank you fit into your schedule today?

Goodwill Weekly Calendar: January 23 – 27

{Goodwill Store Sales} http://goodwillni.org/shop/calendar.html

Tuesday: DeKalb Dollar Day Sale

Wednesday: Senior Day – 10% off for shoppers aged 55 and older (all stores)

Thursday: Freeport Dollar Day Sale

Friday: Machesney Park Easy as 1-2-3 Sale and Huntley clothing sale

 

{Goodwill Mission Services Center Events}

• Thursday, January 26th Goodwill Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, 9am
  • This event will take place at the Mission Services Center, located at 615 N Longwood Street in Rockford. Stop by and help celebrate our move to this new location!

{Goodwill Free Tax Sites} http://goodwillni.org/career/taxsite.html

Come have your taxes prepared for no charge at our tax sites! Call (815) 494-2936 to make your appointment today.

• Tuesday
  • Machesney Park Goodwill store, 5pm to 8pm
• Wednesday
  • Goodwill Mission Services Center (Rockford), 9am to 3pm
  • Machesney Park Goodwill store, 5pm to 8pm
• Thursday
  • DeKalb Goodwill store, 12pm to 8pm
  • Machesney Park Goodwill store, 5pm to 8pm
• Friday
  • Freeport Goodwill store, 9am to 12pm
  • Beloit Goodwill store, 1:30pm to 4:30pm
• Saturday
  • Goodwill Mission Services Center (Rockford), 9am to 3pm
  • Machesney Park Goodwill store, 9am to 3pm

Tax Season Progress Tracker: Week 1

We opened our tax site in Rockford for the first day today, and we were able to prepare quite a few returns! Our volunteer team was made of all “veteran” volunteers, including two Goodwill staff members (thank you, Courtney and Don!).

2012 TAX SEASON RETURNS

Goal: 1,100 tax returns

Completed this week: 17

Current total: 17

1.5%

START

END

EITC Movie Shorts: Part 1

The IRS has created an Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day, and this year it falls on January 27th. For our tax sites, we are trying to increase awareness about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in a way that people can relate to. As you can see below, we find that mixing some comedy with tax topics makes things a bit easier to understand. I think our tax sites use that same idea, and I think it’s one reason why people really enjoy using our services. Our volunteers enjoy talking about taxes in a way that puts us all at ease, and we tend to walk away from the tax site feeling a bit lighter on our feet.

This video is the first in a series, and it will show you what the EITC is. All our tax sites make sure you receive this credit, if you qualify. Call (815) 494-2936 to make your free tax appointment today, and ask how the EITC can help you this year!

Click here to view the video!

Goodwill Weekly Calendar: January 16-20

{Goodwill Store Sales} http://goodwillni.org/shop/calendar.html

Wednesday: Senior Day – 10% off for shoppers aged 55 and older (all stores)

Friday: Easy as 1-2-3 Sale in Beloit and Rockford

Saturday: Sterling clothing sale

 

{Goodwill Mission Services Center Events}

Monday, January 16^th Martin Luther King, Jr Day of Service

• The VISTA team will be participating in two events on this day of service. One will be with younger children and another will be in partnership with Prairie State Legal Services Low Income Tax Clinic. Check back for photos later in the week!

Friday, January 20^th VITA Mobile Site: McHenry

• The VITA mobile team will be on-site at the McHenry Goodwill store to prepare tax returns for no charge! Call (815) 494-2936 to schedule your appointment.

Saturday, January 21st VITA Rockford Site opens

• The Rockford tax site will open at 9am. If you haven’t made your appointment, call today!

What is Goodwill? Part 1: Retail

A recent conversation led me to ask myself this question… “What is Goodwill?”. I can quite easily rattle off an amazing list of what Goodwill is (of course, right? Surely it’s some unspoken employee requirement to know these things) but can you? I don’t at all mean it in a competitive sense, but if someone walked up to you and asked “What is Goodwill?”, what would you say? Most people respond with one or all of these:

1. Clothes

2. Furniture

3. Used “stuff”

While those answers are very correct, they’re not even touching the tip of the iceberg for what Goodwill is. On the retail store side, Goodwill not only sells clothes, furniture, and used “stuff”, but they also sell new goods. Many Goodwill stores also sell new Target clothing and housewares. You can ask your local Goodwill what day they put out new Target goods, and you’ll be surprised at what you find! Items you may have seen on the racks at Target a couple weeks ago may very well be on your Goodwill’s racks today.

The stores also sell new kitchen goods, such as spices, laundry soap, brooms, washrags, and plastic containers. Looking for a specific kitchen small appliance? Check Goodwill first – the stores have all kinds of gadgets, and some are still new in the box. Some of the incredible finds I’ve seen on the shelves have been: a Tassimo one cup coffee maker, KitchenAid toaster, Pampered Chef cheese grinder and food chopper, Brita water pitcher, and new sets of dishes from Target.

Other good retail finds at Goodwill: missing pieces from an old Corelle or Pyrex set? Look for them on the dish rack at the store. How about an old game from your childhood? Chances are you’ll find it at Goodwill… Trivial Pursuit extra card decks, different versions of Boggle, and even a solid Scrabble set (have you caught on to the latest craze in games yet? Words With Friends has nothing on a traditional game of Scrabble with your friends or family!) are frequent finds at the stores.

Save yourself some money next time you’re out running errands and put Goodwill at the top of your shopping list!

Next week: What is Goodwill? Part 2: Mission Services

Goodwill Weekly Calendar: January 9-13

{Goodwill Store Sales} http://goodwillni.org/shop/calendar.html

Monday: Freeport clothing sale

Tuesday: DeKalb Dollar Day Sale

Wednesday: Senior Day – 10% off for shoppers aged 55 and older (all stores)

Friday: Huntley clothing sale

{Goodwill Mission Services Center Events}

Thursday, January 12^th VITA Press Conference at DeKalb Goodwill Store

• Join us as we kick off the start of the income tax season with NIU and the newly formed DeKalb CA$H Coalition! We will have a press conference at 10am at 1037 S Annie Glidden Rd, DeKalb. Come hear about the Earned Income Tax Credit and what new initiatives Goodwill has for this tax season.

Friday, January 13^th VITA Press Conference at Goodwill Mission Services Center

• Join us as we kick off the start of the income tax season! We will have a press conference at 9:30am at 615 N Longwood St, Rockford. Come hear about the Earned Income Tax Credit and what new initiatives Goodwill has for this tax season.

Tax Info to Check Out

With the start of the new year, it’s time to admit that tax time is just around the corner (16 days, but who’s counting?), and here are two tax blurbs for you, to kick off the season on a positive note:

1. The North Suburban Library has posted its Winter Newsletter, and Goodwill is in it! Our mobile tax team will be preparing free tax returns at the Loves Park and Roscoe library branches in March. You can read more about the mobile tax dates and times and the other great offerings at the library here:

 www.northsuburbanlibrary.org/upload/news1.pdf

2.  If you’re interested in data and tax statistics, this infograph is for you. The numbers alone just might encourage you to file your taxes this year. Remember, Goodwill’s tax sites are able to prepare tax returns from the past three years, if this is your year to catch up on your taxes. Call (815) 494-2936 to schedule your appointment today.

Mission Services Weekly Calendar: January 3-7

{Thursday, January 6^th}

Clerical Skills Training at Goodwill Mission Services Center

• Take this class if you are interested in learning about Microsoft Office, résumé writing, interview skills, and how to find a job that fits your skills!
• Call (815) 987-6223 to register. This course will take place Mondays through Thursdays, from 9am to 2pm. Dates are January 6 – March 2.
• Click here for more information: http://goodwillni.org/career/programs.html

coats!

Baby, it’s cold outside! The weather has been a bit funky lately… some rain, some snow, some sunshine, and it’s hard to know really how to dress in layers most days. Thank goodness for you (and me!), Goodwill has tons of cute coats to pick from so that you can be set for any kind of weather without killing your pocketbook. Dare to be a bit edgy this week: check out Goodwill’s many sales and pick up a brightly designed coat to wear to your holiday gatherings.

http://goodwillni.org/shop/calendar.html (DeKalb, Freeport, Rockford, and Sterling all happen to have great sales on the calendar this week!)

A few tips for you when shopping for a coat:

1. I’ve said this before, and I really stand by it for all my shopping: don’t build a new wardrobe… build on the one you currently have. The coats I have below all go with scarves, boots, and gloves from my own collection. You can find funky designs that will really shine with accessories you already own.

2. If a coat is cute but missing a little extra spunk, change the buttons! I turned a boring green spring rain coat into a great piece when I picked up some new buttons to match my favorite umbrella.

4. Change the accessories to get more wear out of your coats. A black scarf with black gloves could easily change any of the coats below into a fancier look for not much extra money.

Happy Goodwill shopping this week, and Happy Holidays!