Goodwill Houston

Goodwill Houston Creates $2.3M In New Revenue, Bolsters Productivity by 14% With On-Demand Labor

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“Veryable has been an incredible partner for flexible labor to help make sure our locations consistently have the manpower they need to help drive our revenue”

-Jim F. (VP Retail)

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Background

Since 1945, Goodwill Industries of Houston has served the Greater Houston area with over 50 locations receiving and selling donated clothing, accessories, home goods, and more. The revenue from these retail operations is critical: 95 cents of every dollar spent at Goodwill Houston supports job training and workforce programs that change lives.

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Operational Challenges

Goodwill Houston faced an unprecedented surge in donations alongside a volatile labor market and pandemic-related disruptions. Donation volumes were higher — and more unpredictable — than ever, creating severe operational bottlenecks and labor shortages.

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These challenges caused donated goods to pile up, delaying processing and costing Goodwill significant revenue. Staffing gaps also led to excessive overtime, employee burnout, and high turnover, straining both budgets and morale. Recruitment and hiring became an unsustainable burden, further impacting productivity and revenue.

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To address this crisis, Goodwill Houston needed more than just additional staff — they needed the ability to flex labor capacity on demand.

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The Veryable Solution

Goodwill partnered with Veryable, leveraging its on-demand labor marketplace to gain instant access to thousands of qualified local workers. Unlike traditional temp staffing, Veryable’s model enabled Goodwill to scale labor up or down in real time, at zero cost to scale, matching the moment-to-moment shifts in donation volume.

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When donation demand surged, Goodwill could post opportunities to Veryable’s network of over 58,000 Houston-area operators, receiving an average of eight bids per post. Using the live resume and rating system, Goodwill selected the best-fit workers who could hit the ground running.

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This flexible labor strategy allowed Goodwill to maintain consistent operations without the burden of overstaffing or relying on costly overtime.

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Application

Goodwill integrated Veryable’s on-demand labor as a flexible complement to its full-time workforce, building a sustainable, scalable hybrid staffing strategy. This allowed them to match labor to daily fluctuations in donation volume while protecting their mission-critical programs.

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Key areas supported by Veryable Operators included:

• Retail: backroom associates, material handling, loading/unloading

• Outlets: bailing, material handling, loading/unloading

• Project-Based: after-hours trailer unloads, backroom clearing

• Transportation: driver helpers, loading/unloading

• Production: hanging, tagging, and pricing merchandise

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Results