Are All Thrift Stores Non-Profit? (No, But These Are...)

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I used to love donating to one of my local big box thrift stores. When I donated enough, they would give out 30% coupons which I would use to head right into the store and find things to flip.

That is, until the day that I learned they were throwing most of my donations straight into the dumpster. They simply had too much stuff to sell.

Donating to thrift stores can feel good but not if you don’t know whether your donation is being used to support a good cause.

Most thrift stores are purposefully vague about how exactly they help the community, and most of their emphasis on donations remains on receiving them. This can be annoying for someone who would like the certainty of knowing that the store’s profits back a real charity.

Are thrift stores non-profit? Thrift stores are non-profit in some cases and for-profit in others. There is no legal obligation to disclose non-profit status, so you should treat each store as a for-profit business unless it clearly declares its status as a non-profit organization.

And if you think you can trust all non-profits, you’re in for a surprise! As this article exposes, most thrift stores do not declare what they do with their profits or what percentage of their proceeds go toward the causes they support.

You will also discover two indicators that can guarantee that your donation to a thrift store or a purchase from it makes the maximum charitable impact. But to arrive at that, you need to understand how thrift stores handle their revenue.

National Non-Profit Thrift Stores

If you’re looking for non-profit thrift stores there isn’t a comprehensive list I’m aware of that will tell you exactly where to shop. Your best bet will probably be mom-and-pop thrift stores that are attached to specific causes (such as shelters or possible churches).

However, there are a few national non-profit thrift stores where you can shop guilt-free!

Goodwill Industries: You might shocked to see Goodwill on this list but they are registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Goodwill operates more than 3,200 thrift stores across the country so you can probably find one near you!
The Salvation Army: Has locations in more than 7,000 U.S. towns and cities. Their thrift stores fund adult rehabilitation centers, which assist those with drug and alcohol addiction.
Habitat for Humanity ReStores: These stores sell new and gently used furniture, appliances, home goods, and building materials. Proceeds help Habitat for Humanity build, rehabilitate, and repair affordable homes globally.
Pickup Please/Vietnam Veterans of America: This organization, though less widespread, sells donated goods to support local, state, and national programs for U.S. veterans.
AMVETS National Service Foundation: Operates in 22 U.S. states, serving veterans since 1944. They run thrift stores to fund veteran assistance programs like community outreach and job training.
Planet Aid: Aims to keep textiles out of landfills while helping individuals in impoverished nations. They collect and resell used fabrics in developing countries.
Animal Shelters: Donations can support animals rescued from abusive situations or awaiting adoption.

Nonprofit vs Not-For-Profit Thrift Stores

The terms “nonprofit” and “not-for-profit” are often used interchangeably (by people who are unaware) but they can have distinct meanings in the context of thrift stores.

Nonprofit thrift stores are typically operated by organizations that are registered as nonprofits for tax-exempt purposes.

Goodwill Industries and The Salvation Army are prime examples of nonprofit thrift stores where the proceeds from their thrift stores directly support their charitable missions.

In general, the primary goal of these stores’ is to support the mission of the organization, which could range from funding community programs to supporting environmental initiatives.

On the other hand, not-for-profit thrift stores may also operate for a cause, but their scope is often narrower, focusing on specific community needs or small-scale projects (such as an animal shelter). While they don’t seek to profit from their operations, any surplus revenues are usually reinvested into their specific cause or community rather than a broader charitable mission.

In both cases, the common thread is that the primary motivation isn’t profit, but rather supporting a cause, whether it’s broad-based (nonprofit) or more localized (not-for-profit).

What Do Thrift Stores Do With the Money They Make?

There are two types of thrift stores. The larger chains are known for their non-profit interests and single-branch entities that operate like regular businesses.

Non-profit thrift stores use their income to pay off operation expenses, taxes, and administration fees. After that, a portion of the revenue might be reinvested in expanding their operations. Whatever is left is spent on charitable causes.

If you’re shopping with the intent to support charity, you must be careful in selecting thrift stores, even within the non-profit category. Some thrift stores reinvest the most significant chunk of their profit in their stores and leave pennies for charitable causes. This gives them their non-profit and social consciousness badges on a technicality.

To prevent such disproportionate reinvestment, many thrift stores have a policy regarding the percentage of proceeds that go to charity. Such stores are the best to donate to.

The for-profit category remains undiscussed. According to Value Village’s own statement, an emerging thrift store franchise, donating to its thrift stores does not support any non-profit. Value Village is not the only for-profit thrift store, so you must do your due diligence before donating to a second-hand store or buying from it with the intention of promoting charity and local causes.

For-profit thrift stores are not required to disclose that they don’t support charities. So, don’t assume that every for-profit second-hand goods store will be as transparent as Value Village.

How Can I Make Sure a Thrift Store Supports Charity?

One of the best ways to find out if a thrift store supports charity is to check out its website.

Often, the donation page features details regarding the causes supported by the thrift store. This can help you tell non-profit thrift stores apart from for-profit ones.

But as mentioned earlier, you still need to make sure that the thrift store is more than just a ‘technical’ non-profit. For that, you need to find out the exact percentage of profit proceeds that go to charity.

We spent some time doing just that: digging into a charity from each state to see if we could find the percentage of profits that go to charity. I was surprised (and alarmed) at the number of thrift stores that don’t publish their charitable donations.

Thrift Store	State	Proceeds to Charity
Bishop’s Attic	Alaska	Over $119,000 was donated to Christian charitable causes in 2017
America’s Thrift Stores	Alabama	3.5 cents per pound of donated clothes go to the local Make-A-Wish
The Bee’s Knees	Arizona	Undeclared
Goodwill	Colorado (and various states)	Less than 1/8th of the profit
Salvation Army Thrift Store	Various States	The thrift store is owned by a charity
Junior League Clothes Horse	Connecticut	Undeclared
Beebe’s Treasure Chest Thrift Shop	Delaware	Undeclared
Oddballs Nifty Thrift	Florida	Undeclared
Lost-n-Found Thrift Store	Georgia	An undisclosed percentage goes to local causes
The Thrifty Owl	Idaho	Undeclared
Thrift and Thrive	Illinois	Support the organization’s own social support initiatives
Audrey’s Place	Indiana	Undeclared
Artifacts	Iowa	Undeclared
Savers	Kansas	Undisclosed
Tickled Pink Mall	Kentucky	Undeclared
Pelican Furniture & Thrift	Louisiana	Undeclared
Leeward Landing Thrift Store	Maine	An undisclosed amount goes towards feeding the homeless
Second Chance	Maryland	The thrift store is owned by a charitable foundation
Marine Specialities	Massachusetts	Undeclared
Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop	Michigan	Undeclared
Ax-Man Surplus Stores	Minnesota	Undeclared
Nuts	Mississippi	Surplus goods are given to charitable foundations
Clothz Minded	Missouri	Undisclosed
Re-Couture Boutique	Montana	Undisclosed
Dry Goods & Trade	Nebraska	Undeclared
Assistance League Thrift Store	Nevada	Thrift Store is owned by a charitable foundation
Lucky Dog Thrift Shop	New Hampshire	100% of profits go to an animal charity
Nonu Vintage	New Jersey	Undeclared
Thrift Town	New Mexico	Organization owned by a charitable foundation
AuH2O	New York	Undeclared
Dorcas Thrift Shop	North Carolina	Undeclared
Seeds of Hope	North Dakota	Owned entirely by a charitable organization
The Designer Consignor	Ohio	Sometimes, the inventory is donated to charities
Bargain Thrift Store	Oklahoma	An undisclosed amount goes to Vizavance and Oklahoma Foundation for the Disabled
Village Merchants	OREGON	Multiple thousands were raised for charities.
Philly AIDS Thrift	Pennsylvania	Free vouchers to AIDS service providers
Togs On Brook	Rhode Island	Undeclared
Brown Roof Thrift	South Carolina	Owned entirely by a non-profit organization
Our Thrift Store	Tennessee	Undeclared
Austin Pets Alive Thrift	Texas	Entirely dedicated to pet welfare
Urban Renewal	Utah	Entirely owned by a charity
Dirt Chic	Vermont	Undeclared
Second Chance Thrift	Virginia	An undisclosed amount goes to support its volunteer program
Hope Furnishings	Washington	Undeclared
Fia’s Fabulous Finds	Washington DC	Undeclared
YWCA Past N’ Present Clothing Store	West Virginia	Undeclared
Retique	Wisconsin	Undeclared
Beautiful Thrifty Rich Consignment	Wyoming	Undeclared

How to Make the Most Charitable Impact While Thrifting?

To make the most charitable impact when donating to or shopping from a thrift store, you need to make sure the store is owned by a charitable organization or declare the exact profit percentage that goes towards a good cause.

When a thrift store is owned by a charity, 100% of the profit automatically goes to the charity. Whether the charity uses the money for good is a whole other conversation.

Conclusion

Thrift stores are non-profits only when they declare their non-profit status. For-profit thrift stores might make small donations to maintain their image.

The best way to find which stores are actually non-profit is to ask if donations to them are tax-deductible.

Good luck and happy donating!