In an era when thriftiness meets technology, a Nebraska nonprofit has struck gold by turning secondhand donations into online sales, creating a robust revenue stream to support its community services.
“We have a lot of legal immigration law clients that come to us and they need help with their documentations,” said Racicot, highlighting the nonprofit’s diverse services. “We have a domestic violence survivor shelter unit here in Lincoln that provides support for mothers, women and their families. We have the food market that allows clients to come in and get food.”
Demand for these services is soaring across southern Nebraska. “We’re trying to help as many clients as we can,” Racicot explained. “This just provides us an opportunity to help at a larger capacity.”
CSS, the nonprofit in question, operates thrift stores in Lincoln, Auburn, Hastings, and Imperial. Donations from these locations are sent to Lincoln for online sales, and items unsold online are placed in thrift stores.
Online sales generate more than $100,000 annually, which Development Director John Soukup notes is enough to support about six women through CSS St. Gianna’s domestic violence survivor program.
Soukup views e-commerce as a dual benefit for sustainability, both financial and environmental. “It’s a way to reuse things, regift things and recycle things that’s really a part of God’s plan for keeping this earth clean,” Soukup said.
Since 2020, CSS has been recycling unwearable clothing, earning them the Keep Nebraska Beautiful Sustainability Award in 2023.
“We’re always finding ways as a nonprofit to be lean in our operations as best as possible,” Racicot noted. He has cut costs by sourcing boxes from a local bookstore and utilizing free USPS shipping boxes, saving thousands.
To manage the scale of operations, CSS brought in a contractor, and now relies on platforms like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Poshmark. “There was a lot of strategy behind it, so I needed some assistance,” Racicot said. “Then once they left, I just hit the ground running and have created a great team.”
CSS is not alone in this endeavor. Other nonprofits like Goodwill and the Salvation Army participate in the online resale market, and eBay offers Charity Seller account benefits.
According to CapitalOne Shopping Research, Nebraska leads the nation with about 52% of its thrift stores being nonprofit. With the secondhand market expanding, more nonprofits in the state may venture online.
“Nostalgia, vintage is starting to come back, and even the younger generations are starting to see a desire to get a hold of some of those vintage items that we do receive,” Racicot remarked, emphasizing the growing market for vintage goods.
Racicot shared a story of a woman who found a Pyrex dish identical to one her family had cherished for decades. “She said, ‘this is not the same bowl, but it’s the exact same design and all that. Now, I can continue creating more memories with my kids.’”
While CSS ships items across the U.S. and to 15 countries, their mission remains local. “Your item may go to London or Australia, wherever it’s gone,” Racicot said. “But at the end of the day, the clients here in Southern Nebraska are the clients that we support.”
