There’s more to the Assistance League Georgetown Area than its carefully curated thrift store on Williams Drive.
The proceeds from the store fund the nonprofit’s charitable work throughout Williamson County. And an ongoing capital campaign, upcoming new location and name change will allow the organization to expand its efforts, leaders said.
A closer look
The organization doesn’t have any paid staff; instead the store and the nonprofit’s philanthropic programs are led by a group of 225 volunteers and members, ALGA President Marilyn Kounnas said. They do everything from working on the thrift store’s sales floor to keeping up with inventory to IT, marketing, grant writing and strategic planning.
The 8,500-square-foot store carries a selection of men’s and women’s clothing, accessories and homegoods.
Each Tuesday, the store’s inventory, theme and decor are completely turned over. Volunteers work to match offerings in the store to the season or upcoming holiday. Another team works in the back to create gift baskets, wreaths and floral arrangements from donated bits and bobs.
“We are so blessed and fortunate because there are so many generous people in Georgetown, and there’s a lot of people who have the means to shop a lot. They’ll wear things maybe one or two times,” said Yvonne Woodburn, ALGA vice president of marketing and communications. “Our shop is known as very selective in the merchandise that we put out, and that’s why it's so popular.”
To keep stock fresh and relevant, a team of volunteers works to sort, tag and store donated items in the back of the building before they are put on the thrift store’s floor. The nonprofit even has a handful of storage units with overflow inventory.
Woodburn said the store has gained foot traffic as thrifting and sustainability efforts have become more popular.
“Still so many people do not know about us, and they do not know how far our reach extends, how much we do,” Woodburn said. “We really want to show that we’re not just a thrift shop. This is what helps us finance the things that we do.”
The why
Kounnas said AGLA has five main philanthropic programs:
- Operation School Bell, which provides new clothing and shoes to area students
- Reading & More, which supports literacy through the donation of books and educational materials, and includes volunteers reading in schools
- A scholarship program, which offers two- and four-year scholarships to colleges and trade schools
- Assist-A-Teacher, which provides classroom grants to fund supplies and enhanced learning experiences
- The outreach program, which started as victim services and provided police officers $100 gift cards to distribute to people needing a bus ticket or hotel. Now, the program has expanded, and aims to address people’s immediate needs, including food, clothing, baby items or other essentials.
- ALGA’s Bridges program, which partners with Georgetown ISD to provide students in the transitional program for students with disabilities with interview attire, hair cuts, cellphones, transportation, tools and more to support their careers
Its signature and longest-running program is Operation School Bell. Last year, the nonprofit helped clothe 2,500 kids by providing $100 for elementary school students and $150 for middle schoolers to shop at JCPenney. Because the nonprofit is tax-exempt, all the items purchased are as well, and JCPenney offers an additional percentage off. Under the program, the organization is also able to partner with school nurses to help stock their clinics with supplies.
“We talk about how we see the unseen,” Kounnas said, noting that 40% of kids in Georgetown ISD are on free or reduced lunch. “You just have to look, and you have to be willing to serve and get to those folks.”
What’s next
Jane Shepherd, ALGA vice president of the thrift shop, said the nonprofit’s biggest challenge is that it’s out of space. Because of this, the organization bought land off of Williams Drive and Verde Vista early last year. On this plot, ALGA plans to build a 17,000-square-foot facility that will double the organization’s space.
ALGA launched a capital campaign in February to raise $7.3 million, which will fund the new building’s construction, its furniture, the move and a sustainability fund to cover operating expenses for a couple of years, Shepherd said.
“The new building is not to make it more comfortable for us,” Shepherd said. “It is to serve a larger community. So we are very excited about the fact that we’ll be able to expand our programs once we have a bigger space.”
Additionally, the nonprofit is rebranding June 1, cutting ties with the nationwide Assistance League organization. The new name, rebranded programs and upcoming initiatives will be announced at the organization's annual fundraising gala April 22, which will also bring in some money toward the capital campaign.
“The nice thing about [rebranding] is we will be able to do absolutely everything local,” Kounnas said. “There won’t be any money going out anywhere else.”
