Sharing Your Impact with Good360

Why does Good360 ask for impact stories?

At Good360, we're committed to reporting back to our donors on the difference their donations make — and we're grateful that our partners share in that commitment to stewardship. When you share the impact of the goods you've received, it lets all of us demonstrate transparency and accountability, and it shows just how well you're already putting these resources to work in your communities. This is the heart of what the MDAA refers to when it mentions quarterly reporting on donated goods, alongside the waste reporting and distribution reports you already prepare.

In practice, it simply means sharing your impact with us quarterly, whenever you've received donations — and we genuinely hope you'll share even more often than that. Every story is a chance to celebrate what you've made possible, and the more we hear from you, the more we can lift your work up.

How does sharing your impact help your organization?

Collecting and sharing your impact does more than meet a requirement. It:

• Gets your mission in front of donors who may have never heard of your organization.
• Gives us insight into your work, so we can fold it into the collective impact of our network — which means more reach and attention for your organization.
• Leaves you with content you can reuse.

And the story you send us is still yours. When you share it on your own channels, your version is centered on your community and the difference you made. The same story can be featured in your newsletter, on social, in a donor report, in a grant application, and in an award submission. You capture it once, and it earns its keep everywhere; we're just one of the places it lives.

How do I capture impact stories?

You don't need a formal event to have a story. Impact is happening every day in the work you already do — a conversation with someone you serve, a volunteer noticing a moment on site, a new program set up to meet a need. The shift isn't doing something new; it's taking a beat to notice what you're already seeing and hearing, and jotting it down before it slips away.

It helps to give one person the role of keeping an ear out, so stories don't fall through the cracks.

What makes a compelling impact story?

You don't need to write anything polished when sharing with Good360. We're just looking for you to provide us with the facts and the context, so we can shape the story accurately. A compelling submission tends to include:

• Your mission — a sentence on what your organization does, so we can frame who you are.
• Who you supported — the community, family, or individual on the receiving end.
• The need — the gap you stepped in to meet, and what things looked like before the goods arrived.
• The transformation — what changed because of the support. This is the heart of it; that shift is what moves people.
• What made it possible — the specific goods that let you act, which ties your story back to the donor who provided them.
• A photo or short video — a real moment that brings it to life (more on photos below).
• A quote or testimonial — someone's own words. It can come from the person you served, or from a teammate or volunteer who witnessed the moment (more on quotes below).
• Your own insight — what the moment felt like to you or your team, and why it mattered.

None of this has to be long or polished — but the more specific context you can provide, the more real it feels and the more we have to showcase all the great impact.

How do I capture a good quote?

Say you notice a parent or a kid lighting up over something they received — just start a conversation. Ask what made them choose that one, or whether it solves something they've been up against. For example:

• “What put that smile on your face?”
• “I can feel your relief — is this something your family really needed, or always wanted?”

Genuine, in-the-moment questions like those are all it takes.

A quote doesn't even have to come from the person you served; it can just as easily be you, a teammate, or a volunteer recounting what you heard, felt, or witnessed.

And when a quote does come from a recipient, you never have to share more than you're comfortable with. A first name is plenty — or no name at all. “A dad of three,” “a recipient,” or “a mom at our spring distribution” all work beautifully. We're never looking for personal information; we know you have a duty to protect the people you serve.

How do I handle photos and protect the people in them?

A clear, candid photo makes your impact land in an instant — and you don't need professional photography; a photo or video from your smartphone is perfect. A few things that help:

• Favor candid, human moments. A posed smile is fine, but the unscripted ones often carry the most.
• Keep it clear and well-lit. A simple trick is to keep the light in front of your subject, which lends a sense of dignity and hope.
• Send images as JPGs or PNGs, not tucked inside a Word doc or PDF.
• You never have to show a face to show impact. A hand reaching for something, your team at work, goods being handed off, or a child photographed from an angle that protects their identity all carry the moment. Make sure people are comfortable being photographed — we've heard the real and growing concerns about protecting the identities of the people you serve, and we take that seriously.
• If you work with a professional photographer, we'd love those shots too.

The same care applies to your words. You already take great care in how you speak about your community — just carry that into your submission. Sometimes what you write is so powerful we share it with a donor directly, often not a recipient's quote at all, but the way you describe what you did and what you witnessed.

How do I submit my impact?

Use the impact submission form and pick the path that fits how you work:

• Tell Your Story — guided questions in your own words (the most common path).
• Upload a Document — if your impact is already written up, like a case study or grant report. We'll just need the added context to connect our shared impact to any specifics in the document.
• Redistribution Partners — to submit on behalf of your network or to have your network submit directly.
• Disaster Response — for disaster-response partners working directly with our DRR team.

A few practical notes

• One submission can cover several events or donors. Give each a label (1, 2, 3 or A, B, C or by donor name) and carry it through your descriptions and photo captions, so it's clear which goods supported which effort.
• Share at least four times a year, and the sooner after a distribution, the better.
• You'll get a confirmation email once you submit, and from there your story goes to work — reporting back to donors and elevating your impact across our channels.

How do I co-brand with Good360?

When you share an impact story on your own channels, we encourage you to tag Good360. Everything you need to represent us — our logo, colors, and messaging — lives on our Brand Guidelines page. And when you post about your impact, tagging us is the easiest way for us to like, share, and amplify your work to a wider audience.

Donors: When a donor was part of the impact, please plan to tag Good360 rather than the donor directly — many of our donors prefer to stay behind the scenes or have policies in place to review anything that mentions them. Please plan to contact our team ahead of time for any approvals regarding donor inclusions.

Press: For anything press-related, contact [email protected].

For questions or to inquire about formally co-branding with Good360, reach our Nonprofit Development team at [email protected].