How Goodwill Industries Is Achieving Big Recruiting Goals With Criterion

Goodwill Industries of Central North Carolina Inc. (commonly known as Triad Goodwill) has been a key part of the community since 1963, serving five counties with nearly 30 locations. Their mission is simple but profound: to improve lives and enrich communities through the power of work. They do this by helping individuals in the community overcome the barriers that separate them from gainful, long-term employment — providing job training, career readiness resources, and employment in their region.

However, with this mission comes unique challenges. As a nonprofit recruiting employees from diverse and often non-traditional backgrounds, managing hiring, onboarding, and employee engagement is particularly complex.

For years, Triad Goodwill struggled with an HRIS system that couldn’t keep up with their needs. The lack of flexibility and functionality made it difficult to manage core HR processes efficiently. On top of that, many of their employees still come from non-technical backgrounds, so an easy-to-use solution is a must.

After three years of mounting frustration, Goodwill realized they needed a more robust solution that could scale with their organizational demands and support their mission. That’s when they found Criterion HCM.

We spoke with Melanie Chandler, the HRIS Manager at Goodwill Industries of Central NC, about her team’s experience with Criterion so far.

“One of our goals has always been to find a partner that offers one single source platform, a single point of entry for all data, [where you can] enter the data in a core module that then feeds out to the other modules.”

Challenges

Prior to adopting Criterion HCM, Goodwill Industries of Central NC relied on a different HRIS provider that promised a “unified” solution. However, once implementation began, they quickly realized the previous system was far from seamless. Even after three years of effort, much of their critical HR data was still being manually tracked through spreadsheets, and key processes were fragmented across five disconnected systems.

“As we began to peek behind the curtain, they were all standalone modules that they had band-aided behind the scenes.”

It turns out that the other system had a lot of band-aids — inefficient workarounds that caused redundant data entry and frequent errors. But the other provider had very few plans to change.

It wasn’t too long until the functional limitations became obvious. For example, the platform couldn’t support Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), a critical component of their employee benefits package. When they asked about a solution, the vendor suggested Goodwill manage benefits in their own spreadsheets. Ultimately, the system was never configured with their needs in mind.

Without the ability to track essential HR functions like benefits and employee engagement within the platform, they had to abandon the incomplete implementation altogether. Afterward, it was clear they needed a solution capable of supporting their growing team, improving compliance, and streamlining workflows.

Eventually, they decided to find a system that wouldn’t just patch things up. They wanted a partner in their long-term success. That’s where Criterion came in, offering exactly what Triad Goodwill needed to achieve their goals.

Solution

In their search for a better system, Triad Goodwill issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to find a solution that fit their evolving HR needs. As a nonprofit, cost is always a key factor in decision-making.

They recognized that the value, functionality, and flexibility of Criterion HCM was worth the mid-market price.

“We whittled it down to two that I felt like were solid, and Criterion was one of them. Then when I polled all of those who participated in the demos — Criterion won. That was the preferred vendor.”

In April 2024, Triad Goodwill began implementing Criterion, rolling out the full suite of HCM modules: Talent Engagement, and HR. Though the implementation is still ongoing, Melanie has already reported a vastly improved experience compared to their previous system.

“The implementation with Criterion is lightyears ahead of the implementation that we were going through so painfully for three years [with the other vendor].”

With Criterion’s support, Goodwill is on track to complete the full implementation by the end of 2024, bringing their five disparate systems into one, truly unified HCM solution.

Results

As of October 2024, Goodwill Industries of Central NC is still implementing Criterion into their operations, but they’ve already experienced several positive results.

Streamlined Recruiting and Onboarding

One of Triad Goodwill’s primary goals is to help individuals overcome barriers to employment. Their employees may include:

• People with justice-involved barriers to employment
• Individuals who have been out of the workforce for an extended time
• People with disabilities
• People with non-technical backgrounds

Goodwill’s support of these individuals aligns with their broader purpose: to equip people with the tools they need to secure long-term employment. With their mission in mind, the recruiting process was top priority. That’s why they launched the applicant tracking and recruiting side of Criterion first.

With Criterion, job postings are automatically fed into Triad Goodwill’s career page, making it easier for candidates to find and apply for positions. Goodwill also conducts weekly onboarding sessions, with anywhere from five to twenty new hires going through a two-day orientation process.

“We had our first onboarding class … last week (of thirteen [employees]) and they went through the Criterion pre-hire workflow — and that has gone really well.”

Goodwill Industries International (GII) also offers a corporate-wide Learning Management System (LMS) with a library of quality content to help train and prepare employees for work.  By integrating the LMS with Criterion’s talent engagement module, Triad Goodwill is making it easier than ever for employees to access this material during training and onboarding.

Employee Management and Background Check Integrations

Criterion has simplified employee data management and reporting, allowing Goodwill to make informed decisions quickly and efficiently.

“We're going to have so much more information available to us than we ever had before.”

Certain roles at Triad Goodwill require a background check, which helps with placement. But tracking and making use of employee data has historically been a challenge.

Now, Criterion is in the process of integrating with Triad Goodwill’s background screening partner, Data Facts, to further streamline the hiring process. Now, background screenings from the preferred source can be easily requested through the recruiting interface. Once complete, the information will be automatically updated across employee records. Using Criterion as a single source for all employee data will enable Goodwill to focus on each individual employee's potential, in spite of their challenges.

TIP: Criterion comes pre-integrated with background check services from Verified Credentials, so you can request checks in the same interface you use to review resumes, conduct interviews, and hire new talent. But if you prefer another vendor for background checks, setting up that integration is easy with our open API.

An Engaging User Interface for Employees

One of the biggest challenges Goodwill faces is ensuring their employees (many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds) are comfortable using the system. Some employees experience homelessness or other barriers to employment which have afforded them little experience with modern technology.

“You can buy the best tools in the world that can have all the bells and whistles, but if [employees] don't use it, then you've gotten nowhere. You've only added an additional process.”

Goodwill needed a solution that their employees would not only understand but also engage with. With Criterion, Melanie feels confident that even those who face significant technical barriers will be able to use the system without fear.

“I try to find a tool that [employees] can use, where they are in life — and I really feel like [Criterion] is a tool that they will use and will give us an opportunity to connect with them in another way.”

Reaching More Candidates via SMS and Preboarding

Criterion’s preboarding and communication features have also been game-changers for Triad Goodwill. The ability to reach potential hires via text (in addition to email) has drastically improved their response rate.

Previously, many candidates would ignore emails or fail to answer phone calls since they didn’t recognize Goodwill’s number. With Criterion, they can now send texts to candidates, which has led to more successful communication.

“Having that text feature is great. I've used that a lot.”

They also make use of Criterion’s pre-hire checklist, which allows new hires to electronically sign forms and complete onboarding tasks before their first day.

“We didn’t have that before … So, I’m going to love having electronic signature capabilities.”

Managing Forms, Data, and More — Digitally

Prior to implementing Criterion, Triad Goodwill relied heavily on spreadsheets and manual processes to manage employee data. Now, with Criterion, they have digitized much of their workflow, importing nearly 200,000 records into the system.

“We were notorious for all the different spreadsheets that we had to keep track of.”

Corrective actions and benefits are the two areas where the biggest changes are on the horizon:

• Corrective Actions - Once handled through physical forms, corrective actions will soon be processed digitally. Now, the workflow process in Criterion will give Goodwill the capability to obtain signatures and submit a form completely electronically.
• Benefits Management - Prior to Criterion, Goodwill didn’t have a solution to alert them when a dependent employee aged out of their parent’s health insurance. Changes to benefit elections had to be manually entered into payroll. With Criterion, open enrollment for over 400 employees is on track to be much more manageable. Once implementation is complete, they will be able to track deductions and employee benefits in less time.

“We are buried in paper like you would not believe. But I’ve started shredding — and it’s beautiful.”

Continued Customer Support

“It’s been phenomenal!”

Melanie was quick to praise the continued support Criterion has provided throughout the implementation process. Goodwill knows they can always bring any questions or requests to us and we’ll help them find (or create) a solution.

“I couldn't say anything negative. It's been a great experience.”

Discover an HCM Built for Nonprofits

Goodwill’s unique mission required more than just a software solution. They needed a partner who could provide the right tools on a flexible platform tailored to their specific needs. With Criterion, Goodwill Industries of Central North Carolina found the support they needed to enhance their recruiting efforts and make a difference in their communities.

But Triad Goodwill is just one nonprofit organization that has used Criterion to empower their HR team. We’ve helped several other nonprofits streamline processes and tackle their financial and HR challenges in ways that align with their values and goals.

Want to see how Criterion can help your nonprofit achieve its unique vision with greater efficiency? Book a demo today and experience HCM software that’s truly configured for your team’s success.