Goodwill's First-Ever Creator Summit Brings Creativity, Collaboration and Community Together
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On May 30, Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee & Chicago welcomed 36 content creators, influencers and community collaborators to The Hive on Hubbard for our first-ever Creator Summit. What began as a new way to bring our creator community together quickly became an opportunity to strengthen relationships, inspire collaboration and amplify Goodwill's mission through authentic storytelling.
The summit celebrated the diverse group of creators who help tell Goodwill's story every day. Through our creator programs, we partner with:
- Influencers, who share their shopping adventures, styling inspiration and favorite Goodwill finds with their audiences.
- Community Collaborators, emerging local voices who help spread awareness of Goodwill's mission and encourage their communities to shop secondhand.
- Content Creators, talented DIY makers who produce step-by-step tutorials through Second Chance Studio, inspiring shoppers to see the potential in everyday thrifted items.
Together, these creators introduce new Retail Rebels, Trendsetters, Treasure Hunters and DIY enthusiasts to our stores while encouraging more people to shop, donate and support Goodwill's mission.
Throughout the day, attendees participated in two creator panel discussions, an educational session on business basics for creators, an interactive Pinterest 2026 Trends Creativity Jam and networking opportunities designed to help creators grow their businesses while building stronger partnerships with Goodwill.
One of the highlights of the summit was seeing creators connect with one another in person. Conversations sparked around emerging trends, content creation strategies, social media growth and the future of thrifted fashion and DIY. Several creators even turned the cameras on each other, creating collaborative content and sharing ideas throughout the day.
.jpg?sfvrsn=f7a1760_1 "Goodwill influencers attending the Goodwill Thrift Studio Creator Summit")
The event itself was intentionally designed with content creation in mind. From a "Blue Carpet" photo moment and thrifted tablescapes to custom signage, conversation starters and take-home thrifted dishes, nearly every touchpoint encouraged attendees to capture and share their experience with their audiences.
Following lunch, attendees enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour and group shopping experience at the Grand Avenue Goodwill store, where creators explored the aisles together, photographed their favorite finds and created content in real time. Watching creators discover treasures and inspire one another was a powerful reminder of the role they play in telling Goodwill's story.
Another standout moment came during Procurement's presentation on building a creator business. While the topic could have easily felt technical, attendees were highly engaged, asking thoughtful questions and participating in discussions around professionalism, brand partnerships and long-term success as creators.
The summit also generated meaningful results beyond the event itself. As of June 16, creators had shared 64 social media posts about the summit—far surpassing our original goal of 17 posts. Those posts generated more than 56,000 video views, reached over 21,000 unique accounts and drove nearly 4,000 interactions, extending Goodwill's message well beyond the walls of the venue.
📊 Creator Summit by the Numbers
- 👥 36 creators attended
- 📦 56 invitation boxes mailed
- 🎤 4 educational sessions
- 📱 64 creator posts shared
- 👀 56,042 video views
- 🎯 21,262 accounts reached
- ❤️ 3,922 engagements
- ⭐ 8/10 average attendee rating
- 🙌 100% of survey respondents said they'd attend again
⭐ Beyond Expectations
Our goal was to generate 17 creator posts from the event.
As of June 16, creators had shared 64 posts—achieving 376% of our original goal and continuing to amplify Goodwill's mission across their communities.
The feedback from attendees was equally encouraging. Creators cited networking opportunities, panel discussions, real-life creator stories and trend forecasting activities as some of their favorite parts of the day. Perhaps the most exciting takeaway? They wanted more. Many requested expanded networking opportunities, additional content strategy sessions, brand partnership education, DIY workshops and social media growth discussions for future events.
If you'd like to see the event through our creators' eyes, check out a few of the posts they shared from the day:
As one creator shared, their favorite part of the event was simply, "Getting to talk to fellow creatives."
Thank you to everyone who helped make our inaugural Creator Summit a success—from our creators and speakers to the many Goodwill team members who helped bring the event to life.
What's Next?
Building on the success of our inaugural Creator Summit, the Social Media team is already looking ahead to future opportunities to strengthen our creator community. Feedback from attendees will help shape future summits, with creators expressing interest in expanded networking opportunities, more hands-on DIY workshops, additional content strategy sessions and continued brand partnership education.
We're excited to continue growing this creative community and finding new ways to connect with audiences, support talented creators and inspire even more people to discover the possibilities of secondhand.
All photos and video courtesy of Joseph Ross Photography. Check out this amazing recap of Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee & Chicago's first ever Creator Summit.