The head office access is now located at 7245, Clark Street, suite 201, Montreal.
Founded in 1994, Renaissance is a Quebec-based non-profit organisation with the mission to facilitate the social and professional integration of those having difficulty entering the job market, while encouraging everyone to take concrete steps towards preserving the environment. To give and purchase at Renaissance is to help change the lives of thousands of people each year and help the environment, thanks to the diversion of millions of kilos of clothing and household items away from landfills.
“To become the leader of the social economy in Québec, by developing an innovative provincial network of partners generating job training programs and economic activities inspired by the values of solidarity and sustainable development.”
A social economy organisation, Renaissance takes action through three missions that create the base of its service to the community.
Social Mission
The mission to integrate people into the job market is at the heart of Renaissance activities. Through adapted career pathways, we work to break the chain of poverty early on by offering underprivileged folks the tools to develop their skills and to gain autonomy through integration into the workforce.
Environmental Mission
Renaissance works to preserve the environment through the recycling and reuse of goods. Donations received find a second life instead of ending up in the garbage. Every year, more than one million donors choose to give to Renaissance and, by doing so, choose to act for the community and for the environment.
Economic Mission
Once received, donated goods are sorted, labelled and put up for sale across the Renaissance network. This permits us to offer clothing and household items at low prices, tax-free and makes Renaissance a significant employer.
The development of Renaissance’s mission follows a 10-year plan structured around four strategic orientations:
1. The development of the social mission
Renaissance relies on collaboration with other local organizations to better understand and respond to the needs of the market by developing structuring employability programs.
2. The development of human resources
In order to carry out its social mission, Renaissance needs qualified human resources and seeks to position itself as an employer of choice. Thus, the organization focuses on the training and development of its employees, and favours promoting from within to fill management positions.
3. The development of the economic mission
Growing the mission requires growing self-generated revenues for the organization. This will be accomplished through opening of larger stores and donation centres. Also, the geographical expansion of the organization outside of the Greater Montreal Area will require its operations to be decentralized in partnership with the host community.
4. The development of the environmental mission
Renaissance’s environmental mission is mainly focused on the re-use of goods donated by the community. The objective is to triple the volume of goods diverted from landfill sites. Therefore, it is necessary to begin exploring different possibilities for recycling various materials, notably textiles. Other projects under development are the electrification of the fleet of trucks and the transformation of buildings geared towards greater energy efficiency.
1 130
permanent employees
118
volunteers
17
thrift stores
26
donation centres
11
bookstores
4
boutiques
1
liquidation centre
1
distribution centre