Case Studies - Brink's US
Goodwill Manasota's Cash Management Upgrade
March, 2025
Introduction
Goodwill Manasota
Goodwill Manasota is about so much more than just thrift shopping and donation centers; it’s about changing lives. Through the power of work, they help people overcome barriers to employment, providing job placement, skills training, and educational support. Every donation fuels this mission, giving individuals the opportunity to build a better future.
“We hire people with barriers to employment and help them build skills throughout our operations, from our retail stores to donation centers,” said Alexa Olivas, Vice President of Donated Goods Operations at Goodwill Manasota. “Sometimes they stay with us, and sometimes they move on to other careers, but we always focus on their growth.”
However, running 16 locations across the Manasota, FL area while providing these life-changing services isn’t easy. It requires efficient, secure, and reliable cash management: a task that became significantly easier when Goodwill partnered with Brink’s.
Challenges
Time-consuming manual counting
Before partnering with Brink‘s, Goodwill Manasota‘s teams spent about 30 to 45 minutes each night (at each of their 14 cash-accepting locations) manually counting and recounting cash. This process required two people to verify totals, increasing the risk of errors and diverting valuable time away from customer service and product restocking. The inefficient, repetitive nature of the task disrupted operations and got in the way of productivity.
High labor costs
Since each cash count required two team members to verify totals, labor costs quickly added up. Manual processes meant that multiple employees had to step away from their primary tasks to handle cash, reducing productivity across the organization.
Frequent errors and discrepancies
Errors were a common issue, including miscounts, missing bills, and discrepancies that required time-consuming investigations. Tracking down these inconsistencies drained valuable time and resources, pulling the team away from customer service, product restocking, and other essential tasks.
Security concerns
Staff members needed to transport cash to the bank, posing potential safety risks. Carrying large sums of cash made employees feel vulnerable, especially during peak business hours or when making after-hours deposits.
Team stress and distraction
The constant cash handling added unnecessary stress to the team, pulling them away from more mission-critical tasks like helping customers and supporting the community.
Solutions
To address its numerous concerns, Goodwill Manasota partnered with Brink’s to implement Brink’s Complete, a cash management solution designed to streamline daily operations, simplify cash handling, reduce risk, and provide visibility into cash flow.
With Brink’s Complete, businesses can customize their solution by selecting from a variety of smart safes, tailored to their needs based on factors like their size, cash volume, and handling frequency. While all Brink’s Complete safes provide secure storage, some offer advanced capabilities such as bill validators, expediting the counting of cash at their locations.
Goodwill Manasota chose smart safes with built-in bill validators, so their teams can instantly tally cash as they secure it. The smart safes help them to cut down on counting errors, minimizing discrepancies, and save time for more important tasks. With Brink’s Complete, Goodwill Manasota benefited from:
Automated cash counting and tracking
Employees simply place cash into the smart safe, which instantly counts the amount and records the
transaction. This eliminates manual reconciliation and speeds up the process.
Enhanced security and loss prevention
Once cash is placed in the safes that Goodwill Manasota chose, it is securely stored. This reduces the
risk of theft and robbery, as well as the burden of physically transporting cash.
Faster access to funds
Brink’s advances credit to Goodwill Manasota’s bank account the next business day credit based on the
cash stored in the smart safe , improving cash flow and eliminating the need for daily bank runs.
Simplified end-of-day procedures
Instead of spending 30 to 45 minutes counting cash every night, employees can now complete their
closing process in a matter of minutes, simply verifying the smart safe’s report.
User-friendly reporting and visibility
Brink’s online portal provides on-demand visibility to cash flow data, allowing store managers to monitor cash-related activity and generate reports with full transparency.
A smooth implementation
Rolling out a new system across multiple locations can often be a challenge, but for Goodwill Manasota, implementing Brink’s Complete was a smooth and efficient process. While there were some initial logistical hurdles, such as coordinating vendor deliveries, the Brink’s team provided responsive support to ensure a quick and effective rollout.
Once installed, the simplicity of the system made adoption easy for employees at all levels. With just a few steps—scanning a badge, inserting cash, and confirming the amount—employees could secure cash quickly without complicated procedures.
“For some of our team members, using a smart safe can feel intimidating at first, especially since some of them don’t have computers or smartphones,” said Olivas. “But when they see how simple it is, it clicks. They realize, ‘Oh, all I have to do is feed it like a vending machine, and I’m done?’ They gain digital skills by using these smart safes, and they also gain confidence when they see how easy they are to use.”
to transform lives.
Results
More time for what matters
Before implementing Brink’s Complete, employees at Goodwill Manasota’s cash-accepting locations spent about 30 to 45 minutes per day counting and verifying cash. That added up to 7 to 10.5 hours lost every single day across those locations, just on cash handling. Now, with instant tallying of cash proceeds, the process takes only minutes, saving between 210 to 315 hours per month and an incredible 107 to 161 full days every year—time that can now be spent serving customers, managing store operations, and driving Goodwill’s mission forward.
Stronger security, fewer risks
Cash is secured when it’s placed in a smart safe, reducing the risk of theft, loss, and miscounts. Employees also no longer have to transport cash to the bank to deposit into Goodwill Manasota’s account, which can eliminate a major security concern and give them peace of mind.
Smoother operations
Brink’s Complete eliminates time-consuming reconciliations and verification steps for employees, allowing them to complete cash-handling tasks faster and reducing manual counting errors. The system is easy to use, so employees can quickly adapt and spend less time managing cash.
From hours to minutes
Time saved is money earned, and Brink’s Complete helped Goodwill Mansota
reclaim valuable time across multiple locations. Here’s the breakdown:
107 – 161 full days saved per year
That’s 3.5 to 5 months of manual cash handling eliminated.
7 – 10.5 hours saved per day
More time for employees to focus on customers and store operations.
Less time spent fixing errors
Automated tracking and in-store smart safes help reduce discrepancies, so managers spend less time on corrections and more on operations.
No more wasted hours on bank deposit runs
With secure Brink’s pickups, employees stay in-store and save hours every week instead of making deposit trips.
Final thoughts
For Goodwill Manasota, every moment spent counting cash was a moment
taken away from helping people build better futures. By implementing Brink’s Complete, they gained more than just a cash management solution; they gained efficiency, security, and time to focus on what truly matters.
With smarter cash handling, employees no longer have to worry about completing lengthy reconciliations tasks, miscounting, or going on risky bank runs. Instead, they can put their energy where it belongs: supporting their community, providing job opportunities, and creating lasting change.
For Goodwill Manasota, every moment spent counting cash was a moment
taken away from helping people build better futures. By implementing
Brink’s Complete, they gained more than just a cash management solution;
they gained efficiency, security, and time to focus on what truly matters.
With smarter cash handling, employees no longer have to worry about
completing lengthy reconciliations tasks, miscounting, or going on risky
bank runs. Instead, they can put their energy where it belongs: supporting
their community, providing job opportunities, and creating lasting change.
Goodwill Manasota values more than just technology—they value the true
partnership they’ve built with Brink’s, one that goes beyond transactions and
focuses on mutual success.
Goodwill Manasota values more than just technology—they value the true
partnership they’ve built with Brink’s, one that goes beyond transactions and
focuses on mutual success.
“We feel that there‘s a true partnership there [with Brink’s] to be successful on both ends,” said Olivas. “It’s not, ‘What can Brink’s do to support Brink’s?’ It’s, ‘What can Brink’s do to support you?’”
More from our insights library:
Taking Cash Management to New Heights: How Florida Wingmen Soared with Brink’s Complete.
Key Lessons from NRF 2025: Cash Solutions for Resilient Retail
NRF 2025 showcased bold innovations transforming the future of retail. Guest writer John Marsolek explores how advanced cash management and ATM solutions are helping retailers improve efficiency, enhance customer experiences, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing industry.
Future-Proofing Your Convenience Store: Smarter Cash Management Solutions
Discover how ATM managed services can streamline cash handling, enhance security, and improve efficiency for convenience stores.