Montclair Residents Launch 'In-Kind' Donation Startup Aimed At Nonprofits

Montclair, NJ - During the holiday season, many people give of time, goods, and financial support to nonprofits. But once the holidays pass, most nonprofits see a decrease in support and circumstances can become dire.

Montclair residents Rafik Tawadrous and Tara Fardellone are hoping to bust that trend with their new start-up business, MyFiki.

According to Fardellone, MyFiki helps users to donate in-kind gifts to local and national nonprofits with an online process that links directly to Amazon.com.

“Donors can then rest easy, knowing their purchases are delivered to the nonprofit’s front door,” Fardellone told Patch.

Tawadrous and Fardellone launched MyFiki in August of 2015, borne out of Fardellone’s experience in the nonprofit world.

“Every day I would come home and say, ‘We don’t have what we need,” or, ‘Finances are so tight, I wish someone was able to buy this off of Amazon for us,” Fardellone recalled.

This musing sparked Tawadrous’ imagination, and when the pair visited a local animal shelter with a car full of donations - only to see them gone in a few days – their socially responsible business model was born.

“Since we launched in August, we’ve seen incredible organic growth,” Fardellone told Patch. “We have nearly two dozen organizations who have registered, several of which who interact with the site regularly and see regular donations being delivered to their door. From the Human Needs Food Pantry in Montclair, to the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri, MyFiki is spreading to help do tangible good with tangible goods in the region and beyond.”

Find out how the process works here.

There are no fees for individuals to donate or for nonprofits to participate in the service, Fardellone said.

Interested participants with questions can contact Rafik Tawadrous or Tara Fardellone at info@myfiki.org or at 201-746-5463.

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