Filanthropists.com Launches Beta Version of Web Site.

Filanthropists.com, an online shopping mall offering cause-related merchandise, announced today that it has successfully launched the beta version of its web site. The purpose of this “soft launch” is to serve as a live performance test to troubleshoot site operational issues before the grand launch and to allow registered merchants to start actively selling their products. The distinctively unique merchandise currently found in the mall includes clothing, jewelry, and books; specific examples are a Swarovski crystal ribbon pin, cuff style bracelets in Sterling silver, and silk-ties with the autism jigsaw piece logo. Current merchants include: Alison Ashley Formento, American Forests, Autism Speaks, Born Free USA, Broadway Cares, Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs (CoMeD), Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Fourth Lloyd Productions, Heart and Stone Jewelry, KC Tees, Mountain & Sackett, PJ Publications and Gifts, SafeMinds, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), and Until There’s A Cure.

Filanthropists.com was founded to be the online hub through which partner charities, nonprofit organizations, and independent merchants engage in e-commerce fundraising, which is defined as: “The sale of a product from which a portion of the revenue is donated to charity.” For its merchants, Filanthropists.com serves as a fundraising vehicle. For individual members, known as “Filanthropists,” the site provides the opportunity for the socially–conscious consumer to support their chosen charities and causes through their purchases.

Filanthropists.com serves its members through a variety of features and services that include:

• Variable searches by charity or cause name, cause type, product category, and product name.
• An Intranet that allows merchants to upload product images, descriptions, and prices at will.

• Profile creation that allows merchants and individual Filanthropists to upload their photo/logo and statement as to why they support the charities they do. Member profiles are randomly spotlighted throughout the web site.
• A changing message ticker at the top of the page delivers a variety of messages that include: a welcome to new members, promotion of a member’s fundraising event, and awareness raising.
• A forum, the “Unite” section, that allows merchants and charities/non-profits to find like-minded partners with whom to explore partnership opportunities to create and sell their own cause-related merchandise.
• Assistance in developing and bringing proprietary cause-related merchandise to market. Our talented and dedicated team of professionals can help nonprofit organizations develop proprietary products.

Filomena Laforgia, Founder/CEO of Filanthropists.com, said: “When I started to develop the idea that would later become Filanthropists.com, I had originally intended to benefit a specific charity—Autism—the condition my son has. It wasn’t until I started to research cause-related products that I saw how much good my idea could do on a larger scale.”

Ms. Laforgia, continues: “The pre-launch response to our merchant recruitment efforts has been enthusiastically positive. Potential merchants we approached either immediately registered or requested more information, only to sign up shortly after the materials had been sent. It’s my hope that based on the level of response from our initial partners that Filanthropists.com can become a welcome and valuable part of any charitable and nonprofit organization’s fundraising efforts.”

About Filanthropists.com
Founded in 2006, Filanthropists.com is an online shopping mall offering cause-related merchandise. The organization serves as a voice in the marketplace for charities, nonprofit organizations, and independent vendors who engage in e-commerce fundraising, which is defined as: “The sale of a product from which a portion of the revenue is donated to charity.”
Current merchants include: Alison Ashley Formento, American Forests, Autism Speaks, Born Free USA, Broadway Cares, Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs (CoMeD), Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Fourth Lloyd Productions, Heart and Stone Jewelry, KC Tees, Mountain & Sackett, PJ Publications and Gifts, SafeMinds, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), and Until There’s A Cure.

For more information visit Filanthropists.com online at www.filanthropists.com. For media inquiries, contact Filomena Laforgia at: fil@filanthropists.com. To become a merchant, contact us at merchants@filanthropists.com. To develop a product for sale, contact us at: development@filanthropists.com. Visit us on Facebook page at filanthropists. Follow us on Twitter at filanthropists.