Meet Melanie Neumann And Erica Fisher | Co-Founders, PRESENT NOW

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melanie Neumann And Erica Fisher and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melanie Neumann and Erica Fisher, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After touring Good Shepherd, a local transitional domestic violence shelter, we saw firsthand that youth were the silent victims of domestic violence and immediately we both knew that we should do something to bring about change. Our backgrounds include nonprofit experience and social work, so it was a perfect blend and starting point to launch something impactful together. We founded PRESENT NOW in 2012 in our garage with the specific mission of delivering joy, comfort and healing through personalized gifts to ensure that youth in domestic violence shelters feel seen, loved and supported by a caring community. By focusing on personalized gifts, PRESENT NOW helps these youth find moments of happiness and hope in the midst of challenging circumstances. Today we have given more than 19,000 gifts thanks to our volunteers, supporters and donors.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We believe that there is always a creative solution to any challenging task. Generally, nonprofit work isn’t thought of as a creative pursuit, however PRESENT NOW is most definitely a creative endeavor. Our volunteers are able to explore their creativity in how they choose gifts that will resonate with the recipient. The items are selected to spark joy, promote creativity, spontaneity and connection, creating positive memories for youth living in transitional domestic violence shelters. And, PRESENT NOW gifts are always delivered with our signature purple bow. From the very beginning of packing presents in our garage to now over 19,000 gifts, creativity is at the core of what we do to make an impact on youth, one present at a time.

Collaboration has been key for our success. We brainstorm as founders, together with staff, board members and advisory board members. We collaborate in our community by partnering with local stores and schools to fundraise, educate and raise awareness. We collaborate with our shelter partners to ensure we meet their needs. It’s all about teamwork and collaboration for us. What started as purchasing and wrapping gifts in our garage has now evolved to over 19,000 gifts to date across 152 shelter partners in 15 states. We continue to expand and grow thoughtfully to ensure our impact reaches more youth.

One of the most challenging elements of working with domestic violence shelters is the required safety and privacy to protect those living there. It makes it nearly impossible for us to share photos or videos to demonstrate the need and our impact to our donors and supporters. We rely on stories and testimonials from gift recipients and our shelter partners’ staff to convey the impact of donations to PRESENT NOW’s donors and supporters. However, we also recognize this sensitivity underscores just how much these families and youth need us in their most difficult of times.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We both live in the Pacific Palisades, so an ideal day would be grabbing our usual Americano and latte at Caffe Luxxe, a beach walk or a hike in the Santa Monica mountains, shopping at Elyse Walker and dinner in the Palisades Village.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Gifting is our love language! It takes a village to provide all this joy, and we are extremely proud of the countless hours, hard work, and dedication to PRESENT NOW by 350+ volunteers and supporters each year. To know that collectively, we have delivered so many smiles, and brought comfort and connection to so many families who have been impacted by domestic violence is the legacy we work to build everyday. Just one present can have an incredible impact to remind someone who is going through their most challenging time that they are seen, loved and surrounded by a community.

Website: https://www.presentnow.org/

Instagram: @presentnowfoundation

Facebook: PRESENT NOW

Image Credits
Lauren Gonzalez Photography (for first photo of Melanie & Erica) laurengonzalezphotography.com