WHAT IS SOCIAL SECTOR FRANCHISING?
I
By Jill Abrahamsen
t takes a village to help a village. At least that’s the thinking behind the Social Sector Franchising Initiative, a collaboration between the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Center for Social Innovation & Enterprise and the International Franchise Association’s Social Sector Task Force. Here, a group of social entrepreneurs, educators, students, and seasoned franchise professionals join forces for a greater good. In a nutshell, commercial franchise professionals are contributing their experience, resources, and time to help communities in need. Take the Jibu franchise ( www.jibuco.com ), for example. Founded by Galen and Randy Welch in 2012, Jibu uses a franchise model to bring safe drinking water to millions of families in Africa. The company found a way to purify, bottle, and sell water at a price that is affordable for the urban poor—significantly less than bottled water—yet still profitable for franchisees. Jibu franchisees make money aiding communities and generating hundreds of new jobs. In 2016, the company was accepted into UNH’s Social Sector Franchising Accelerator program, which helps companies refine their systems with help on franchisee selection, motivation and engagement, as well as teaching the skills needed to build a strong sales culture in a developing country. It also exposes university students to the world of franchising through participation as student researchers and assistants. Working in conjunction with the International Franchise Association (IFA), UNH paired Jibu with Peter Holt, CEO of Joint Chiropractic, a member of the IFA’s
18
FranchiseDictionaryMagazine.com
