Nonprofits Start Franchising

The NonProfit Times:

It’s not unusual for a nonprofit to do a lot of mailings. It is uncommon when the charity is mailing for someone else, such as what Woburn, Mass.-based nonprofit CMARC is doing after it purchased an advertising direct mail franchise.

CMARC bought the franchise from Garden Grove, Calif.-based direct marketing firm Money Mailer. CMARC plans to turn one of the staff community contact people into a sales person who aids businesses with direct mail options.

The range of business franchises that nonprofits operate seems to be getting wider — from the well-known Ben & Jerry’s ice cream Partner Shops to nonprofits installing wheelchair ramps and delivering candy baskets.

CMARC’s deal will probably break even this year and managers hope it will bring in between $200,000 and $300,000 annually within five years Ð roughly one-third of the organization’s current $9-million annual budget.

CMARC serves more than 300 disabled people a day with vocational programs. Money Mailer deals with nearly 300 franchise locations nationwide.

“Money is tight. We haven’t received a cost of living increase in Massachusetts in 19 years,” said Sheri McCann, CEO and president of CMARC. “We work with fundraising and are really having a difficult time meeting our needs, so we’re looking for other options.”