Franchising Gives Back

By BRIAN DIGGELMANN If you tune into Monday Night Football tonight, you’ll see something unusual—hulking professional football players wearing bright pink gloves, sweatbands and even mouthguards. The NFL may be one of the most visible sponsors of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month every October, but they’re not alone in their support of the cause. Many franchises have also devoted time and resources to help put an end to breast cancer. Steve Jackson, president of pizza franchise Hungry Howie’s, says breast cancer is a cause everyone can embrace. “It’s pretty hard to talk to a friend, neighbor or relative who has not been touched by breast cancer in some way,” he said. “Just in my own family, both my grandmothers had breast cancer, my mother had breast cancer and I have two nieces that have breast cancer.” Jackson says Hungry Howie’s efforts to raise awareness started with a marketing executive who came up with the idea to print pink pizza boxes for the month of October. “We had our box manufacturer do some prototypes for us, and as that box sat around the office it became a conversation piece,” Jackson recalls. In 2009, the pizza chain chose to partner with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, an organization that provides breast cancer education as well as free mammograms to those who cannot afford them, and donate funds for every pizza ordered during October. In the three years since, Hungry Howie’s has raised almost $500,000 and hopes to raise an additional $250,000 this year. It also launched a series of videos on its Facebook page documenting the lives of members of the Hungry Howie's community that had been affected by breast cancer. Ink and toner franchise Cartridge World is also teaming up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation. “Round Up for Pink Ink,” which began its first run started in September of this year, encourages customers to donate change and aims to raise $100,000, with the first $25,000 in contributions matched by Cartridge World. “We’re asking customers who make a purchase to round their purchase up to the next dollar and donate their change to the cause,” said Tom McLaughlin, Cartridge World’s director of marketing. With a month left in the campaign’s run, McLaughlin says the response has been promising. “I want to beat our goal. We’re beating the drum loudly and hoping for some exciting news at the end of the campaign,” he said. Although October is the designated month for breast cancer awareness, Matco Tools is taking it a step farther by kicking off a year-long initiative this month. The idea for “Tools for the Cause” sprang from a pink toolbox that was raffled off in support of breast cancer awareness at a Matco expo earlier in the year. “It sold so many tickets, you could see it was a cause that really resonated with everyone within the organization,” said Matco Tools Marketing and Communications Manager Jessica Gardner. The franchise got together and decided to donate 15 percent of sales on specially-marked products through September 30, 2013 to Susan G. Komen For the Cure, with a guaranteed minimum contribution of $100,000. Products include toolboxes, LED flashlights, tool sets and even an impact wrench with a limited edition Tools for the Cause boot. “We wanted to maximize our involvement and contribution by extending our partnership,” Gardner said. “It makes a lot of sense to kick off in October, but it’s not a cause that just goes away October 31.” Whether it’s through percentages of sales, special items or just plain talking about it, franchises from every corner of the industry are doing their part to put an end to breast cancer. For more information on how you can contribute, visit http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/ or http://ww5.komen.org/.