Forget the Stuff and Give a Gift that Matters

The holiday season is all about giving—giving gifts, giving thanks and giving back. If you’re passionate about franchising and entrepreneurship and would like to help others realize their own potential to succeed as a business owner, you may want to consider supporting an entrepreneurial nonprofit this holiday. Your contribution could help youth in under-resourced communities develop entrepreneurship and career planning skills, fund social entrepreneurs around the world,  help small business owners through micro-financing loans or even inspire the next generation of franchise owners!

Donate to One of These Entrepreneurial Nonprofits This Holiday

Encouraging Youth in Entrepreneurship

The Possible Zone – https://possiblezone.org/
The Possible Zone is an afterschool program that helps students in the Greater Boston area develop personal and professional skills through entrepreneurship education. The hands-on experience and individual career planning advances economic equity by ensuring young people develop the entrepreneurial spirit, skills, and networks to launch successful careers.  

How You Can Help This Holiday Season: Donate any amount to the Possible Zone and they will use your generous gift to empower under-resourced students in Greater Boston while providing them with a safe place to learn and grow. If you live in the greater Boston area you can also volunteer your time to the Possible Zone. Donate to the Possible Zone!

Lemonade Day – https://lemonadeday.org/
Lemonade Day teaches kids how to start and run their own business while helping them raise money for a charity of their choice. Through running their own lemonade stand, children learn more about the value of money and how it works in the real world. Lemonade Day started in 2007 and has reached over 1.5 million kids in three different countries!

How You Can Help This Holiday Season: For as little as $10 you can help one child realize “they have the power to take charge of their future, create their own opportunities, and make their own success.” Lemonade Day accepts individual donations and offers larger impact sponsorship opportunities. As a donor, you have the option to give to whichever city you choose. Donate to Lemonade Day!

The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship – http://www.nfte.com/
The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) aims to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and build startup skills in youth from under-resourced communities. By utilizing a combination of in-school courses and out-of-school resources like Biz Camp, NFTE provides at-risk youth with the confidence and education to succeed.. Their success is evident, with 1 in 4 NFTE graduates starting at least one business and NFTE alumni boasting 50 percent higher earnings than their peers.

How You Can Help This Holiday Season: NFTE accepts one time and recurring donations. You can also opt to volunteer with NFTE as a coach, advisor, guest speaker, host or advisor. Donate!

Social and High-Impact Entrepreneurship

Ashoka – https://www.ashoka.org/en-US/about-ashoka
Ashoka believes that everyone can be a changemaker to work on the social issues that are facing the world today. They support social entrepreneurs around the globe who are challenging social problems in their communities.

How You Can Help This Holiday Season: Skip the Hulu subscription this year and donate to Ashoka instead. As they say, a $100 donation is about the cost of a Hulu subscription. You can donate once or sustain your donation with regular giving. Donate to Ashoka!

Micro-Financing

Kiva – https://www.kiva.org/
Kiva is a crowdfunding loan distributor that takes lending contributions of $25 or more to add to a larger loan amount for borrowers. Kive has more than 4.5 million borrowers ranging from artisans and farmers to students and single parents. Kiva helps fund small businesses, educational opportunities and health-related needs. All loans are vetted through an underwriting process and Kiva boasts a 97 percent repayment rate on their loans.

How You Can Help This Holiday Season:

• Give a Kiva Holiday Card! Donate on behalf of someone else and let them choose where the money is lent. Give a Kiva Card
• Lend $25 or more to help people around the globe build better futures for themselves and their families. Make a Loan.

Accion Opportunity Fund – https://aofund.org/
Accion Opportunity Fund is a nonprofit community lender that supports small businesses that are just starting out and need to get established before they will be eligible for bank loans. They work with small business owners to understand their needs and help those who are often shut out of traditional financing. Through their network of bank partners, government agencies, and local businesses they then help these small business owners “overcome every obstacle standing between them and their dream of owning a thriving business.”

How You Can Help This Holiday Season: You can donate to the Accion Opportunity Fund in your region or state by making a one time or recurring contribution. Donate to Accion!

Women and Minorities

AWBC – https://www.awbc.org/
The Association of Women’s Business Centers is a nonprofit that works to help women succeed in business through training, mentoring, business development, and financing opportunities. They have nearly 150 business centers across the country providing women with the skills to ensure their economic stability. The AWBC has helped more than 150,000 women each year achieve their business goals.

How You Can Help This Holiday Season: The AWBC accepts donations of any amount to help support their mission of securing economic justice and entrepreneurial opportunities for women. Donate to AWBC!

If you are compelled to give back this holiday we thank you for your contribution to the entrepreneurial community. If you would like to share your franchise opportunity with entrepreneurs seeking a path toward successful business ownership, click here to learn more about how we can help with franchise recruitment or give us a call at 603.433.2270.  

Happy Holidays!