UNH Rosenberg International Franchise Center and IFA Social Sector Committee to Host Free Virtual Conference Oct. 28, 2020

“Using Financing to Unleash the Power of Franchising in the Social Sector” Will Feature Engaging Content to Help Social Franchises Grow Efficiently and Sustainably in Today’s Challenging Environment.

Video recordings of this event now available here

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Sept. 11, 2020 -- The Rosenberg International Franchise Center at the University of New Hampshire and the International Franchise Association's (IFA) Social Sector Committee will host a virtual conference, “Using Financing to Unleash the Power of Franchising in the Social Sector,” on Oct. 28, 2020, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET.

The free event will convene a diverse group of social sector and commercial franchisors and franchisees, social impact investors and donors, franchise experts and consultants, and other thought leaders and scholars from around the world to discuss best practices for using the variety of financing options available to help social franchises grow efficiently and sustainably in today’s challenging environment.

Speakers will include:

• Dr. E. Hachemi Aliouche – Director, Rosenberg International Franchise Center, University of New Hampshire
• Marla Rosner – Senior Learning & Development Consultant, MSA Worldwide; Chair, IFA Social Sector Committee
• Marc Blumenthal – Executive Director, Social Ventures Foundation
• Galen Welsch – CEO, Jibu
• Walter Tukahiirwa – Franchisee, Jibu
• Azfal and Sabrina Habib – Co-founders, Kidogo
• Lynda Toussaint – CEO, Unjani Clinics
• Peter D. Holt – President & CEO, The Joint Chiropractic; Vice-Chair, IFA Social Sector Committee
• Julie McBride – Founder & CEO, Stage Six

“Social sector franchising creates opportunities for local entrepreneurs to deliver a variety of products and services to underserved communities worldwide, while creating much-needed jobs,” said Marla Rosner, Chair of the IFA Social Sector Committee and Senior Learning & Development Consultant at MSA Worldwide. “Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s now more critical than ever to bring together leaders in social sector and commercial franchising to discuss how we can support the important work of social franchises and their continued growth. We invite anyone interested in social franchising to join us for this virtual conference.”

“We are excited to partner with IFA’s Social Sector Committee to organize this important event,” said Dr. Hachemi Aliouche, Director of the Rosenberg International Franchise Center. “Using a multi-disciplinary approach to focus on the critical issue of financing the launch and development of social franchises, this virtual conference brings together leaders from a variety of sectors involved in social franchising. It will help identify key challenges and promote best practices for the advancement of the social franchising field.”

For more information about the event and to register, visit https://www.unh.edu/rosenbergcenter/2020-unhifa-virtual-conference-social-sector-franchising.

About the Rosenberg International Franchise Center
Named for franchise pioneer William Rosenberg, the Rosenberg International Franchise Center (RIFC) explores and advances the understanding of franchising through research, education, and outreach. RIFC is an international center of excellence on franchise finance, international franchising, and social franchising. It is noted for its three indices: the RIFC 50 Index, which tracks the financial performance of 50 public franchisors representative of the US franchise sector; the RIFC International Franchise Attractiveness Index, which ranks 131 countries according to their attractiveness as international franchise expansion markets; and the RIFC Global Social Franchise Index, which ranks 131 countries according to the impacts social entrepreneurship and social franchising can have on the well-being of their citizens. For more information, visit https://www.unh.edu/rosenbergcenter/.

About the IFA Social Sector Committee
The Social Sector Committee was first established by the International Franchise Association (IFA) in 2009 as a Task Force, to provide a platform to advance and leverage the use of commercial franchising methods and technology to serve the needs of the social franchising community. It was founded by Michael Seid, founder and Managing Director of MSA Worldwide and former member of the IFA Board of Directors. The Committee is composed of leading franchisors, franchisees, and professionals in commercial franchising whose goal is to help social sector franchisors and other NGOs become more effective and efficient in achieving their goals through the principles of franchising. For more information, visit http://www.socialsectorfranchising.org.

About the International Franchise Association
Celebrating 60 years of excellence, education, and advocacy, the International Franchise Association is the world's oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the more than 733,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.4 million direct jobs, $787.5 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy and 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees, and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology, and business development.

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