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The Beauty of Business-Nonprofit Partnerships

It wasn’t too long ago that businesses and nonprofits held each other at arm’s length. Their mutual stereotypes held them apart: businesses were seen as self-centered entities that cared only for profit and nonprofits as dreamy, impractical do-gooders.

But now, people are realizing that these stereotypes are far too limiting. Over recent years it’s become obvious that life is not that segregated, and compartmentalizing isn’t necessarily helpful. Indeed, there’s a lot more overlap than folks might have recognized a few decades ago.

At Urban Mattress, we’re proud to be on the forefront of an exciting new trend toward more robust and meaningful business-nonprofit partnerships. These partnerships allow both sides to benefit—and they benefit society as a whole.

Shocker alert: the vast majority of businesspeople are not money-grubbers. They’re real people with families, friends and community ties. They serve on boards at church and/or community organizations. They coach kids in their free time. Their children attend area schools.

Nor are nonprofit workers all about pie-in-the-sky goals and touchy-feely stuff. They’re hard-working folks who have their noses to the ground, often plugged in to the realities and needs of their home cities like no one else.

Businesspeople have financial resources but don’t always have a lot of extra time and energy to invest. Nonprofits know where the need is, but they often need money to make a dent in it. Both types care about their communities and want to make a positive impact.

What could make more sense? Partnerships allow both to use their strengths to make a difference, together.

At Urban we see even more overlap than usual because many of our franchisees came from nonprofit backgrounds. They are smart and driven and deeply plugged in to their communities.

Many come to us precisely because they like what we stand for: giving a percentage of profits to local charities and investing in the cities where our stores are located. And they’ve seen much success in this business, because they’re genuine, good people who are a breath of fresh air in an industry that’s been known for its pushy sales tactics and shady deals. People notice the difference in their stores and spread the word.

Our franchisees see the mattress business as a way to create positive impact on several levels—providing great jobs, helping their neighbors get better sleep, and contributing to local nonprofit work.

All around, it’s really a win-win-win.