Brittany Hebert Franklin’s big smile and cheery misdemeanor put you immediately at ease when talking to her. Despite the fact she’s often rushed off her feet, juggling the responsibilities of managing a hugely successful nonprofit and raising a young family, she clearly loves to share her story and hopes to raise more awareness about Childhood Cancer to hopefully one day eradicate the disease.
Franklin joined us to share a bit about her life, including her extensive experience in the oil and gas sector, making Houston her home, and the rapid growth of her organization – Sky High for Kids, as well as her ambitions for the future.
Franklin’s Brainchild – Sky High for Kids
Sky High for Kids (Sky High) was founded by Franklin in 2007 during her senior year at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The inspiration came from a trip to Tennessee as a teenager, where Franklin visited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House Charities, Memphis.
St. Jude conducts research aimed at understanding, treating, and defeating Childhood Cancer and other life-threatening diseases, while the Ronald McDonald House offers housing support for families dealing with a child’s serious illness at no cost.
During the visit, Franklin was shocked to see children having to fight for their lives at such a young age after being diagnosed with cancer and immediately wanted to do something. Being the fearless, risk-taking young student she was, Franklin decided to start her own organization to support the work of expert medical organizations such as St. Jude.
A Start in Oil and Gas
Sky High was initially volunteer-led by Franklin and some of her closest college friends, while she was applying to law schools and looking to further her education. However, Franklin’s life quickly changed course when she was offered a role in logistics in Houston by the oil and gas company Pegasus International. Franklin jumped at the offer, driving west and never looking back.
During her 13 years in oil & gas, Franklin learned to be a problem solver – a skill that she uses every day at Sky High. She told us, “The oil and gas industry is full of innovative and creative risk-takers.” It’s important to take risks, stay resilient, and, importantly, build trust.”
Franklin explained that building long-lasting relationships has been key to ensuring donors trust in Sky High to use their funding responsibly.
Unlike many organizations, Sky High sees the value in talking to its supporters face to face, rather than purely promoting the cause online. Franklin believes this is the only way that she can communicate the importance of Sky High’s work in fighting Childhood Cancer.
She emphasized the importance of a ‘power of three’ approach. “If you meet one person, they know three more they can introduce you to. That has been key to the expansion of our donor network,” Franklin told Shale.
From Volunteer Led to a Full-Time Job
In 2020, Franklin stepped away from a successful career in oil and gas to take on the full-time role as CEO of Sky High. The nonprofit was volunteer-led for seven, and in that time the organization grew exponentially, raising millions of dollars in funding and supporting major advances in cancer research. However, “Sky High just became too large to be run part-time by volunteers, it required a full-time commitment to help find a cure to Childhood Cancer,” Franklin told Shale.
Despite having several full-time employees, Franklin stressed the importance of the hundreds of volunteers who continue to expand Sky High’s reach, plan events, pack supplies for families, and write handwritten cards for the organization’s thousands of supporters.
Fundraising, Community and Collaboration
After over a decade leading Sky High, Franklin has learned to be a master event planner. She’s hosted dozens of cancer warrior carnivals, galas, and brunches and brings all Sky High’s events in at under 20% of the cost for return, meaning that there is an extremely low expense ratio on the money raised.
In addition to Sky High’s fundraising efforts, Franklin views community engagement and collaboration with other organizations as key to progress. “We meet once a month with other pediatric cancer organizations to discuss needs, efficient fundraising execution, and see how we can fill the gaps,” Franklin told Shale. She stressed that they don’t want to fundraise against other organizations and that raising awareness and funds together can help further the cause.
It is because of this that Franklin often works as a consultant and professional auctioneer, helping other organizations get off the ground and raise funds. “Around 60% of nonprofits never break the million-dollar revenue mark,” said Franklin. “There’s so many good people trying to do big things and solve problems, but building a nonprofit is hard work”, Franklin explained. She told us that she’s learned many lessons through trial and error, and after 18 years working in the nonprofit sector, she believes she can help others avoid making the same mistakes.
Challenges in the Field
Sky High has come a long way since 2007, but it’s not been without its challenges. “The nonprofit sector in the U.S. is saturated right now,” said Franklin. “Many of these organizations have great ideas but don’t maximize the donor dollar, which can taint the landscape for other nonprofits,” explained Franklin.
Another major issue is burnout. Volunteers and employees in nonprofits need to be passionate about what they do. “We need top talent to achieve our goals, but employees are often underpaid and overworked – working around 80 hours a week during the peak fundraising season, which means retainment is tough,” Franklin told Shale. Nevertheless, “there are huge benefits to what we do”, stressed Franklin.
Where does the Funding go?
Through Sky High, Franklin’s aim is ultimately to bring an end to Childhood Cancer. To manage funds successfully, Sky High consults with partner hospitals and research centers to understand where donor funds can best serve the cause. Sky High invests in groundbreaking research, the development of better treatment protocols, and supporting children and families who are going through the most challenging time of their lives.
Following the expert advice of its partners, Sky High made a $10 million commitment to support the build-out of the Immunotherapy Center at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. This is the “first and only center that’s solely dedicated to pediatrics in the entire country,” said Franklin.
Sky High is already seeing the results of this investment. “We know people that are in the immunotherapy treatment programs now who went through chemo, radiotherapy, and other traditional types of treatment that were not working. They were not responding. Now, we are seeing that immunotherapy is saving lives. So, after 10 years of clinical trials, the proof is there,” Franklin told Shale.
“Our goals are to create new research options,” said Franklin. “We can’t wait on pharma to invest in clinical trials,” she added. Franklin stressed the importance of funding in both research and developing better and less harmful treatments for children who want to go on to lead full lives.
Addicted to Planning
Sky High is just one of Franklin’s babies and she constantly has to find ways to manage life as a high-flying CEO, a wife to husband Bobby Franklin, and a mom to her young daughter Stevie James. Franklin doesn’t believe in a ‘work-life balance’, instead she emphasized the importance of juggling work with being a good mother and a good friend. This is why she coordinates all the social activities and vacations in her life.
“I’m neurotically addicted to my calendar,” said Franklin. Since being in college Franklin has had a paper planner to organize her work and social life, which has made her a master planner. “I live, sleep, eat, and breathe this thing! I write down and prioritize everything,” Franklin told Shale.
There may not be a formal work-life balance in Franklin’s world, but she tries to make sure that if she has two events in one week, she’ll stay home with her family and not travel the next week. In her free time, Franklin loves doing outdoor activities with her friends and family, such as hunting and fishing, but her favorite thing is gathering everyone around the table for her delicious Cajun dishes.
If You’re Knocked Down, You Get Back Up
While Franklin has experienced huge success in both her career in oil and gas and her position as CEO of Sky High, it has not been without its challenges. “In any industry – I started in the male-dominant oil and gas sector, which is also our large donor base – it is difficult to be taken seriously as a young woman without a fancy degree that has lofty goals and ambitions,” Franklin told Shale.
Franklin didn’t attend an Ivy League school or pursue a graduate degree in law, which she once considered. She came from humble beginnings in small-town Louisiana and has worked extremely hard to get to where she is today. She has always surrounded herself with mentors who told her that if she was fearless, authentic, and resilient she could achieve her goals. “If you’re knocked down, you need to get back up,” said Franklin. This lesson has been ingrained in her and following her career success she has tried to share it with other girls and women in her life.
Battling Disease and Making a Difference
In addition to personal challenges, Franklin has had to be strong during difficult times at Sky High. Franklin shared with us one of the many stories that has stuck with her throughout her time working with children battling cancer.
“A few years ago, nine-year-old Berra B. was diagnosed with brain cancer. One day she was feeling great and catching butterflies and the next day she had a headache and was told the devastating news by doctors,” said Franklin.
Her parents, who came from Turkey, worked in the oil and gas industry. A colleague of theirs reached out to Sky High for help. When Franklin spoke to them, they told her that all Berra wanted was an art shed in her backyard to make art and jewelry, so she quickly organized the funds to build the space.
Brain cancer is the deadliest form of Childhood Cancer and is severely underfunded. Understanding this at such a young age, Berra began to make bracelets to sell to friends and family to raise funds for brain cancer research. Although she was not able to come out the other side of her battle with cancer, she did something life-changing. Berra launched her own organization to help other children fighting cancer, which her mother has since taken over, allowing her legacy to live on.
How to be Resilient in Difficult Times
Franklin stressed the importance of resilience in her role at Sky High. She told us that from a young age, she learned it’s important to “outwork your neighbor and follow your gut.”
“Authenticity is key to achieving success because other skills can improve but you likely got where you are by being yourself,” said Franklin. “Don’t be timid and don’t fear looking powerless. Ask questions to people who have been doing it longer than you to learn from them and take risks!” Franklin added.
At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Franklin was told she should close the doors at Sky High because it wouldn’t last. Instead of giving up, “I felt the fire inside my belly,” Franklin told Shale. She felt that there was no way Covid would bring the mission down when kids were still getting diagnosed with cancer. It was precisely her stubborn resilience that has helped Sky High become the successful nonprofit that it is today.
International Expansion
Following its massive growth in the U.S., Sky High has expanded its operations to other parts of the world in recent years. In 2018, Sky High began to fund training operations in sub-Saharan Africa, where specialists from Texas Children’s Cancer Center are sharing their knowledge and expertise with medics to diagnose and treat various types of cancer in children through their Global Hope program.
The decision to expand to sub-Saharan Africa once again came from the advice of Sky High’s expert partners. While in the U.S. around 80% of the 16,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year are cured, around 90% of the 100,000 children who develop cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa each year do not survive. Since it was launched, Sky High has supported training for over 6,800 healthcare workers including 30 PHO specialists and 128 nurses.
Based on the success of the scheme in Africa, Franklin would like to expand to other areas of the world that do not have the tools and expertise to respond to the disease. She hopes to help more countries treat and cure thousands of cases of Childhood Cancer every year.
What Lies Ahead?
It is perhaps no surprise that Franklin has big dreams for Sky High’s future. She aims to increase the total funding raised by the organization to $60 million by 2028, from $31 million today. To do this, Sky High needs to expand by partnering with other organizations across the country and raising more awareness about Childhood Cancer. Franklin emphasized that this figure is not just about dollars raised but about the impact of every dollar on children and families battling cancer.
Franklin shared with us Sky High’s three main strategic goals. She aims to expand Sky High’s charity of choice division so that restaurants, corporations, and families can carry out their own fundraising events for Sky High.
Sky High is also expanding its family member bundles, asking corporations to sign up at the beginning of the year with a donation of either $30,000, $50,000 or $100,000, which allows them to attend an array of Sky High’s events and visit children and families being supported by the donations.
Finally, Sky High wants to encourage ‘major gifts’ by asking loyal donors to leave a legacy gift, to make a larger impact. Major gift naming opportunities for donors are available at partner facilities, such as Texas Children’s and St. Jude, for their generosity.
Call to Action
Franklin knows she’ll face a wide range of obstacles going forward. “The government gives just 4% of its funding to Childhood Cancer,” said Franklin, referring to the budget of the federal government’s principal agency for cancer research and training – the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This is because “far fewer children are diagnosed with the disease than women battling breast cancer,” for example, explained Franklin. She puts the limited funding largely down to a lack of public awareness about the illness.
Childhood Cancer is still the number one cause of death by disease for children in the U.S. Franklin believes if more people knew this fact, they would be more willing to donate funds and there would be a better chance of eradicating Childhood Cancer.
Sky High’s job, therefore, is to “do better at gathering and educating more people on the severity of what’s going on,” explained Franklin. To tell people, “Don’t wait until it’s your child or your friend’s child, act now!”
Franklin left us with a message of hope and encouragement. She said she’d like to thank those in the oil and gas industry who have helped Sky High become the successful organization that is today. Because of the industry’s trust in her and her vision, Sky High has had a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of children across the globe. Franklin also called on those in the industry who have not already, to join the fight against Childhood Cancer.
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