What is the C12 Group's policy on digital activities?
C12_Group Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
standardized elements are hosted by C12 at no cost to you. Additional customizations can be negotiated at cost to the franchisee, and all digital activities must be in compliance with C12 Brand Standards and approved prior to being live online as set forth in the Operations Manual.
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- Providing you with valuable tools and resources for your own use and for your members' use where applicable. Current examples include financial modeling services, strategic planning and implementation tools, an Annual Business Planning Process, a subscription to digital video content from national experts in business and ministry fields. We generally provide you with access to these tools and resources at no additional cost to you.
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- Maintaining, at our sole discretion and budget, a program of C12 brand advertising and publicity in national and regional/local online and print publications as well as websites to help drive leads through our website and home office to Area Chairs across the network (FA Section III). There is no advertising or marketing fund applicable to you with respect to this national advertising. There are no advertising or marketing cooperatives among franchisees. There is no advertising council that advises C12 with respect to its advertising. C12 utilizes primarily its in-house staff in developing advertisements but may from time to time retain advertising or marketing firms and/or graphic design artists to contribute to any particular campaign.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 21–29)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 C12 Group Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees must ensure that all digital activities comply with C12 Brand Standards. These activities must also receive approval before going live online, as detailed in the Operations Manual. C12 Group provides standardized digital elements at no cost, but franchisees can negotiate additional customizations, bearing the associated costs themselves.
C12 Group maintains websites (C12forums.com & JoinC12.com) that include franchisee information such as territory details, local information, and event schedules, provided the franchisee supplies the necessary data. Additionally, C12 Group offers a localized website (e.g., www.C12Atlanta.com) and a C12 email address (e.g., Paul.Tarsus@C12forums.com) to help franchisees establish a consistent online presence.
For marketing, the C12 Group allows for emarketing as a qualifying expenditure from the Prepaid Marketing Fund. Franchisees are required to spend the full prepaid marketing fund within 18 months of the execution of the franchise agreement. C12 also provides digital video content from national experts in business and ministry fields. Monthly Business Forum meetings are to utilize C12's prescribed monthly agenda, curriculum, and facilitation notes and forms in a mixed media format, including digital video and audio, and franchisees are required to acquire necessary computer devices, projection, audio/video and recording equipment sufficient to project digital video and broadcast audio for each place in their Territory.