Run the marketing pool like a real budget.
Marketing fund is where most franchisors lose trust. Franchisees pay in, then can't see where it went. SalesThumb runs the fund like a real budget: contributions are pulled from each shop's revenue automatically (configured in the royalty engine), spend is logged with category + region + vendor + receipt, and per-shop dashboards show exactly what their contribution funded. Co-op requests (e.g., a shop wants 50% match on a local radio buy) flow through an approval queue with budget-remaining checks and ROI tracking.
Launching soon — get early access.
Marketing fund · FY2026 Q2Three pools
22 shops contributing · 2.5% of net revenue · auto-debit on the 5th
National
Brand campaigns · agency
YTD in
$182,400
Spent
$148,920
Remaining
$33,480
Regional
4 DMAs · sponsorships
YTD in
$96,800
Spent
$71,210
Remaining
$25,590
Local co-op
22 shops · matched buys
YTD in
$44,150
Spent
$24,820
Remaining
$19,330
Recent spend log
last 5 days · 14 entries| Date | Pool | Vendor / line | Amount | Rcpt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22 | National | Hawthorne Creative Agency retainer · Apr | $12,000 | |
| Apr 21 | Regional · TX | iHeart Houston Radio · 4-week flight | $6,400 | |
| Apr 20 | Local · Memorial | Meta Ads Geo-targeted reels | $1,820 | |
| Apr 19 | National | Google Ads · brand Brand search defense | $4,150 | |
| Apr 18 | Regional · FL | Tampa Bay Times Sunday insert | $2,250 |
Q1 ROI · $1 in → $3.80 out (network)
Meta + Google connected · 30/60/90 lift auto-tracked
Co-op requests · pending
3 awaiting approval- ready
Houston · Memorial
Ask $4,000 · Match $2,000 (50%) · Texas
Region budget left$6,820 (88%)Est lift +$11.4k · 4.7× - ready
Austin · South Lamar
Ask $2,500 · Match $1,250 (50%) · Texas
Region budget left$4,820 (64%)Est lift +$5.9k · 3.2× - cap hit
Phoenix · Desert Ridge
Ask $3,800 · Match $1,900 (50%) · Southwest
Region budget left$1,140 (18%)Cap exceeded · co-op Q2
SLA · avg approval time
2.4 hrs
Down from 11 days pre-SalesThumb
Features, zoomed in
The parts that actually move the needle.
Three capabilities built specifically for the day-to-day of a working shop.
Deep dive · 01
Three-pool budget model
Most franchises split fund into national (brand campaigns), regional (DMA-level), and local (per-shop co-op). SalesThumb tracks all three separately with their own budgets, approval rules, and reporting. A franchisee can see exactly what their contribution funded at each tier.
- National pool: brand campaigns, agency retainers, national PR
- Regional pool: DMA-level buys, regional sponsorships
- Local co-op: per-shop matched-spend requests
Fund structure · three poolsper-pool rules
FY2026 · 22 shops · 2.5% of net revenue, auto-split on the 5th
Where every $1 of contribution goes
$663,600 FY pool · collected $323,350 YTD
National
FY budget
$364,800
Funds
- Brand campaigns
- Agency retainers
- National PR
Approval · HQ marketing approves · 2 signers over $10k
Reporting · Monthly statement to all 22 shops
Regional
FY budget
$199,200
Funds
- DMA-level media buys
- Regional sponsorships
Approval · Regional director approves
Reporting · DMA report to in-region shops
Local co-op
FY budget
$99,600
Funds
- Per-shop matched-spend requests
Approval · Auto-checked caps · one-click approve
Reporting · Per-shop ledger · receipt required
Franchisee trace · Tampa · Westshore can follow its $14,820 YTD into every funded line at each tier — no black box.
Deep dive · 02
Co-op requests with budget checks
Franchisee submits a request: 'I want 50% match on a $4k local radio buy.' System checks regional budget remaining, co-op match cap, and prior co-op usage this quarter. Approver sees the request with all that context + the proposed ROI estimate. One click approves, money is allocated, receipt is required at delivery, and 30/60/90-day sales lift is auto-tracked.
Co-op request CO-2184
Tampa · Westshore · submitted May 4 · 10:22a by M. Vance (owner)
Local radio · WTPA 96.1 FM — 4-week drive-time flight
Runs May 12–31 · media-plan.pdf
Buy total → match asked
$4,000 → $2,000 (50%)
Budget checks · auto-run at submission
Regional budget remaining · Florida
$25,590 left in Q2 · this match uses $2,000
Co-op match cap
Policy max 50% per buy · request is at 50%
Prior co-op usage · this quarter
$1,250 of $6,000 shop cap used before this request
Est. 90-day lift +$8,600 revenue · 4.3× on the $2,000 match
Modeled from 6 comparable radio co-ops in the network
On approval the $2,000 is allocated from the regional pool · receipt required at delivery · sales lift auto-tracked at 30/60/90 days
What's included
The full capability list.
Everything that ships on day one. No feature-gating surprises inside a single plan.
- Auto-contribution per shop (configurable rate)
- Spend log with category + region + vendor + receipt
- National vs regional vs local pool separation
- Co-op request flow with approval queue
- Budget-remaining checks at request time
- ROI tracking — sales lift attributable to spend
- Per-shop contribution + spend visibility
- Quarterly fund statement (auto-PDF)
See every angle
A tour of the screens
Every meaningful view, the path through it, and the moments that matter — so you know exactly what you're buying.
Co-op request flow
Franchisee submits, system checks budget + cap, approver sees full context inline with ROI estimate..
Co-op request CO-2191live flow
Phoenix · Desert Ridge · May 8 · 2:41p · checks passed in 0.3s
1 · Franchisee submits
Meta geo ads · May push
Total buy $2,800
Match requested 50% · $1,400
media-plan.pdf · audience map
Submitted from the shop app · 2 fields + attachment
2 · System checks
Regional budget · Southwest
$19,330 remaining
Match cap 50%
request at 50%
Q2 usage
$900 of $6,000 cap
3/3 passed · routed to approver
3 · Approver review
Desert Ridge · $1,400 match on $2,800 Meta buy
3 prior co-ops · avg 3.6× lift · receipts on time
Est. 90-day lift +$5,900 · 4.2×
After approval · funds allocated instantly → receipt required at delivery → 30/60/90-day sales lift auto-tracked
Franchisee transparency view
Each shop sees their contribution + every line they helped fund.
Cratered complaint volume in pilot franchises.
My marketing fundfull transparency
Tampa · Westshore · franchisee view · updated May 8 · 7:02a
Your contribution YTD
$14,820
Funded lines you're in
31
Co-op match received
$3,250
Unallocated of yours
$0
| Date | Tier | Funded line | Line total | Your share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6 | National | Spring brand campaign · CTV flight 2 Hulu + YouTube TV · all 22 shops | $48,000 | $2,182 |
| May 2 | Regional | Tampa DMA radio · drive-time package WTPA 96.1 + WFLZ · 6 in-region shops | $12,400 | $2,067 |
| Apr 28 | Local co-op | Your co-op · Meta geo ads, April push 50% match approved · receipt on file | $2,600 | $1,300 |
| Apr 24 | National | Agency retainer · April Brand + media planning · all shops | $15,000 | $682 |
| Apr 17 | Regional | Rays sponsorship · Q2 signage Tropicana Field · 6 in-region shops | $9,000 | $1,500 |
| Apr 9 | National | National PR · spring press push 3 placements incl. trade press | $6,500 | $295 |
"Where does my 2.5% go?" answered before it's asked. Fund-related complaints down 81% across pilot franchises since this view shipped.
$14,820 of $14,820 tracedWho it's for
Built specifically for…
- Franchisors collecting a marketing fund contribution
- Multi-location operators with shared brand spend
- Master-franchisees running regional ad pools
What it replaces
The old way…
- Marketing-fund spreadsheets
- Email-based co-op approvals
- QuickBooks class tracking for ad spend
How it works
Set it up once. Run it forever.
- 1
Configure pools + contribution rates
National vs regional vs local. Contribution rate per shop (often 2-4% of revenue). Co-op match caps per region.
- 2
Auto-contribute + log spend
Royalty engine pulls contribution monthly. Spend is logged with vendor + category + receipt. Co-op requests flow through the approval queue.
- 3
Quarterly statement + ROI
Auto-PDF lands in each franchisee portal with their contribution + what it funded. ROI lift is tracked for connected ad accounts.
How a shop actually uses this
A wrap-shop franchise with 22 locations was bleeding trust over an opaque fund. Three shops were on the verge of pulling out citing 'we have no idea what our money's doing.' Standing up the marketing-fund tracker (with per-shop dashboards franchisees could see anytime) cratered the complaint volume in one quarter. They renewed all three shops at the FY mark.
Questions
Good to know.
- Can franchisees see the national-pool spend?
- Yes — line-item visibility, just like their own co-op. Transparency is the point. Some franchises redact specific vendor rates (negotiated agency retainers) — that's a config switch.
- How do we handle co-op disputes?
- Same queue as compliance violations. Franchisee disputes, you respond inline, decision is logged with timestamp + reasoning. ROI data attached so you can show the lift (or lack thereof) on prior approvals.
- Does this work with our agency relationships?
- Yes — agency invoices land in the spend log with the agency as vendor. If you give the agency a portal seat (read-only), they can drop receipts directly without an email back-and-forth.
Fits in with
Works with your stack
Stripe
Receipts captured at vendor pay
QuickBooks Online
Spend syncs to dedicated ad classes
Google Ads + Meta
ROI lift attribution from connected accounts
Explore more
Pairs well with
Royalty Automation
Monthly close, branded statements, ACH pull from franchisee bank accounts, and reconciliation to the penny — all automated against the same revenue numbers each shop already books.
FDD Compliance
Server-enforced brand-color locks, pricing floors, required service catalogs, mystery-shop scoring, and a tamper-proof compliance ledger — the controls your FDD already promises, finally enforced in software.
Multi-Location HQ
Whether you're a solo operator or a franchisor with hundreds of locations, every shop rolls up into one HQ view with consolidated KPIs, centralized catalogs, and push-to-shop pricing and templates.
Bulk blast
Built-in segments (VIPs, new in 30 days, dormant 90+, last-service-was-X), full recipient preview before send, per-blast reply-rate + revenue-attribution analytics. No third-party email tool, no Mailchimp double-billing.
Get marketing fund first at launch.
Launching soon — join the waitlist for early access. At launch: 30-day free trial with full access to every feature on this page, no credit card.
Launching soon — get early access.