Franchi was proud of both his American citizenship and his Italian heritage. He became active very early with the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), and regularly performed in benefit of the Boys' Towns of Italy and the Girls' Towns of Italy. While visiting back in Italy, he was recruited to perform what was possibly his first Boys' Towns Benefit Concert at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, on May 4, 1963, of which many more followed. Franchi's support for these children's organizations also included a 1967 sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall.