Make-A-Wish Foundation

Founded in 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

How do you help people in my community?

We grant the wishes of medically eligible children who are older than 2 ˝ and younger than 18 and haven’t received a wish from another wish-granting organization.  We don’t consider the child’s background, beliefs, income or any other demographic factor.  We’re here to help children with life-threatening medical conditions – i.e., a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition that has placed the child’s life in jeopardy.  A wish experience has the power not just to put a smile on a kid’s face, but to be a bright spot in the lives of everyone involved – families, referral sources, sponsors, donors and even communities.

Every community in the United States is served by a local Make-A-Wish® chapter. Each chapter serves a particular geographic territory and is responsible for granting wishes, raising funds, securing volunteers, and sharing the Make-A-Wish message in that territory.
On a national level, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America – based in Phoenix, Arizona – provides operational, financial, training, marketing, and developmental support to the 67 chapters in the U.S. and its territories.

Why do you need my support?

Since its founding, the Make-A-Wish Foundation® has fulfilled its mission thanks to the millions of individuals, organizations, and corporations that have supported the organization by volunteering, donating, sharing the Make-A-Wish® message, and participating in the wish experience. Individuals interested in supporting the Make-A-Wish cause will find opportunities to help, regardless of location, income, or time commitment.

It might be a simple wish that your support makes possible – a new 10-speed bicycle.  Or perhaps it will be a dream that some child thought would never come true – flying thousands of miles to watch the sun set over a Hawaiian volcano.  Either way, the wish child touched by your generosity will know that someone special – someone like you – found room in their heart to make a seemingly impossible wish come true.  We can’t wait to hear another child say “That was the greatest day of my life!"

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® is proud of the way it manages the generous contributions it receives from individuals, corporations, and organizations. Seventy-six percent of the revenue the Make-A-Wish Foundation receives is allotted to program services. This percentage exceeds the standard upheld by organizations monitoring the work of charities.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America meets the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Wise Giving Alliance Standards for Charity Accountability and is among the first recipients of its charity seal (seal authorized 10/15/03).  The Wise Giving Alliance is a national charity watchdog agency affiliated with the Better Business Bureau system.  The Alliance and its predecessor organizations have more than a century of combined experience in charity evaluation.
Unlike other charity monitoring groups that focus solely on review of charity finances, the Alliance completes comprehensive, in-depth evaluations of the charity’s governance, fundraising practices, solicitation and informational materials, and how it spends its money.  The charity seal signifies our adherence to the Alliance’s strict standards.

NonProfit Times’ 2005 “Top 100” List – Ranked 72nd
Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 2005 “Philanthropy

400” List – Ranked 86th
Forbes Magazine’s 2006 “200 Top Charities” List –

Ranked 103
Good Housekeeping 2005 – Best Charities for Kids

Can I Volunteer? How?

Thanks to nearly 25,000 volunteers, we’ve granted more than 161,000 wishes in our first 28 years and recently set a one-year record of over 13,000 wishes.  We have 35 volunteers for each staff member; all dedicated to delighting wish kids.

You can help us grant wishes, raise funds, translate and interpret, plan events and more; we have a task to suit nearly every talent.  No matter what you choose, you can be a key part of helping to share the power of a wish®.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities at the Make-A-Wish chapter nearest you by visiting the Volunteer section of our Web site (www.wish.org).