Recent Developments
A new kind of wish has now emerged: the wish to help. Twelve-year-old Hope was one of a growing number of wish kids who, when asked to think of themselves, instinctively think of helping others instead. Nine-year-old Ben’s wish was to design a video game that would be helpful to kids like him who have cancer — a way to fight back and to relieve some of the pain and stress involved with treatment. Seventeen-year-old Rankin thought about the kids he tutored daily after school, and wished for a weekend of camping for the participants in his community service program. Eighteen-year-old Brandi wished to deliver guardian angel pins to survivors of the September 11 attack in New York City. Brandi was diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition one day before the attacks riveted the world, and the timing was not lost on her. She explained, “When I got sick, I was given a lot of guardian angel pins. I believe they helped me in my battle against my illness. I hope these pins will bring comfort to other people who received devastating news just one day after I received my diagnosis.”
The Foundation launched an annual, nationwide public service campaign in 1999 that has since generated well over $100 million in placement value through all major media (broadcast, print, Internet, out-of-home). In addition, proactive Make-
A-Wish media outreach generates hundreds of media reports and stories each year about its activities that, in turn, generate hundreds of millions of consumer impressions.
Another significant gateway to public awareness comes through DisneyHand, Worldwide Outreach for The Walt Disney Company. DisneyHand creates its own Make-A-Wish public service announcements for exclusive airing through Disney-owned broadcast media, most notably ABC Television. A direct provider of wide-ranging wish resources, DisneyHand helps facilitate the largest percentage of Make-A-Wish requests; approximately 37 percent of all Make-A-Wish experiences each year are Disney-related.
National corporate partnerships add a significant promotional element that allows the organization’s message to reach millions of consumers directly. Through unique and meaningful cause-related marketing programs, companies are able to grow their respective brands while simultaneously supporting the Foundation’s revenue and awareness needs.
As one of the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s leading national sponsors, United Auto Workers– General Motors has for years engaged in a fully integrated partnership that generates significant awareness and funds, and moreover connects its workforce directly with the Make-A-Wish mission. Thousands of UAW members, GM employees, and GM dealers in communities around the country have since personally committed to volunteerism, fund raising, and wish granting.
Brand Values
The Make-A-Wish Foundation operates under a unique, yet universal set of brand qualities and values that define how the organization approaches its work. The Make-A-Wish brand is:
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Life-affirming. The brand focuses on the joy of the wish experience and understanding the powerful therapeutic value of the wish experience for the child and the entire family.
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Child-focused. A wish must be of the child’s expression, not anyone’s expression in place of the child.
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Family-friendly. The wish-granting experience is a family activity, involving as many family members as possible.
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Community-based. National promotion, fund-raising and outreach efforts support local initiatives, and all wishes are delivered by local volunteers.
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Focused on human enrichment at all levels. Wish granting gives the medical community another tool to help sick children fight or cope with their illnesses, and provides uplifting experiences to everyone involved in (or familiar with) the wish experience.
