Giving FAQ

How much money goes directly to grant wishes?
Approximately 76% of the funds raised are used to grant the wishes of local children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Will we meet a wish child?
When your fundraising efforts raise $6,000, the average cost of a wish, your group/organization could have the opportunity to sponsor a child's wish experience.
How do we collect the money?
At the end of the event, the group/organization will submit a check for the total amount to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
May we open a bank account to cash checks made payable to the Make-A-Wish Foundation?
No, only the Make-A-Wish Foundation may cash these checks. Participants should make checks payable to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Checks should then be forwarded to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for deposit.
What do I do with the cash from the fundraising event?
All cash money raised the day of the event should be collected and given to one pre-designated individual from the group/organization. This designated individual should secure and monitor the cash in a safe or locked box until the money can be counted and deposited. Individual checks may be given directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, or the group/organization may tally the money and combine the amount in a single check before forwarding to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation prefers to receive a check instead of coins or cash. Please ask the event organizer to deposit the coins and present the funds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the form of a check. Net proceeds from the program should be submitted within thirty (30) days after the program.
A local business wants to support our fundraising event, but they need the Make-A-Wish Foundation's tax identification number, what does that mean?
The purpose of the Make-A-Wish Foundation's tax identification number is to have sales tax waived when purchasing products, etc. that directly benefit the Foundation. The IRS does not allow the waiver of sales tax for items used for events that are not produced by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Most likely, local businesses will request our 501(3)(c) letter which identifies the Make-A-Wish Foundation as a legal nonprofit organization. Businesses include this letter with their tax filings to prove the charities they support are legitimate.
Will the Make-A-Wish Foundation acknowledge donors to our fundraising event?
Yes, if the group/organization provides the names of the donors. This can be accomplished by sending the following directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation: 1) checks of individual donors, 2) credit card donation receipts, and 3) list of cash donors' contact information.
Will the Make-A-Wish Foundation solicit individuals who make donations?
The donors from the event will be included in the Make-A-Wish Foundation's mailing list, unless otherwise instructed. Donors receive five Make-A-Wish Foundation newsletters each year, annual mailing appeals and invitations to special events. As a matter of national policy, the Make-A-Wish Foundation does not engage in telephone fundraising or door-to-door solicitation.
Can the Make-A-Wish Foundation secure sponsorship for an external event?
No. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is responsible for procuring sponsorship, in-kind goods and services for the Foundation's own internal events.