Presentation given by Jenny Cook on 15 October 2019 to the SWWE branch in Bristol.

1. I wish to go to Lapland
Finn, 5
fighting cancer
Together, we create
life-changing wishes for children
with critical illnesses
Jenny Cook – Director Wishgranting

2. Who are Make-A-Wish UK
• Started in 1986 – inspired by Make-A-Wish USA
• Make-A-Wish is a global movement through individual national charities
• 14,000+ UK wishes since 1986
• 2018/19 best year ever – 1114 wishes, 132 Wish Assists, 15 other (1,261)
• To be eligible aged from 3 to 17 years with a life limiting / critical illness –
49,000 children and young people in the UK
• Average wish cost is £2,700 and annual income of £10 million
• Rely on volunteer support and generosity of donors / corporates

3. • To Have
• To Go
• To Be
• To Meet
Rush and Priority Wishes
3
Our Wishes……
a personal and magical
experience
I wish to be a palaeontologist
Catrin, 6
fighting acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

5. External Context (July 2019)
•Reduced trust in institutions, including charities​
•Society is becoming more divided and polarised
•Increased need for connection across and within communities​
•Communities want to be empowered to support themselves​
•Shift toward child-centred services​
•Decreased funding and increased demand for children's services​
•Higher average divorce rates and poverty amongst families
with disabled children​
•More children living with longer with a complex condition into adulthood​
•Declining fundraising market – more people want to do something
together rather than fund an organisation to do it​
•Other Wish Granting charities struggling

6. Vision
A future where every child and young person with a
critical illness receives their one true wish.​
Values​
Child Led, Integrity, Community, Excellence, Inspiration​
Purpose
Together, we create life-changing wishes for children
with critical illnesses

7. Three Year Goals19/20 Priorities
• Establish an approach to
maximising the impact of our
wishes
• Grant 1,160 wishes
• Increase engagement with
communities across the wish
journey
• Strengthen our ability to
commercialise our brand in a
way that reflects our values
• Achieve a balanced budget
over 2 years

9. Organisation
CEO & Senior
Management Team
Wishgranting
(Wish Journey)
Qualifications Team
Wish Visitors
Wishgranters
Finance
Fundraising and
Marketing
Capability
(People – Staff and
volunteers)
Chair and Board of Trustees / Advisory Groups

10. Wishgranters

12. Enquiries
• 85% enquiries are from the general
public / families
• 15% from referral partners
• 88% enquiries are online
• 63% increase in enquiries Jul/Aug/Sep to
same time last year

13. Qualifications Dashboard

14. • Once a Child / young person is
eligible two wish visitors (volunteers)
visit to capture the one true wish of
the child
• Unique to Make-A-Wish. Child led,
not family led (20% wish children are
non-verbal)
• The ‘Why’ of the wish is so important
• Wish visitors right up the report and
send to Qualifications team who then
transfer the wish child and One True
Wish to the Wishgranting Managers
Wish Visit

15. Weekly Allocation

16. Wish Allocation

17. Capacity Planning

18. Agile Project Management
Wishgranters in post over 12 months will be
managing between 60 and 80 wishes (projects) at any
one time. If a rush or priority wish is allocated to you
this must take precedent over other wishes and
teamwork is critical to ensure support is given.

19. Salesforce CRM – Wish Projects
Start to project manage each wish – each Wishgranter delivers approx. 80
wishes per year. Working with the family, third party suppliers to plan and
build a budget. Once the budget is approved all aspects of the wish can be
booked. New suppliers have to be added to the ‘wishing well’. Need to
identify donations in kind at this stage and if the community can support.
Data Privacy and Safeguarding are front of mind.

20. Budgeting and Planning – Wish Mix Model
Each wish type – to have / to go / to be / to meet has a budget framework and
guidance as to what they could entail. Process and Creativity are required to
deliver the one true wish and to ensure we are inclusive in all that we do.

21. Project Flow and Guidance

22. In concept planning In concept on hold
Some wishes will be held ‘In
Concept’ due to various reasons

23. Wishes in Progress (budget approved)
• All aspects of the wish are booked and the wish child / family informed
• Wish Packs sent out 2 weeks before the wish – Cap, Bag any tickets
• Itineries send by email / BACS transfers made / last checks made with families /
equipment providers etc
• Emergency phone / contact for
during the wish
• Let the magic happen and await
feedback ☺
• Continue to work on all the over
wish projects allocated to you.
• Wishes can be cancelled or
changed at anyone time

24. Wish Closure and Impact Measurement
(Benefits Realisation)
• Wish child /families to be contacted one week after wish granted (up to 20 per month)
• All wishes to be closed down on Salesforce 2 months from wish granted date. New
suppliers loaded onto the wishing well. Any comments on suppliers added.
• All receipts / invoices – finances to be completed, and all Donations / Gift in Kind
registered on the system
• Follow up with wish child / families pre and post wish questionnaire

25. Forecasting – predicting when wishes
complete

26. Scorecard – Monitoring Progress and Continuous
Improvement
EXAMPLE:
• 13 Wishes Granted in September 19/20 (89 in 18/19) – so starting the year off at a 27% increase. A record for
September and we are close to granting our 14000th Wish, currently at 13923 as of the end of September.
• 65% of wishes granted were travel wishes. 6 of the granted wishes were rush/priority.
• 22 in the pipeline, 9% of which are booked up on 3% this time last year and 19 new approvals in September.
• A bumper month for Enquiries with 352 v 200 budgeted – the last few months have shown an average 61% uplift
in new enquiries, but September was nearly double the budget. This is being closely monitored.
• The qualifications team is currently working on 1204 wishes.
• This month saw a 23% attrition rate of those dropping out straight away after enquiry

27. 2018/19 results
2018/19 Qualifications
• 2432 Enquiries – 15% increase on previous year (2017/18)
• An average of 1042 live enquiries each month
• 35% Attrition from enquiry to wish qualification (are not eligible for a wish)
• 1474 children qualified for a wish
• (16 Starlight wish children referred Jul/Aug 19)
2018/2019 Wish Visitors
• 1323 wish visits confirmed in year
• Acceptance of wish visits at an average of 6 working days (down from 11 working days 2017/18)
• 96% of wishes granted fed back to the wish visitors by wishgranters (up from 55% 2017/18)
• Q4 2017/18 65x wish visits by phone v down at Q4 2018/2019 5x wish visits by phone
Wishgranting
• 1114 wishes granted (1047 2017/18) – 6% increase. 103 of these wishes were rush / priority Wishes.
• 132 Wish Assist
• 15 wishes delivered on behalf of other charities (eg Mr Tumble / Dan DTM wishes for Rays of Sunshine Children)
• 122 Changed Wishes
• 92 Cancelled Wishes
TOTAL WISHES (all above) 1475

30. What would your wish be? ☺

31. Jenny Cook
Director of Wishgranting
Jenny.Cook@makeawish.org.uk
Mobile: 07599 556 130