You Are the Brand

Make-A-Wish Foundation: Granting Lasting Wishes

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is an organization that touches the lives of kids who have life-threatening medical conditions. It brings joy to these children by granting their wishes for things like a trip to Disney World or a meeting with a favorite celebrity or a professional athlete, among so many other wish types. According to Tom Weatherall, president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey, the organization has granted the wishes of more than 6,700 children in the Garden State since 1983 and more than 200,000 nationally since its inception in 1980.The ability to grant such a wish every forty minutes of every day says a lot about the power of a good, authentic, and assertive branding. Thriving . . . Even in a Tough Economy At a time when many nonprofit brands are struggling to maintain their reputations, not to mention their piggy banks, the Make-AWish Foundation is thriving.The organization is by no means bulletproof and has to constantly evolve and tweak its brand, but the Make-A-Wish Foundation definitely stands out in a crowded marketplace where charitable organizations ask, and often beg, for money in an economy in which more and more people are struggling and fewer and fewer are giving. “Everyone is challenged by the economic state that we are in,” acknowledgesWeatherall, “and that’s something I go to bed with at night and wake up with in the morning. As great as our brand is, and how much trust is out there, we are not immune from the economic downfall. However, our donors are loyal. The year-on-year giving rate of past donors is so strong.That is what we count on but 215 Make-A-Wish Foundation Granting Lasting Wishes Adubato_(Brand)_final 4/11/11 11:30 AM Page 215 we do not take for granted. Proper stewardship of such donors is the key.” So what exactly makes the Make-A-Wish Foundation brand so special even in tough times? According to Weatherall, “We all have a different perception of our own mortality, usually we take it for granted. But the Make-A-Wish Foundation works with kids between the ages of two and a half (because science tells us that that is where children begin to collect memories and have cognitive abilities) and age eighteen who are facing life-threatening medical conditions. The foundation comes into their lives to help them battle through.There was one kid, for instance, who wanted to give up during chemotherapy treatments, and said to his mom and dad he couldn’t take it anymore. He lost his hair, kids teased him, he was always nauseated, he was tired of the doctors poking him, and he said,‘I’m done, I can’t do it. I’m sorry.’The family turned to us. He wanted to meet his hero, this guy who excels in the X-games and can do magical things on a motorcycle and on the fourwheelers . We grant his wish and just knowing he is going to meet this guy gives him the ability to fight beyond the side effects of the chemotherapy. Following the wish, he said to his parents, ‘I’m ready to fight again; I’ll go through the chemo again.’ That’s just one example of the kind of work that keeps our donors coming back. I believe Make-A-Wish donors gain an immediate and deep sense of fulfillment.” Stories Matter I’ve been working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the past several years, since my friend and long-time business associate Ron Del Mauro introduced me to them back in 2001. Ron was being honored by Make-A-Wish, and I was asked to emcee that year’s gala. I was hooked on the organization that night as I met the volunteers and contributors, as well as those granting and receiving wishes. It was a powerful experience. The stories were amazing. Says Weatherall, “Often, nonprofits and other organizations confuse the dumping of data, a plethora of numbers, an inundation of facts with the art of persuasion. Evi216 YOU ARE THE BRAND Adubato_(Brand)_final 4/11/11 11:30 AM Page 216 dence matters, but the question remains: What kind of evidence moves people? What sticks with them, not just in their head but in their hearts? It is, in fact...