Make-A-Wish® – Canada

4211 Yonge Street, Suite 520
Toronto, ON M2P 2A9
President & CEO: Jennifer Klotz-Ritter
Board Chair: Kenrick Sproul

Website: www.makeawish.ca
Charitable Reg. #: 89526 9173 RR0001

Sector: Social Services - Wish Granting

Operating Charity

Charity Rating

[Charity Rating: 4/4]

Donor Accountability

Grade: A-

The grade is based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.

Financial Transparency

Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity's website [ Audited financial statement for most recent year ]

Need for Funding

Funding Reserves Program Costs

Spending Breakdown

Full-time staff #23

Avg. Compensation $63,544

Top 10 Staff Salary Range

$350k +	0
$300k - $350k	0
$250k - $300k	0
$200k - $250k	0
$160k - $200k	0
$120k - $160k	2
$80k - $120k	2
$40k - $80k	6
< $40k	0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2014

About Make-A-Wish® – Canada:

Founded in 1983, Make-A-Wish Canada is a granting charity that helps kids with life-threatening diseases live out their biggest wishes. The charity pays for all of the costs associated with a qualified child’s wish and hopes that after their wish experience, the child will feel happier, healthier and stronger than before. Make-A-Wish Canada and its eight chapters across the country have collectively granted more than 6,281 wishes since inception. The charity claims that it currently grants roughly one wish a day.

Make-A-Wish Canada separates itself from other wish-granting charities by operating on an international level, meaning that it can both send its Canadian wish children to other countries and host children visiting from other countries. The charity pairs each wish child with a team of local wish granting volunteers who work with the child and their family to identify and make the child’s one wish come true.

Make-A-Wish Canada made 480 grants to Canadian children with life-threatening illnesses in F2014. Based on total operating costs for the year, the charity spent $11,591 per wish granted.

Make-A-Wish Canada measured the impact that its grants have on recipients with a Wish Impact Study that was released in 2013. The study surveyed previous wish kids and their families, Make-A-Wish volunteers, and doctors and nurses of previous wish kids. 97% of adult former wish kids reported that their wish experience improved their mental and emotional health and 83% reported that their physical health improved. Overall, 91% of former wish kids believed that their wish experience contributed to saving their life. The charity does not report the proportion of past wish kids that this survey reached, or the proportion of wish kids who go on to live a healthy life after their wish experience.

Financial Review:

Make-A-Wish Canada is a medium-sized charity with total donations of $4.3m in F2015. Administrative costs are 4% of revenues and fundraising costs are 22% of donations, which combined falls within Ci’s reasonable range. $0.26 of every dollar donated to the charity goes toward overhead costs.

Make-A-Wish Canada’s funding reserves of $2.8m can cover only 54% of annual program costs, indicating a funding need.

Updated on July 18, 2016 by Katie Khodawandi.

Financial Ratios Fiscal year ending December	2015	2014	2013
Administrative costs as % of revenues	3.8%	4.6%	4.4%
Fundraising costs as % of donations	22.4%	21.9%	19.9%
Program cost coverage (%)	53.9%	52.1%	50.8%

Summary Financial Statements All figures in $000s	2015	2014	2013
Donations	4,295	3,892	3,428
Goods in kind	2,803	2,042	1,920
Other income	(4)	15	10
Total revenues	7,094	5,949	5,358
Program costs	5,253	4,440	3,842
Administrative costs	268	272	234
Fundraising costs	963	850	683
Cash flow from operations	610	387	599
Funding reserves	2,831	2,312	1,953

Note: Ci adjusted for changes in loans receivable, increasing donations by $100k in F2013. Ci did not include loss on disposal of capital assets, decreasing expenses by $445 in F2015. Ci included chapter dues of $481k in F2015, $370k in F2014 and $327k in F2013 in donations.

Comments added by the Charity:

Make-A-Wish^® Canada is a dynamic wish-granting organization that brings hope, strength and joy to children with life-threatening medical conditions. Along with a national office, eight (8) regional chapters grant magical wishes to children in need from coast to coast. Make-A-Wish^® Canada is an affiliate of Make-A-Wish^® International. Make-A-Wish^® is the largest wish-granting organization in the world, making dreams and wishes come true for more than 350,000 children since 1980.