Make-A-Wish’s mission is to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. To sustain this work, the organisation wanted to create a dedicated stewardship program to transform its loyal base of regular donors into long-term partners. However, they lacked a distinct product brand to cultivate these deep relationships. We performed a competitive analysis to understand donor best practices and held deep-dive sessions with internal stakeholders. These conversations revealed that a wish isn’t just a one-off event; it is a transformative journey with a beginning, a run-up, and an ongoing impact. Our challenge was to build a regular giving product that captured this momentum, ensuring that the beautiful mission of Make-a-Wish continues for generations to come.

A special access pass to the world of wishes

To bring this concept to life authentically, we focused on ‘world building,’ a technique Make-A-Wish uses to create immersive experiences for kids. They’ve been known to paint unicorn footprints on a hospital floor, for a child who wished to see a unicorn. ‘The Wish Express’ invites donors into this same magic, offering a look behind the scenes and a welcome break from everyday life. By staying true to themes of adventure and discovery, the brand enables supporters to join a child on their full journey. Through strategic video content and immersive storytelling, we turned a donation into a special access pass to a child’s imagination. We mapped out the entire donor experience to ensure giving felt like a tangible, shared adventure, not a  simple transaction.