Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego

What Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego does

Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, founded in 1983, that grants wishes to children with critical illnesses in the San Diego region. The chapter operates within a national network of 57 chapters that have collectively granted more than 400,000 wishes since 1980. Its "product" is the wish experience itself, delivered at no cost to beneficiary families, with operating capacity funded through individual donations, corporate partnerships, signature fundraising events, planned giving, and in-kind contributions.

Technology infrastructure supporting chapter operations includes a dedicated fundraising application for donor acquisition and event registration, a health data API to coordinate wish-candidate intake with hospital and clinical referral partners, a charity streaming integration for digital fundraising channels, and a fitness application integration for activity-linked giving. Major corporate relationships underpinning revenue include Disney as a foundational long-tenured partner, JPMorgan Chase with cumulative philanthropic support above $9.2M, and Fanatics with cumulative contributions of $10M at the national level. The chapter does not operate a commercial pricing model; revenue mechanics are donation-driven, and beneficiary families are the served end-users rather than paying customers.

Name

Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego

Legal name

Make-A-Wish Foundation of America

Website

https://wish.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego is a 501(c)(3) chapter, founded 1983, that grants wishes to children with critical illnesses in the San Diego region, funded through individual donations, corporate partnerships, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Wish-Granting Charity

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

Keywords

• Wish-granting services
• Children's charity
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Corporate philanthropy
• Volunteer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Contributions: Direct donations from individuals via online portal, phone, mail, and monthly giving programs.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Sponsorships and promotional partnerships with companies like Chase, Fanatics, Southwest Airlines, and others who donate funds or support wish-related activities.
3. Foundation Grants: Grants from private foundations supporting wish-granting operations.
4. Planned Gifts: Legacy gifts, bequests, and estate planning vehicles that provide long-term funding.
5. Special Events: Chapter-organized fundraising events including galas, golf outings, walks, car shows, and community events.
6. In-Kind Donations: Non-cash contributions including airline miles, hotel points, products, and services that reduce operational costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego grants life-changing wishes to children ages 2.5 to 18 diagnosed with critical illnesses. The chapter is one of 57 local chapters nationwide operating as part of the national Make-A-Wish organization and is funded entirely through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, planned giving, and community fundraising events.

Product overview

Make-A-Wish is a nonprofit wish-granting organization operating a unified service delivery model centered on granting life-changing wishes to children ages 2½ to 18 with critical illnesses. The organization functions through 57 local chapters in the U.S. and nearly 50 countries internationally. The product portfolio comprises the core Wish Granting Program (fully funded wishes including travel), supplemented by digital donation platforms (online/mobile giving), a Fundraising App with health data integration for peer-to-peer fitness fundraising, and various fundraising programs including Walk for Wishes, Kids For Wish Kids, Wishmakers On Campus, Wishmakers at Work, Trailblaze Challenge, and Stream For The Wishes. Supporting giving programs include Planned Giving, In-Kind Donations, Car Donation, Airline Miles Donation, and Hotel Points Donation. Recognition programs include the Starblazer Awards, while signature events include Wish Night, Wish Ball, Wish Week, and Season of Wishes campaigns. All programs are supported through corporate partnerships and promotions such as Chase, Disney, Fanatics, and Royal Caribbean.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Make-A-Wish Fundraising App: Mobile application for nonprofit peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns that tracks fitness activities and credits users with activity rewards
• Starblazer Awards
• Legacy of Wishes
• Kids for Wish Kids
• Wishmakers On Campus
• Walk for Wishes
• Trailblaze Challenge

Products and services

• Wish Granting Program Core service that grants wishes to children ages 2.5 to 18 with critical illnesses, covering all costs of the wish experience including travel, accommodations, and special items. Available to eligible children referred by medical professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of doctors say wishes help relieve a family from traumatic stress
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered national partner, official sports partner, core, major partner and minor.

• Chasenational partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerChase is a National Corporate Partner supporting travel-related wishes. Has donated over $9.2M to date including $1.5 million in Ultimate Rewards points and $500,000 cash donation. Chase cardholders can donate points through Pay Yourself Back program.
• Fanaticsofficial sports partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Sports Partner donating $10M over three years to support sports-related wishes. Fanatics is the Official Sports Partner of Make-A-Wish.
• The Walt Disney CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisney is involved in approximately half of all wishes granted by Make-A-Wish, providing theme park experiences, character meet-and-greets, and magical wish experiences.
• Southwest Airlinesmajor partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerThrough Points for a Purpose program, customers can donate Rapid Rewards points to Make-A-Wish for wish travel.
• United Airlinesmajor partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerMileagePlus members can donate unused airline miles to help wishes take flight.
• Allegiant AirminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonates $1 from every Wingz Kid Snack Pack sold in-flight to support wish granting.
• AvisGTM or Marketing PartnerOffers up to 30% off base rates when booking through avis.com/wish, with 5% of rental donated to Make-A-Wish.
• Royal Caribbean Internationalmajor partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerWishes at Sea program offering free cruises to wish kids and fundraising opportunities across all ships.
• IT'SUGARminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSells wish-themed products (Wish Pop lollipop, Wish Gummy Bears, Make-A-Wish Chocolate Bar) with 20% of sales donated.
• Dave & Buster'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonates $1 from every Strawberry Shortcake purchase, 100% of cash donations from 'throwback arcade' and hosts Charity Benefits silent auctions.
• TopgolfminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonates $1 from each Topgolf Donut Hole-In-Ones dessert item with minimum guarantee of $250,000 per year.
• Breyer HorsesminorGTM or Marketing Partner2024 Hope Horse models 'Love & Hope' collection benefits Make-A-Wish.
• BuzzRxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonates $1 when prescription discount card is used, with funds going to Make-A-Wish.
• Blackhawk Network (Giving Good Cards)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMake-A-Wish branded Giving Good Cards sold at retailers with 3% of load net value donated.
• ARS Car Donation ServicesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCar donation service partnering with chapters including Alaska & Washington, Connecticut, Eastern NC, Greater Bay Area, Greater Virginia, Hudson Valley, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.
• Wheels for Wishes (Car Donation Foundation)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCar donation service benefiting local Make-A-Wish chapters across most U.S. states including San Diego.
• Charitable Auto Resources (CARS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCar donation service partnering with Make-A-Wish Oklahoma and Orange County chapters.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dreams Come True: Florida-based wish-granting organization serving children with critical illnesses. Direct peer in mission and operating model, though smaller in scale and regional in geographic focus.
• Kids Wish Network: Wish-granting nonprofit serving children with life-threatening illnesses, directly competing for both wish recipients and donor dollars using a similar chapter-free national model.
• Starlight Children's Foundation: National nonprofit delivering wish-like programs (toy deliveries, hospital wear, gaming stations) to children with serious illnesses. Closely comparable mission, donor base, and corporate partnership model to Make-A-Wish.
• Special Wish Foundation: Ohio-based nonprofit granting wishes to children with life-threatening or terminal conditions. Comparable in mission, age eligibility, and referral-driven delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• National Children's Cancer Society: Nonprofit providing direct financial and emotional support to children with cancer and their families. Overlaps in beneficiary population, donor base, and pediatric oncology mission.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Global nonprofit serving families of critically ill children through housing and supportive services. Operates in the same family-and-child-health charitable niche but addresses lodging rather than wish fulfillment.
• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: National nonprofit fundraising on behalf of 170+ children's hospitals. Overlaps in donor base, corporate partner roster, and pediatric health mission, but funds clinical infrastructure rather than wishes.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: National nonprofit funding childhood cancer research. Comparable in donor-base composition, fundraising event format (lemonade stands), and pediatric-cancer beneficiary focus, but operates in research funding.
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: Leading pediatric research and treatment hospital, reliant on philanthropic donations. Targets similar donor demographics and corporate partners as Make-A-Wish but operates in treatment rather than wish fulfillment.

Regional players

• Sunshine Foundation: Chartered wish-granting organization serving children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Comparable in mission and referral-based wish model, but with a primarily mid-Atlantic geographic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wishsandiego
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MakeAWishFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/makeawish
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/organization-guest/company/makeawish_wyoming
• Instagraminstagram.com/makeawishamerica

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego