Individuals
We welcome gifts of any size from individuals interested in sharing our heart-warming mission.
There are many ways to support the Foundation including:
We work hard to spend our donors' gifts wisely and efficiently. Of each dollar we receive, approximately 80 cents is dedicated to program services, and 20 cents to fundraising and administration.
To reach your Connecticut Make-A-Wish individual giving specialist, please contact the Make-A-Wish office, 203-261-9044.
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Donate Now
Like children, wishes and gifts come in all shapes and sizes! We appreciate gifts of any amount.
Donations are accepted online through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America® Web site, or by contacting your local Make-A-Wish office directly.
You may call in a credit card donation or mail a check to our chapter headquarters:
Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Connecticut, Inc.
126 Monroe Turnpike
Trumbull, CT 06611
(877) 203-WISH
(203) 261-9044
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Donate Air Miles
Give Flight to a Child's Heartfelt Wish
"I wish to sleep on a hammock between two palm trees on the beach in Hawaii." "I wish to go to Antarctica." "I wish to go see gymnastics at the Olympics." The Make-A-Wish Foundation is asking frequent travelers across the country to contribute frequent flier miles and help make wishes like these come true for children with life-threatening medical conditions.
When Make-A-Wish volunteers ask a child for his or her favorite wish; very often the response begins with, “I want to go….” In fact, more than 67 percent of all wishes granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation involve travel. Fortunately, most major airlines have created programs that allow members of their frequent traveler loyalty programs to donate their unused miles to charity. Such contributions have enabled the Make-A-Wish Foundation to send thousands of children with life-threatening medical conditions and their families on the trip of a lifetime, and have saved the Foundation millions of dollars each year.
However, with the number of wishes constantly rising – more than 12,000 in the United States last year alone – the need for frequent flier miles is greater than ever. In fact, the Make-A-Wish Foundation estimates that it would need more than 2.5 billion frequent flier miles to fulfill every wish child’s travel request this year.
To donate your airline miles, please click here.
For corporate airline mile donations, please call our local office at 800-203-WISH.
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Host An Event
You can create a fundraising event to benefit the local children served by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. From golf tournaments to picnics to family reunions, events are a perfect way to raise money in support of the Make-A-Wish mission. Some examples of successful events include bowling tournaments, casino nights, dances & socials, auctions, bakes sales, and themed dinners.
- To view fundraising policies and guidelines, click here.
- To submit your fundraising idea for consideration, click here.
- To speak with an event specialist, please contact the Make-A-Wish office, 203-261-9044.
Donate Goods or Services
The Make-A-Wish Foundation relies on non-cash or in-kind contributions to minimize the cash cost of the wishes we grant. Approximately 60 percent of the cost for each wish is covered by the donation of goods and services. Most commonly, these include transportation services, event tickets and new items to complete a wish such as electronics, pools and spas, or playhouses. In addition, donated administrative, fund-raising and marketing services help to minimize the overhead we incur to do business.
For our current Wish List of goods needed by the Foundation, please click here.
Limitations
Not all in-kind contributions are tax deductible, and we only accept donations of goods and services for which we have a need. Goods donated for wishes must be new or of new quality to ensure that each child's wish is as magical as possible.
To donate goods or services, please contact the Make-A-Wish office, 203-261-9044.
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Planned Gifts
Bequest Gifts
You can ensure that wishes will continue to be fulfilled in the future by including a bequest to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in your will. The wording of your bequest can be as simple as:
"I bequest to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut a gift of $______ or ______% of my estate."
Please remember to include our federal tax identification number which is 22-2710919 and specify Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut if you wish your legacy to benefit our state's children. A bequest can also take the form of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, or real estate.
Other Types of Planned Gifts
As you are planning your estate or maximizing the performance of your financial portfolio, you may want to consider easy and rewarding ways to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation. If you are considering a trust, annuity or other form of planned gift, it is important to seek guidance from your own financial or legal advisors.
To learn more, please call our office at 203-261-9044.
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Major Gifts
Any gift you make will help bring hope, strength and joy to the children of Connecticut who are battling life-threatening medical conditions. Donors who contribute $1,000 or more annually become members of the Wishmaker Society. The Foundation provides special recognition for all members in this group. We invite you to choose the level of giving that is best suited to your philanthropic mission.
For additional information, contact our office at 203-261-9044.
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Dream Maker
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$25,000 +
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Vision Maker
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$10,000 to $24,999
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Memory Maker
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$5,000 to $9,999
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Magic Maker
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$2,500 to $4,999
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Wish Maker
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$1,000 to $2,499
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Create an Endowment Gift
Our chapter is proud of its legacy to have never turned away an eligible child because of funding limitations. An endowment gift creates investment income to fund one wish each year in perpetuity and gives you the opportunity to invest in hope for the children of the future while providing healing for children today. Please contact our office at 203-261-9044 for more information.
Endow a Wish - $150,000
There are several main categories of wishes. If you choose to endow a wish, you may select from the following types of wishes:
- Travel Wishes – Provides annual funding for a travel wish. Often children want to visit a place they've only dreamed of such as a tropical paradise or a foreign land. Travel wishes are very popular because they offer a critically ill child the opportunity to escape the hospital or a treatment schedule for a brief time, to explore new places and experiences, and to provide temporary respite for the whole family.
- Disney Wishes – Provides funding to send one child every year to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. It is no surprise that the magic of Disney appeals to nearly half of all the wish kids we serve each year. Elementary-school-aged children especially love the idea of kissing Mickey Mouse on the nose or meeting beloved princesses like Cinderella and Snow White. The entire family can leave the stresses of catastrophic illness behind for a wonderful week of fun and fantasy in "The Happiest Place on Earth".
- Celebrity or Gift Wishes – Provides funding for one child every year to meet a personal hero or receive a tangible gift. Many children wish for a gift like a new bedroom, a playhouse, a puppy, a drum set, a computer. Other children wish to meet a personal role model who has given them courage or inspiration through their challenging journey.
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