When the Make-A-Wish Foundation® was founded - from the granting of the very first wish - the business community became a strong supporter of the Make-A-Wish® mission. As time went on and the business community continued to support the Foundation through corporate grants and donations, the employees of these organizations asked how they could become involved in making wishes come true. At first the fundraisers were as simple as a payday collection or a bake sale, while still others were as involved as a company-wide cookbook. When we began to share some of these fun and original fund raising ideas with other companies, the program, aptly named Wishmakers® at Work, was born. Wishmakers at Work enables employees of a company or business to join together and design a fund raising event or an ongoing workplace campaign that fits the needs of their particular work environment. We are constantly amazed and delighted at the variety of ways in which employees raise money. Staff support from the Make-A-Wish Foundation® is always available, and this site is full of ideas, one of which might be right for your company. How to Start Wishmakers at Work If you would like to begin a Wishmakers at Work program, we would be happy to help. Here are some tips to get started: • Invite a Make-A-Wish® representative to talk to the employees or staff at your company. We have talented speakers, videos and lots of photos of our wish children. Once employees find out about the Make-A-Wish Foundation® and see the smiles a wish can bring to a child's face, they are usually eager to become involved. • Designate one person to be in charge. This is an important step. An organized, enthusiastic person will keep the project on track. If you're planning to do several fundraisers over a period of time, consider forming a Make-A-Wish® committee. • Set a goal and chart your progress. This is a great way to keep everyone working toward your fund raising goal. We can provide you with your own personalized thermometer chart. It's a great morale booster for everyone to see how you're progressing toward your goal. Corporate Giving Matching Gift Funds Among the perks offered by many medium and large-sized companies is a matching gifts program. Matching gifts are not just for higher education any more. A wider range of non-profits are eligible for them. Contact your company's human resource department to see if the Make-A-Wish Foundation® qualifies for a company matched gift. This is a great opportunity to increase and even double your collective contribution. Customer Gifts Instead of sending a promotional or holiday gift to each of your customers, send a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® in the name of that special person. A minimum of $10 per gift is suggested. We will send a letter to your clients telling them of your generosity. Employee Giving Casual Dress Down Day Ever feel like wearing jeans to work? Pay to wear casual clothes for a day-or a week! Coffee/Soda Machine Does your company provide coffee or soda free of charge? If so, consider collecting a donation of 25¢ by placing a contribution basket next to the coffeepot. You'd be surprised how quickly those quarters add up! Payday Collection Each payday, collect a donation from everyone and send the money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. Or consider a payroll deduction program. Employee Sales Homemade Crafts Does anyone at your company knit, sew, paint, do woodwork, or make holiday ornaments? Tap the creative talents of your fellow workers for a pre-holiday craft show and sale. Homemade Baked Goods Every Friday a different department or team brings in homemade baked goods to sell at lunch. Employee Cookbook The favorite recipe of each employee is compiled into a cookbook. Sell to friends and co-workers. Covered Dish Lunch Day One department or team prepares lunch for the entire office and charges for each lunch. Consider salads or deli trays as well. Other Great Ideas Company Picnic Day Turn your annual picnic into a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. The senior management of one local company sat in a dunking tank at the company picnic. Another company raised money through a "pie in the face" event. Baby Picture Contest Hold a contest to identify your fellow employees using their baby pictures. Try to include pictures from a wide group of employees or consider gathering baby pictures of the senior management team. Sell chances to guess which baby is which! Weigh-A-Thon After all the bake sales and candy sales, this idea will be popular and healthy! Each dieter contributes weekly, and the winner (or in this case, the biggest loser) splits the money with the Foundation. Theme Dance Plan a company-wide dance. Oldies, big band, disco and Western themes are always popular. Auctions and Raffles Auctions Secure donated items through solicitations. This can be done in person, by phone or through the mail. We will provide you with a letter to use to announce your fundraiser and ask for support. Silent Auction Display all the donated items attractively and consider placing a minimum or starting bid for each item. Next to each item place a "bid sheet" where those interested in that particular item can write their name and the amount they are willing to pay. At the designated closing time for all bids, the person who has made the highest bid for any particular item pays that amount and wins the item. Chinese Auction Display all the donated items, placing an empty container or basket next to each item. Sell tickets for a set price and ask the buyer to write his or her name on each ticket. People "bid" for the item by placing one of the pre-purchased tickets in the container or basket next to the item. At the end of the auction, each prize is awarded to the person whose ticket is drawn from the container. Raffles 50/50 This is the easiest and most popular way to get your fund raising started. Choose a raffle ticket price. Decide, for example, that each ticket will cost $1. Then 50% or, 50¢ of each dollar is awarded to the winning ticket holder, and the other 50¢ goes to Make-A-Wish. Donated Item/Gift Certificates Raffle off a gift certificate, which has been solicited from a local restaurant, hotel or business for lunch, dinner, lodging, or special services such as a facial or car detailing. We will provide you with a letter to use to announce your fundraiser and ask for support. Theme Baskets Baskets of cheer, baskets for golfers and gardeners, or beauty and bath packages have all been successful. Choose a theme and ask employees to donate one item. Then combine all the items to make a spectacularly full gift basket. These baskets can be raffled off through purchased tickets. If you work for mid- to large-size company, consider having each employee team or department donate a theme basket for the raffle. Display the baskets in a central location or lobby. (This has been one of our most successful fundraisers!) Bonus Vacation Day Raffle off an extra day of vacation. Free Parking Sell chances for free parking in the President's spot for one week. Free Lunch Raffle free lunch coupons for a week at the employee cafeteria. Sport Activities and Holiday Ideas Sports Activities Golf or Tennis Outing Arrange for a group outing at a golf course or tennis court. Charge a small amount over the actual price per player to participate and donate that amount. Fitness Challenge Charge an entry fee to participate in a day of fun field events. Form teams, collect pledges from friends and family and compete against each other in events such as an obstacle course, sack race and tug-of-war contest. Bowl-A-Thon Have a contest between different departments at your local bowling alley. Another idea is to take pledges for each pin knocked over. Softball Game If you don't have a regular team, put together a special team to challenge another group or division. Consider approaching a local radio station, many of which have their own softball teams and will play for charity. Running/Biking Take pledges for fellow employees when they run a local or regional race or marathon. Holiday Ideas Holiday Gift Wrap Wrap holiday presents for fellow employees - this is great for those last minute shoppers. Stars Tree If you have a lot of visitors to your office at holiday time, this is a great idea way to get your office tree decorated. Fashion stars out of colorful paper and sell the stars for $1. The buyer writes his or her name on the star and hangs it on the tree. Holiday Candy Sales Before holidays such as Valentine's Day, Easter or Halloween, contact a candy company and arrange to purchase candy from them. Take orders from your friends and family and sell the candy at a profit. Easter Bonnet Parade You provide the materials: basic straw hats, cardboard, even paper plates, plus artificial flowers, feathers, construction paper, scissors, ribbons and glue. Everyone pays a fee to enter. Award prizes (cash or donated items) for the prettiest, funniest or most original. Halloween Party Employees can decorate a room with fake cobwebs, bats and pumpkins. Serve cupcakes or cider and doughnuts. Everyone pays admission. Include a costume contest. Holiday Arrangement or Centerpiece Raffle Purchase a magnificent holiday centerpiece, or let your most artistic employee create one. Put it in a prominent place as an office decoration prior to the holidays, and have employees buy raffle tickets for it. On the day before the holiday break, pick a winner. Craft Sale Does anyone at your company knit, sew, paint, do woodwork, or make holiday ornaments? Tap the creative talents of your fellow workers for a pre-holiday craft show and sale.