Organize an Event
Are you thinking about hosting a fundraiser or special event so that you can help grant wishes throughout New Jersey? Choose the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey as the beneficiary of your event and you, too can help grant the fondest wish of a child with a life-threatening medical condition.
For more information and to get started on your fundraiser, please contact Kristina Maglietta at kmaglietta@wishnj.org or at 609-371-9474.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fundraising:
Q. Who can run an event to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey?
A. Anyone! Any individual or group (employees of a corporation, school/university organization, religious group, etc.) can host an event as long as it is approved by the Director of External Events.
Q. How do I get approval to host an event?
A. Once you have decided on what type of event you’d like to host and when you’d like to host it, the first step towards getting approval from Make-A-Wish is to complete, sign and return the Special Event Form and License Agreement (located in the External Event Fundraising Packet). We ask that you allow one week for the office to approve your event.
Q. What kinds of events do people hold?
A. Individuals and groups hold all sorts of events from golf outings to bowl-a-thons, wine tastings, sports tournaments, motorcycle runs and more!
Q. Is there a minimum donation required to host a fundraiser?
A. There is no minimum amount required to host a fundraiser, but the amount of logistical support you can expect to receive from Make-A-Wish as well as the use of our trademarks and logo in your publicity and advertising materials will depend on the proceeds you anticipate making to the Foundation.
Q. I want to publicize this event through media outlets in my community. Is that okay?
A. All publicity materials (posters, invitations, email announcements, press releases, etc.) need to be approved by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey prior to print and distribution. This is so we can make sure that the terminology used to describe the mission of the Foundation and those we serve is correct.
Q. What do I do if I want to hold a raffle or 50/50 at my event?
A. Since the state of New Jersey requires you to have a raffle license for any game of chance (tricky tray, Chinese auction, merchandise raffle or 50/50), you must allow approximately 3 months to process the application. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey holds a raffle license and can fill out the application for the event organizer, but it will not process any raffle applications that are requested less than 90 days prior to the event.
Q. Can I solicit organizations, companies, stores, etc. outside New Jersey for donations, auction items or sponsorships for my event?
A. We ask that you refrain from soliciting organizations/companies/stores whose corporate offices are headquartered outside of the state of New Jersey. This is due to the fact that there are 67 chapters of Make-A-Wish throughout the United States and we do not want to impede on the territories of other chapters, thus distracting them from their fundraising abilities.
Q. Can Make-A-Wish help me get a celebrity to attend my event?
A. As wonderful as it would be to have a celebrity attend all of the events that take place to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey, we reserve the contacting of celebrities for Wishgranting purposes in the hopes that they will donate their valuable time to make our children’s wishes come true.
Q. Where does the money raised at my event go?
A. The proceeds from your event go directly towards our mission of granting wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions here in New Jersey. If your event raises more than $2,500 we will “adopt” a specific child’s fondest wish! To learn more about our Adopt-A-Wish program, please click here.
For more information contact Kristina Maglietta at kmaglietta@wishnj.org or at 609-371-9474.
