The Make-a-Wish Foundation faces an ever-shifting project load in the pursuit of its mission.

In this case study, we look at how our media work supports their ongoing efforts through focused storytelling.

Overview

The Make-a-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides life-changing gifts and experiences to children with critical illnesses. In many cases, these gifts renew hope for patients and families, and may mark a turning point in treatment. In all cases, Make-a-Wish gives patients and families profound memories that will last a lifetime. 

As a non-profit, Make-a-Wish supports its efforts through individual donations and philanthropic giving. It’s been said that all sales are emotionally driven, and nowhere is that more true than in the field of fundraising. To convince individuals to donate, they must be effectively convinced that it is “worthwhile” to part with their money. 

In our partnership with Make-a-Wish, it is our task to promote this “worth,” and convince prospective supporters to give.

Creative Storytelling

Storytelling and empathy go hand-in-hand. Through storytelling, we can get a glimpse into someone else’s life and appreciate the world from their perspective. 

We work with Make-a-Wish to create impactful videos featuring patients and their families. The purpose of these videos is to illustrate the foundation’s mission and good work, and to elicit donor support. 

To this end, we employ a variety of approaches, sometimes including interviews and commentary, other times relying on visual montage to tell the story. In every case, we create videos with the intent that audiences will forge an immediate emotional connection to the circumstances of the subject. 

The brand theme for this work is Hope. In each video, we depict how Make-a-Wish gives children and their families something to look forward to. In some instances, we may share a family’s expression of gratitude. In others, we simply show it, through tears and heartfelt action. In some instances, the children themselves share their own wishes and express their thanks. And in certain cases, the children themselves have no voice with which to say thanks. Our storytelling visuals lend them that voice. 

The goal for these videos is to deliver a profound impact in a small package. Our deliverables express a clear need and value proposition in mere minutes. This means that at fundraising events, a number of deeply-moving stories can be imparted to hundreds of prospective supporters in a very short window of time. 

Conclusion

One could spend a great deal of time describing the merits of Make-a-Wish's work. But by showing the affected children and their families, we can relate their stories in a fraction of the time. Our visual storytelling supports the ongoing work of Make-a-Wish, giving it a voice wherever it’s needed.