Wishmakers On Campus®
Join our Wishmakers On Campus program, a fundraising program designed for college organizations, such as student governments, athletic teams and Greek organizations, interested in contributing some of their time and energy to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Through the program, your group can:
- Increase awareness of the Make-A-Wish® mission
- Foster the value of community service
- Create school spirit
- Empower students to be actively involved in helping to grant wishes to courageous children
- Provide partnership opportunities between students, school and community
- Experience the joy of helping a child
The program includes fundraising ideas and objectives to simplify the planning process. Your group simply adds your own creative touch to existing ideas or creates a project of your own.
Project Ideas
Have a Dance Marathon
Reserve your school’s gymnasium or cafeteria or work with a local pub. Charge an entrance fee or ask students to collect pledges from friends, family, student organizations or local businesses to participate. Determine a time frame for the marathon: we suggest twelve hours. Ask local businesses to donate refreshments or door prizes for the participants. And think of fun themes for each hour i.e. the 70’s hour, and devise activities to keep dancers motivated, i.e. play the hokey pokey, do the limbo, etc.
Host a Bachelor and Bachelorette Auction
Ask each dorm, fraternity, sorority, sports team and student organization to have one representative volunteer to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Arrange to hold the auction at a local pub, create a small program listing the major and hobbies of each participant and get “dinner for two” gift certificates donated by local restaurants for each couple.
Coordinate a Softball, Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball or Flag Football Tournament
Post flyers announcing the tournament. Specifically invite fraternities, sororities, dorms and other student organizations to participate. Ask a local restaurant to donate refreshments or prizes for the winning team. Charge an admission fee for each team. You can also sell official tournament T-shirts.
Have a Bowl-A-Thon
One local college has a bowl-a-thon as a Greek Week activity each year. They collect pledges based on the number of pins they hope to knock down. If they collect five cents per pin per sponsor and score 100, they’ll collect a $5.00 donation per sponsor. The student that raises the most money wins a prize. Ask your local bowling alley to donate a few lanes for the event. You could also charge a flat fee for each player to participate.
Host a concert with a local band
Contact a popular local band and plan a concert. Hold it on campus or at a local bar that will donate the cover charge to the Foudnation.
Organize a 5K Walk For Wishes®
Charge a $5 entrance fee or have students collect pledges to participate. Put flyers up in local businesses inviting the community to participate. Get refreshments donated from local restaurants. If you ask participants to collect pledges to participate, give the top fundraiser a prize.
Plan a Jail-A-Thon
Elect a few people to be the deputies. Students pay to have their friends and professors arrested. Those arrested are taken to a roped-off spot on campus. They can pay bail or stay for their entire sentence - approximately ten minutes.
Plan a Halloween, End of Semester, Valentine’s, Mardi Gras or St. Patrick’s Day party
Ask each student to make a $3 or $5 donation at the door.
Have a Hot Dog Eating Contest
Charge participants a $10 entry fee or ask them to collect a minimum in pledges to participate. Set a time limit for the contest and ask local restaurants or grocery stores to donate the hot dogs and buns. One local organization called their event “Dogapolooza.”
Sell Holiday Candy-grams
For a $1.00 donation, students purchase a small candy bar and write a secret message to a friend. Each message is attached to the candy bar and delivered on Halloween, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, etc.
Have a Rock-A-Thon
Get a rocking chair and have members of your organization take turns for a twenty-four hour period rocking in the student union. Charge participants $5 to rock for 5 minutes or have participants collect pledges for their hour of rocking.
Coordinate a “Wish Upon a Star Event”
Create and sell construction paper stars or Make-A-Wish star cut-outs for $1.00 each.
Dollar drive
Encourage people on campus to donate $1. Devise creative ways for 100% participation.
Survivor kits
During mid-terms or finals, sell “survivor kits” full of munchies to keep up students’ energy during late night study sessions.
Signature chefs
Solicit chefs to donate their time and cook at someone’s home for a party. Another idea is to have a chef’s tasting event. Charge admission or pay for cooking lessons.
Dinner with notable people
Solicit various notables (coaches, professors, local celebrities, disc jockeys, etc.) to have dinner at people’s homes in exchange for a contribution to the Foundation.
Cook-off
Include other campus organizations in the competition. Structured like a chili cook-off, voting is done by collecting money in a jar and donating the funds to the Make-A-Wish.
Recycled can collection
Hold a recycled can collection on campus and donate the proceeds to the Make-A-Wish.
Other Ideas
Talent show, Fashion show, Dating game, Concert with a local band, Scavenger hunt, Giant Twister match, Spaghetti dinner, and Campus garage sale.
