Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho grants life changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. A wish gives a child hope, strength and joy in difficult times. A wish strengthens a family and allows respite from the child's condition.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Wish Granting
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho provides life changing wishes to children with critical illnesses.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children with wishes granted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, Children and youth
Related Program
Wish Granting
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Covid 19 decreased the number of wishes we were able to grant
Number of children referred to Make-A-Wish Idaho
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, Children and youth
Related Program
Wish Granting
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The goal of Make-A-Wish Idaho is to grant the wish of every eligible child. There are children throughout the state of Idaho with qualifying medical conditions that have not been referred for a wish. Our hope is that we are able to grant wishes to kids who need it most, at the time that makes the most sense for the child and family.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Make-A-Wish Idaho has developed relationships with medical providers throughout the state, and even in neighboring states to educate providers about qualifying conditions, how to refer a child and the life changing nature of having a wish granted.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Make-A-Wish Idaho has a strong foundation of public support to grant wishes. Restricted endowed funds allow funding into the future to continue to grant wishes for kids with critical illnesses.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Make-A-Wish Idaho has grown each year and now grants 97 wishes annually. With the booming population growth in the state, the referrals continue to grow. Our team is working to ensure that all kids who are eligible for a wish are referred and have their wish granted.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Children with critical illnesses and their families.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho
Board of directorsas of 02/23/2023
Brad Christensen
James K Ball
Manweiller, Breen, Ball and Davis, PLLC
Abby Black
Title One
Bradley Christensen
Ascent Retirement Advisors
Travis Gerhard
tmg financial
Neil Gulley
Title Resource Group
Bruce Newcomb
retired
Grant Porter
One Trust Home Loans
Mark McGuire
retired
Breanne Simplot
Simplot
Samantha Schmitt
St. Luke's
Jason Hover
InfoStrategy
Lori Ruiz
Merrill Lynch
Matt Bauscher
Bauscher Real Estate
Nick Schlekeway
Amherst Madison
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/14/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.