A Message
From Gerard
Gerard Menses
CEO
Welcome to this month’s edition of Wishing Wire.
Wish numbers for 2014 remain on track as we
enter the second half of the year, but we are seeing
a significant increase in the number of referrals.
Such a trend affirms how important it is that over
the next few years we concentrate on getting our
processes right and build the sustainable income
stream needed to grow the number of wishes. I’m
impatient for us to hit our target of 2,000 wishes a
year. My impatience is driven by the fact that every
day, six new families learn that their child is facing
a life-threatening medical condition. However, my
impatience is tempered by the knowledge we are
building a strong base that should see us, in two
years time, start to greatly accelerate the number of
wishes we can grant.
In the interim, I’d like to thank you for the hard
work you and our Wish Services team are doing
in granting quality, life-changing wishes. The pilot
training we did several months ago is now paying
dividends and we are ready to roll out training across
Australia to further improve our ability to identify
and capture the cherished wish. The power of a
wish like Aiden’s to find Nemo, or Samuel’s wish to
be a “plane driver” is self-evident. The power starts
with us identifying the wish that truly is in the child’s
heart. ■
Volunteer Newsletter | Issue 5 2014
A Message
From Sarah
Sarah Downie
General Manager
Volunteer & Wish Services
The Wish and Volunteer Services teams are gearing
up for Volunteer wish training which kicks off in
Sydney on the 19th July. We are excited to share
the enhanced wish journey with Presidents and Wish
Granting Coordinators, as well as our ideas on how
to build a stronger collaborative way of working
with wish granting volunteers. This will be my first
real opportunity to get out to all the states and work
with you – I’m really looking forward to exploring
your ideas and getting started immediately on some
new initiatives that I’m confident you’ll love.
The Make-A-Wish staff and volunteer engagement
survey has now closed. I would like to thank all
the volunteers who participated – your feedback
is critical in our evaluation and planning. As this is
now the second year of the survey we will be able
to show how we are trending as an organization.
We will share the key findings with you as soon as
the reporting phase is complete next month.
We are thrilled to announce that we have two new
Wish Coordinators joining the team. We had over
300 applicants for the roles – a clear demonstration
of the strength and connection Make-A-Wish has
with the community. Denise and Tamara shone
through as star candidates and joined the team
last week. We look forward to telling you more
about them in due course. ■
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