Building National Awareness of Wish Week

The Challenge

• Raise €200,000 in one week as part of its annual national fundraising initiative ‘Wish Week’. The charity receives no state funding.
• Reposition the charity as an organisation of ‘national importance’ in the not-for-profit sector.
• Reframe the key messaging of the charity and dispel the perception its function is to help terminally ill children only.

While the charity had a powerful mission — granting life-changing wishes to children with serious illnesses — public perception was limited. Many believed they only supported terminally ill children, and that they were a Dublin-based organisation. As a result, eligible families across Ireland weren’t applying, and public support was uneven.

At the same time, their wish waitlist was growing — 297 children were awaiting the chance for their wish to come true. There was an urgent need to drive public awareness and grow income in order to meet the demand of families.

Our Solution

We developed and delivered a campaign designed to Reposition, Reframe and Raise funds and awareness.

1. Strategic Storytelling

We built emotionally engaging narratives that clarified eligibility and showcased the transformative impact of a wish — told through parents, children, and ambassadors.

2. National Media Partnership

We secured and managed an editorial partnership with Newstalk, one of Ireland’s most influential national radio platforms. This was a co-created campaign that aired real stories, live challenges, and donation prompts across flagship shows.

3. Multi-Platform Media Activation

Outside of Newstalk, we coordinated a full PR and media rollout across:

• National and regional radio and press
• Virgin Media TV
• Online news platforms
• On Street bucket collections in counties across the country.

4. Volunteer and Stakeholder Engagement

We empowered Make-A-Wish’s volunteer network, aligning them with media moments and national donation days to drive on-the-ground fundraising.