CEO Board Update

November 30, 2018

Jon Stettner

President and CEO, Make-A-Wish^® International

Publication #77

Wish Experience

Sebbie’s Wish Put Wind in His Sails

Sebbie, 4, from Hampshire was diagnosed with a very rare, cancer-like condition called Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) when he was only two.

He also loves making his own pirate ships (complete with anchor and sails) and even made a boat out of anything he could get his hands on whilst in hospital, so Sebbie’s wish came as no surprise: he wished have his very own pirate party - on a real ship!

On his wish day, Sebbie and his family travelled to Portsmouth Marina, where the Lord Nelson, a real ship commissioned by the Jubilee Sailing Trust, was waiting to welcome Captain Barnacle aboard.

Lots of pirate antics and party games followed, including a treasure hunt around the ship! Kristina, Sebbie's mother, added, “He suddenly just came alive. Between doing the party games and having his party banquet, that was my true Sebbie. It was just beautiful.”

I wish to have a pirate party on a real ship
Sebbie, 5, UKLangerhans cell histiocytosis

Key Performance Indicators

Board Update - Key Indicators

Board Update - Performance Metrics

Highlights

Finances

International’s October financials appear above. The financials are much better in comparison to last year and we are cautiously optimistic that we will achieve the budgeted revenue for FY2019. Our one concern will be the distribution between International and the affiliates, which currently is skewing towards the affiliates. Once we are through the holiday season we will definitely have a better sense for the fiscal year end.

Our Fidelity Investment Account sits at approximately $534,000. We currently sit at 8 months of liquidity. The entire International fundraising team is aggressively focused on revenue generation which is the paramount goal of our strategic initiatives for FY2019.

Board Meeting

The next board meeting is February 7 and 8 in Phoenix. Materials will be sent out on January 25. Thank you!

In conclusion...

This is my last CEO Update for Make-A-Wish International and although I’ll still be here for the next few months helping Michel get up to speed. I want to thank all of you so very much for volunteering to serve on the International Board. Many of you, I recommended to the organization and so I feel a sense of pride and peace that I know I’m leaving the organization in good hands. I have enjoyed my time here very much, and I appreciate having had the opportunity to work with each and every one of you. Thank you for your support, good counsel, and encouragement that you have provided me during my time at Make-A-Wish.

I understand that volunteering is an additional task to the many other things that are going on in your life. The fact that you are willing to serve in a volunteer organization shows your dedication and commitment to this mission and to the social value of giving back, community engagement, in this case globally. This is very much appreciated!

Thank you for being so hospitable with Connie and myself, thank you for taking my calls, discussing challenges and helping to come up with innovative solutions and supporting me as we implemented the strategies. Thank you for taking the time to govern our organization.

It has been a privilege and an honor to have worked with Make-A-Wish and with all of you.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Jon

Upward and Onward!

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