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2024-08-31-accounts

Annual report

I wish to have a Paw Patrol party

Dylan, 6 heart condition

Annual report

For the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Report and financial statements Year ended 31[st] August 2024 | Page 0

Annual report

Contents

Report of the trustees .............................................................................................. 2 Reference and administrative details ................................................................................................................................... 2 Chair’s statement ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Our aims and objectives ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 Strategy and values ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Our goals ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Achievement and performance ........................................................................................................................................... 12 Financial review ........................................................................................................................................................................ 13 Expenditure ................................................................................................................................................................................ 18 Structure, Governance and Management ....................................................................................................................... 19 Principal Risks and Uncertainties ....................................................................................................................................... 20 Future developments .............................................................................................................................................................. 22 Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities ........................................................................................................................... 23 Auditors ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

Independent auditor’s report to the members and trustees of Make-A-Wish Foundation[®] UK .......................................................................... 25 Statement of financial activities (Incorporating the income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31[st] August 2024 ..................... 30 Group and charity balance sheets as at 31[st] August 2024 ......................... 31 Group cash flow for the year ended 31[st] August 2024 ................................ 32 Notes to the financial statements ...................................................................... 34

Report and financial statements Year ended 31[st] August 2024 | Page 1

Annual report

Report of the trustees

The trustees, who are also directors and members of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the consolidated financial statements of the charity and the group for the year ended 31 August 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ – Second Edition, effective 1 January 2019.

Reference and administrative details

Registered Company Number Principal and Registered Office 2031836 (England and Wales) 7[th] Floor, Thames Tower Station Road Registered Charity Numbers Reading 295672 (England and Wales) Berkshire SC037479 (Scotland) RG1 1LX

Trustees

Lin Hinnigan Chair Sir Craig Oliver Resigned 6th August 2024 Catherine Salter Resigned 7th November 2023 Ed Smith Resigned 7th November 2023 Helen Spice Usman Chaudry Nina Saffuri George Gabriel Sarah Keeble Appointed 1st January 2024 Nik Pratap Appointed 1st January 2024 Emma Johnson Appointed 7th May 2024

Youth Advisor

Sara Millar Appointed 1st August 2023

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Senior Management Team

Jason Suckley Chief Executive Stephanie Witt Director of Income & Engagement Sarah Watson Director of Finance & Technology – Until 11th March 2024 Jamie Dormandy Director of Operations Elizabeth Burris Interim Director of Finance & Governance – appointed 18th September 2024

Company Secretary

Sarah Watson Elizabeth Burris

Until 11th March 2024 Appointed 18th September 2024

Auditors

HaysMac LLP 10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1AG

Solicitors

Bevan Kidwell LLP 113-117 Farringdon Road London EC1R 3BX

Principal Bankers

National Westminster Bank Plc Ground Floor 200 Fowler Avenue IQ Farnborough Farnborough Hampshire GU14 7JP

Investment Managers

Barclays Wealth 1 Churchill Place Canary Wharf London E14 5HP

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Chair’s statement

12-year-old Chloe wished to have a special weekend in London that incorporated all her favourite things – ABBA, space and spending time with her family. Chloe and family stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel, 02 Arena which gave them time to do a bit of shopping before heading into the city! The hotel kindly offered their stay free of charge, as well as upgrading them to a suite overlooking the Thames on arrival. Chloe and her family enjoyed a trip to Shrek’s Adventure and a complimentary dinner at TGI Fridays. They then went onto the ABBA Voyage show. Chloe wore jewellery, gifted to her via partner organisations, which included a custom-made dancing queen bracelet. The following day, Chloe and family headed down to the Royal Observatory where they had a VIP visit. There was one final surprise for Chloe before heading home when the nearby Krispy Kreme store gifted them with donuts, drinks and sweets for their journey home. Thanks to such generosity through both our existing partners and new suppliers, Chloe’s wish was granted at very low cash cost in comparison to the value of the incredible experience and the family were able to make magical memories to cherish forever.

Our vision is to grant the wish of every child with a critical illness. We seek to achieve by raising more money and making this money go further by working with partner organisations, volunteers and supporters to acquire products and services for free.

Demand for wishes continues to climb. We grant wishes for children with critical illness. In many cases these children go on to live long lives. However, this is not always the case and we are now receiving around three times as many referrals from children nearing the end of their lives than we did pre-covid. Regardless of how long a child has to live, the granting of their wish provides them and their family with magical memories that will last a lifetime.

We granted the wishes of 1,272 children in 2023/24, (1,202 wishes granted in 2022/23) the most we have granted in any year. Whilst this is good news, we estimate that between 6,000 and 8,000 children are diagnosed with a critical illness in the UK every year, so we still have a long way to go to realise our vision to grant the wish of every eligible child.

We generated gross income of £12.4m (£11.4m raised in 2022/23), the most we have generated in a single year. Thanks to our patron Batia Ofer and her wonderful committee, this includes an incredible £2.6m raised through the Art of Wishes Gala event that took place in October 2023. We have continued to invest in mass fundraising which enabled us to acquire more than 7,500 new supporters during the course of 2023/24. A key part of our strategy is to establish a basis for sustainable income growth and this investment programme is helping us to achieve this.

Another key area of our strategy is to establish scalable models of wish delivery. An example of which is community-funded wishes, whereby staff and volunteers source many of the products, services and income required to grant a wish, from the local community surrounding the child. In this first year of adopting this approach, we granted 130 wishes using this model. 470 volunteers actively contributed to the Make-A-Wish UK mission over the year (2022/23: 266) and completed over 2,264 activities. The growth of gifts in kind (GIK) is a key measure of performance for our scalable wish delivery models. Average GIK per wish grew to an all-time high of £1,100 which enabled us to stretch the cash which we receive through donations and reach more children.

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The Make-A-Wish brand is well loved. In fact, a recent survey showed it to be the 2nd most loved children’s charity brand in the UK! Our brand challenge has been that, despite this love, fewer people have considered donating to the charity than we need. However, according to the 2023 Charity Brand Index, consideration to donate amongst the public has more than doubled since 2015. Providing evidence of the impact of wishes and emphasising the urgency of need has created an excellent platform for sustainable income growth and dovetails nicely with our mass fundraising investment plans.

We take our commitment to being a child-led organisation seriously. In addition to having a Youth Adviser into the board, STARboard, our advisory board made up of young people who have experienced a wish, engaged with a set of strategic challenges and fed their perspectives into our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Board of Trustees. An example of this was how the wish discovery process can be enhanced to maximise the impact of wishes and the capacity to grant more wishes. They also represented Make-A-Wish at a number of events, helping to leverage significant donations.

I would like to thank everyone who plays a role in bringing magic into the lives of children with a critical illness through the granting of their wishes, be they volunteers, donors, supporters, partners or employees. I know that your talents and commitment will enable us to make a difference to more lives over the coming year.

Lin Hinnigan

Chair, Make-A-Wish Foundation[®] UK 4[th] February 2025

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Our aims and objectives

Our vision

Our mission

To create a wish for Together, we create joy, happiness and magical memories every eligible child. through life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

Public benefit

We work to a set of charitable objectives, agreed with the charity commission that comply with section 17 of the Charities Act 2011. These objectives pay due regard to the Charity Commission guidance and as such explain the public benefit of what we do linked to the number of wishes we grant and the positive impact of each wish on the wellbeing of the child and their family.

Strategy and values

Our overriding vision is to reach every child who is eligible for a wish. Our strategy seeks to realise this vision through a combination of sustainable income growth and the establishment of a scalable, community led, model of delivery. Our goals are set with underlying principles of impact, reach and sustainability.

Our values are the core principles and beliefs that guide the behaviours, decisions, and culture within Make-A-Wish UK. Having clear values and behaviours helps foster a cohesive and positive work environment, aligning employees and promoting a sense of purpose. These values provide the basis for how we make decisions, the way we do things and what we stand for. They provide a platform for the achievement of our mission and goals.

We are dedicated, creative, kind and caring. We earn the trust of our wish children, their families, the communities in which we operate and our supporters. We consider the impact of our actions on others.

We are one community united in our ambition to bring lasting impact to every child and young person, and their families. We stay true to who we are, stand up for what we believe in and our differences are celebrated.

We believe in the dreams of every child and young person. We inspire hope and courage to search for rainbows and reach for the stars. We build excitement, invent, create and do things that have never been done before.

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Our goals

Goal 1: Our wishes create joyful memories that have an enduring impact.

The wish journey creates a lifetime of memories that improve wellbeing.

The wishes we grant have a considerable impact on children and their families over time, from design and anticipation through to memories created, and their lasting impact. We continue to measure impact using a method underpinned by research undertaken with Aston University. Before and after each wish, families receive a set of questions based on established wellbeing measures taken from the Warwick-Edinburgh mental wellbeing scale, Oxford University’s Happiness Questionnaire and the Wellbeing Framework for schools developed by the Anna Freud Centre for children and families. The change in results before and after each wish tells us about the impact that it had. Across all wellbeing areas measured in 2023-24 we observed a significant positive impact of wishes, with an average 74% increase in positive responses. Impact was especially notable in the areas of strengthened individual wellbeing, broadening horizons/looking forward to the future, and joy and happiness.

We also monitor the quality of experience using a Net Promoter Score method with a “How likely are you to talk positively about Make-A-Wish?” question. The score of 92 for 2023-24 exceeded both the target (90) and the previous year’s score of 91, indicating exceptionally high satisfaction with wish experiences. While the response to the surveys is overwhelmingly positive, they provide an opportunity to address occasional issues which arise and capture feedback on areas where we have the potential to improve.

Our wish family engagement programme enables the impact of a wish to last in the memories of children and their families, and gives them the opportunity to engage with the charity in other ways over time. Our regular communications with wish families prompted many of them to share their stories to new audiences at events and through traditional and social media, as well as volunteering with Make-A-Wish. Together, in 2023/4 wish families raised over £100,000 - more than in any previous year, to enable more wishes to be granted.

STARboard is our young people’s advisory board, made up of young people who have experienced a wish. Our second cohort of STARboard had a successful year. Over the year, the group engaged with a set of strategic challenges and opportunities and fed their perspectives into to our Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees. They also represented Make-A-Wish at a number of events, helping to leverage a number of significant donations. A former STARboard member has also been appointed as our Youth Advisor, attending Board meetings and sub-committee meetings to represent the voices of young people directly in the governance of the charity.

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Goal 2: Our community will create an accessible wish experience for every child.

Every child has equal access to a wish. Our communities create wish experiences for children and their families.

In order to establish sustainable growth in the number of wishes granted, we continued to revise the models for funding wishes, to include cash fundraising, partner granted wishes and community-funded wishes. By community, we mean our growing network of volunteers, corporate supporters, donors, wish families and other supporters.

In 2023-24 we granted 1,272 wishes, the highest number of wishes ever granted by Make-A-Wish UK in a single year. Part of this growth was enabled by community-funded wishes, whereby staff and volunteers source many of the products, services and income required to grant a wish, from the local community surrounding the child. In this first year of adopting this delivery model, we granted 130 community-funded wishes, thanks to the creativity and endeavour of our volunteers and staff, and the generosity of local businesses and individuals.

As we grow our community of volunteers and learn from our engagement with local communities, we will evolve this delivery model to become more scalable in order to grant more wishes. In 2024-25 we will increase the number of active community wish-maker volunteers from 91 to 280, and the total number of volunteer activities completed from just over 2,000 to 3,750.

The value of gifts in kind increased to an average of £1,100 per wish, which effectively enables every pound of our fundraised income to go further, resulting in more wishes being granted. Over 2024-25 and beyond we will continue to develop new gift-in-kind partnerships and steward the businesses and individuals who support wishes in this way. Building this network of gift-in-kind donors, coupled with ongoing income growth, will enable sustainable growth in wishes.

Through our partnership with the Muslim Mamas network, we have been able to deepen the organisation’s understanding and engagement with the British Muslim community. As a result, we have updated some of our materials, processes and training. These improvements will benefit other communities as we create space in the wish journey for the diversity of wish children’s cultural backgrounds to inform their wish. Engaging purposefully with different communities such as the Muslim Mamas partnership has also broadened our recruitment of volunteers, for example growing the number of interpreters, offering increased availability and range of languages spoken. Referrals of children from minority groups such as the British Pakistani community has increased following the Muslim Mamas partnerships, and now tracks in line with the expected prevalence of children with a critical illness for the group. We now monitor our reach against expected prevalence across UK regions and ethnic groups, and if we start to notice an imbalance, we are able to address this by promoting referrals in those regions or groups via our referral partners as required.

We have also been able to grow our capacity to grant wishes through key delivery partnerships, such as our partnership with Disney. In 2023-24 we were able to grant wishes for 192 children at A Disney Wish, a fully inclusive and immersive UK-based wish which involves groups of families experiencing the magic of Disney with a 2-night stay at a magically themed hotel, with the most amount of Disney character meet-and-greets anywhere in the world outside of Disney’s parks.

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Once again, the experience and impact of this group wish scored amongst the highest of any wish, as evidenced by feedback from children and families across the wellbeing indicators we measure.

Thanks to funding from Kentown Wizard Foundation, we also sent 96 children to Disneyland Paris, including the successful pilot of a group wish weekend, which will develop further as a format for Disneyland Paris wishes in 2024-25. We are grateful to our partners at Disney for piloting this format with us – now that we have established a working model we are able to extend the number of children and families we send to Disneyland Paris, and plan to grant 200 of these wishes in 2024-25.

We continued to develop our infrastructure to support the organisation’s ambition to scale the numbers of wishes granted, without losing our focus on ensuring that make Make-A-Wish UK is a truly magical place to work.

Governance

Goal 3: We will increase our capability to reach our goals.

Our people are equipped, representative and empowered. Our processes and systems enable what we do and keep our stakeholders safe.

We continue to review our governance to ensure it is effective and supportive as we continue to develop our established funding model and pilot ways of working to support our scale ambitions.

For 2023/24 we are continuing to focus on ensuring our governance is fit for purpose, recruiting and onboarding new trustees as terms for long standing trustees come to an end. Enormous thanks are due to Kate Salter, Ed Smith and Craig Oliver who leave an impressive legacy from their terms as trustees.

We have established a Technology Advisory group, and alongside our newly appointed Youth Advisor, we are strengthening links between our Board of Trustees and our Board of children and young people who have had a wish, STARboard.

We have maintained a continued focus on risk management and risk appetite as we invest in mass fundraising alongside an effective ‘freedom within frameworks’ approach for our people. Our people strategy seeks to ensure our governance provides the tools and guardrails for employees and volunteers to act without delay in the best interest of our wish children.

People

It takes a broad community of wishes to grant our magical wishes. Our employees are a vital part of that community, whose commitment and expertise is highly valued by the charity.

Our People team promise to fulfil our commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment with every individual empowered to flourish, transform, and contribute to our shared success. By prioritising personal growth, collaboration, and open communication, we aim to create a vibrant community where every voice is heard and valued. We continue to strive to attract, engage, train, and retain talented people, both employees and volunteers, to achieve our organisational mission.

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Following the appointment of our Head of People in June 2024, we are reviewing and developing our People Strategy and key performance metrics, in line with our three year plan.

Our Values continue to support us in all that we do, with our recent Engagement Survey - June 2024 showing 99% of employees felt equipped to make values-based decisions and 97% of our people specified that they feel accountable in their roles.

During 2024/25 we will assess our current values to ensure that they remain aligned to our mission and strategy, and will introduce a set of behaviours, aligned to these values.

A key achievement in 2023/4 was the roll out of a new approach to set clear objectives on an annual basis such that our people can see a clear link between their individual objectives and the organisation goals. This has resulted in clear objectives and KPI’s for individuals, teams and the organisation, with regular reviews of progress against objectives.

In our latest survey, 97% of our people identified that they are clear on how their role and activities directly contribute to the Make-A-Wish mission and goals.

Technology

In 2023-24 we developed a technology roadmap to support sustainable income growth and development of scalable models of wish delivery. This included enhancements to our single CRM platform, Salesforce, that make engaging with donors, volunteers and wish families easier and more effective for internal teams. We also launched a dedicated app for volunteers, which provides a one-stop-shop for all updates, events and volunteering opportunities. In 2024-25 we will further integrate the volunteering app with our Salesforce platform as we grow our community of volunteers and equip them with the training, tools and support to help grant more wishes. We will also create stewardship journeys for donors of gifts-in-kind, giving supporters the opportunity to give multiple times when we receive similar requirements for wishes. In addition, we will embark on a programme of hardware replacement for aged laptops that will increase productivity for staff and set a 4-year replacement cycle so that aged hardware does not impede productivity in the future.

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Goal 4: We will grow our income and awareness.

Our income and networks are built in a sustainable way.

The brand will be relevant to all as more people understand the difference wishes make.

Meeting the growing demand - why strategic fundraising investment is essential for Make-A-Wish UK

The pandemic posed significant challenges for Make-A-Wish UK, as it did for countless organisations. During this period, we faced financial constraints so severe that we had to make the difficult decision to pause accepting new wishes, even as the demand for wishes increased. We are now open again for referrals, although we have to manage volumes tightly as we do not yet have the funds to grant a wish for every eligible child.

We granted 1,272 wishes in 2023/24, more than we have done in any previous year, with 179 (14%) of these being granted to children expected to have less that 12 months to live. In order to keep pace with new diagnoses we estimate that we need to fulfil between 6,000 to 8,000 wishes annually to reach every eligible child in the UK . This gap is substantial, and to address it, we have taken deliberate steps to secure long-term financial sustainability and growth.

As part of a carefully considered strategy designed to meet the growing demand for our services, we have increased our expenditure on raising income. Our investment in fundraising is focused on driving more regular and predictable income streams through regular giving and lottery products. This is not, however, at the expense of our charitable activities. In fact, since the pandemic, we have been able to increase the number of wishes granted every year. In 2019/20, we spent £5 million directly on granting wishes. Although this figure dropped to £2.8 million in 2020/21 due to pandemic-related challenges, charitable expenditure since then has exceeded £6m per year.

Our approach to fundraising focuses on long-term sustainability, with an emphasis on mass fundraising. This method, which includes building a base of individual supporters through regular direct debits, is among the most reliable and sustainable income streams in the charity sector. Over the past two years, we have allocated an additional £500,000 annually to grow this programme, recognising its potential to provide predictable, consistent revenue. While this type of fundraising requires upfront investment, it is already yielding returns: direct debit income now accounts for 40% of our individual giving revenue, up from just 17% two years ago.

This investment is performing in line with expectations, and it is essential for our future, to meet the ongoing demand for wishes. Our return on investment is already positive, with a current in year return of £1.20 for every £1 invested. We expect this to increase to £2 for every £1 invested by year four.

By expanding our donor base in a sustainable way, we are not only stabilising our income but ensuring we can grant more wishes to children facing critical illnesses, now and in the years to come. This strategic approach is how we will continue to grow and meet the needs of every child who turns to us for hope and joy in their most difficult moments.

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Achievement and performance

Wishes

In 2023/24 we granted 1,272 wishes, the highest number of wishes ever granted in the UK in a single year. This record number of wishes in a single year has helped us to reduce to below 200 the number of children waiting longer than 12 months to have their wish granted.

Our Art of Wishes gala returned in 2023/24, raising an incredible £2.6m. This significant biannual event contributes to additional wishes being granted during the year in which it is held.

As well as strong performance in income generation, growth in wishes has been enabled by an increase in gifts-in-kind, increased volunteer numbers and contribution, and internal efficiencies. These internal efficiencies have led to employed Wishgranters delivering a larger portfolio of wishes: in 2018/19 each Wishgranter delivered 56 wishes, in 2023/24 this had increased to 106 wishes.

Financial year Wishes granted Wishgranters Average wishes per Wishgranter
2017/18 988 17 58
2018/19 1,114 20 56
37
2019/20 702 19
(lower due to Covid 19 pandemic)
2020/21 605 9 67
2021/22 1,007 10 101
2022/23 1,202 11 109
2023/24 1,272 12 106

To support our ambition of reaching every eligible child, we have been developing our network of referral partners to support generation of referrals and support for the children and their families throughout the wish journey. In 23-24 we worked with 5 principal referral partners and will actively grow our network as we expand our reach.

Not only did we grant a record number of wishes, but the positive impact of these wishes also remained high with increased positive responses to pre and post wish survey of 74% and the satisfaction with wish experiences remained extremely high, evidenced by a Net Promoter Score of 92.

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Partners and volunteers

We are very fortunate to work with a network of skilled and committed volunteers and partners who make it possible for us to grant magical wishes. From our large-scale group wishes like A Disney Wish to our fundraising events like the Art of Wishes Gala and the Night of Wishes Ball. These events wouldn't be possible without the dedication of our wonderful committees who give up their time to raise vital funds and promote our work. Our volunteers and partners are critical to our success.

In 2023/24 470 volunteers actively contributed to Make-A-Wish's mission (2022/23: 266) and completed over 2,264 activities. Activities included a broad range of tasks, including conducting wish discoveries, preparing wish anticipation packs, supporting wish delivery on the day of the wish, sourcing important gifts in kind, organising fundraising events such as balls and supporting challenge events.

Face to face wish discoveries had to stop during the Covid-19 pandemic and have continued to take place via video call throughout 2023/24 as this is usually most convenient for wish families. Volunteers continue to support in-person at wishes with an increasing number of opportunities available.

Financial review

Financial performance

Make-A-Wish's total income including fundraising, legacies, donations in kind and other nonfundraising income was £12.2m (2022/23 £11.4m). We invested £6.1m (2022/23: £4.9m) in raising this income and spent £6.3m (2022/23: £7.4m) in support of our core objectives, leaving a surplus of £3k (2022/23: deficit of £768k) after investment gains/losses.

The charity's wholly owned trading subsidiaries, Make-A-Wish Promotions Limited, achieved a surplus of £364k (2022/23: £303k surplus), and Make-A-Wish Play Limited made a loss of £5k (2022/23: £8k surplus). Make A Wish Limited remained dormant throughout the period.

The charity’s principal financial management policies are:

Fundraising and income review

Principal funding sources

Make-A-Wish UK has a broad funding base, attracting cash and gift in kind support from a wide range of sources, including corporate supporters (large and small), individual donors (giving on either an ad hoc basis or in a more regular way), fundraising events, individual and group challenge activities, community and volunteer fundraising groups, legacies and support from the Art of Wishes and gaming communities.

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We are extremely grateful to all our supporters and want to publicly thank them for enabling us to grant more wishes for critically ill children.

With a continued increase in demand for wishes, we continue to develop, grow and diversify our income streams by committing to investment in fundraising and building long-term partner relationships.

Fundraising sources included:

Corporate Partnerships

Corporate Partnerships have achieved remarkable growth, generating an impressive £2.4 million in the financial year 2023/24.

Our long-standing collaborations with Disney and Kentown Wizard Foundation enable us to deliver unforgettable Disney wishes. These wishes transform lives and bring joy to countless children and their families.

We have also received substantial support from our National Corporate Partners. The Poundland Foundation helped us fulfil all rush and priority wishes, alongside dedicated group wishes to Lapland and the British F1 Grand Prix. Peacocks’ heartwarming Christmas campaign and staff engagement fundraisers raised over £200,000. Generous contributions from Joma Jewellery, Newcross Healthcare, Close Brothers, Next, and Sizzling Pubs enabled us grant even more individual wishes.

Exciting new collaborations include the launch of our partnership with Care Concern Group which aims to raise £100,000 and our partnership with Krispy Kreme, who support us through cash and gift-in-kind donations. These exciting collaborations reflect the growing momentum behind our mission.

With even more partnerships on the horizon for 2024/25, our ambitious plans showcase a shared commitment that together, we can make an even greater impact for wish children and their families.

Individual Giving

Income from individuals continued to grow in 2023/24 reaching almost £1.3m (2022/23: £1.1m). We continue to invest in mass fundraising, growing our income from regular giving via direct debit as a vital part of our strategy to provide regular predictable income that we can plan wishes against. Income from direct debits grew to 50% of all Individual Giving income in 2023/24, up from 43% at the start of the year.

During the course of the year, we recruited over 7,500 new supporters onto our regular giving and lottery products, almost 6,000 new cash donors, and almost 3,000 new payroll givers.

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Supporter-led Fundraising and Community Fundraising

Funds are also generated through supporter led activity, community fundraising and support from small and medium enterprises.

During the year, we had 965 supporters who, on their own initiative, raised funds for Make-AWish UK through event stewardship and donations. This is double the number of supporters as compared to the previous year.

The Community Fundraising programme also continues to grow and is supporting the organisational strategic objective of community funded wishes. We are thankful to all the small and medium sized businesses who have fundraised for us, without this generous support, many wishes simply could not be granted.

Particular highlights of the year include:

Combined funds raised from these sources in the year amounts to £0.5m.

Challenge Events

Challenge Events were very successful again this year, generating income of over £1.3m. With only one London Marathon falling in the financial year, compared to the two in the previous year, income was down on last year but increased by 66% compared to a more comparable year in 2021/22.

The team secured a highly successful partnership with Ultra Events for 2023/24, which has become a top performing product in the portfolio, second only to London Marathon.

The team continue to provide an excellent supporter experience for our event participants, once again receiving very positive feedback and as a result, generating repeat participants.

Gaming

Wish 200 Week returned in July 2024 for its fourth year, once again uniting the gaming community, including games industry brands, creators, everyday gamers and of course our wish children. Gaming can often be a lifeline for our wish children. The campaign achieved further engagement with this highly relevant and powerful community and raised an incredible £250k. Since the launch of Wish 200 Week in 2021, with the support and guidance of our Patron, Rob Small, we have raised over £1.2m from the gaming community. This income supports the granting of wishes, including gaming wishes.

Alongside the Wish 200 Week campaign, we have started to diversify gaming activity, testing and developing new approaches to grow income and engagement in this area.

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High Value Events

Thanks to the support and commitment of our Patron, Batia Ofer, and the Art of Wishes Committee we held another Arts of Wishes gala this year, which raised a phenomenal £2.6 million.

Through our generous committee and their networks, we have engaged the audience further with directly granting wishes. We delivered Poppy’s wish as a stewardship event utilising many of the Gala connections. Our strategy for Art of Wishes includes developing new opportunities that complement the hugely successful events programme, broadening our income streams and developing new and exciting opportunities with brands and partners that align to the attributes of the initiative. The team have worked hard to continue to support Batia and have grown the awareness of the Art of Wishes brand within the Arts and Culture community. The entire Art of Wishes team are excited for the future.

The Make-A-Wish Ball, ‘A Night of Wishes’ hosted by Vernon Kay made its debut in May 2024 and proved incredibly successful raising more income than ever before. A huge thank you to our Patron, Ian Morton and the Make-A-Wish ball committee for their support in creating a fabulous event that showcased the power of wishes by sharing incredible stories.

Our smaller galas and similar events are now supported alongside supporter led and community fundraising events.

Major Donors

We are fortunate to have received £160k from generous individuals in the form of philanthropic gifts to Make-A-Wish in 2023/24. These wonderful gestures support the work we do in granting the wish of critically ill children. We look forward to continuing our partnership with our philanthropic donors in the years ahead.

Trust and Foundations

We are incredibly grateful for the support of trusts and foundations during 2023/24 who together have donated £621k as part of our trust programme.

The Kentown Wizard Foundation continued their fantastic support for Make-A-Wish UK, funding 96 transformational Disneyland Paris wishes throughout the year. We hope to grant even more Disneyland Paris wishes in the future with their support.

In March 2024, we received a three-year funding award from Postcode Care Trust, thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. We received £300,000 during the first year which has helped us empower critically ill children to choose a wish that is unique to them. This support will continue to bring joy and happiness to wish children and their families.

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Legacies

Legacy income in 2023/24 grew to £1.048m, compared to £605k in 2022/23. We continued our legacy marketing activity in 2023/24, raising awareness of the importance of legacy income to Make-A-Wish UK, and promoting our free will service through our partnership with Farewill to our existing supporters.

All gifts make a difference, regardless of their size, and we are incredibly grateful to every single supporter who has chosen to remember Make-A-Wish UK in their will, and support us in this way.

Gifts in kind (GIK)

Our total gift in kind amount procured and used directly against wishes in 2023/24 was £947k (excluding contributions from Disney), averaging £946 per wish, compared with £594 per wish in 2022/23. This increase in contribution enables scale. Securing long term strategic partnerships with donors and companies who can provide goods and services for wishes is a key part of our strategy that will help us to grow wish numbers.

Complaints

We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator and commit to our fundraising being legal, open, honest and respectful, meeting the standards set in the Fundraising Code of Practice. We also ensure that nobody who appears to be vulnerable is asked to commit to giving.

We communicate with our supporters through a variety of channels, including email, direct mailings and telephone calls. Similarly, we have continued to recruit thousands of new supporters this year via multiple channels including online advertising and social media, inserts, DRTV, and face-to-face fundraising.

We have a complaints policy published on our website and we received a total of 36 complaints (2022/23: 5), none of which were escalated to the Fundraising Regulator (2022/23: Nil). The increase in volume in complaints is largely due to our significantly increased activity within faceto-face fundraising.

Face-to-face fundraising is a key part of our acquisition strategy within individual giving and generated 6,885 of the new supporters giving to Make-A-Wish UK via direct debit in 2023/24. Over 167,000 conversations about Make-A-Wish took place with the public over the course of the year.

The number of face-to-face complaints (including mystery shop breaches) is 27, giving a percentage of 0.39% against the number of sign ups, and 0.016% against the number of conversations that have resulted in a complaint, or mystery shop breach. None of these complaints were escalated to the Fundraising Regulator. This is an increase from six complaints last year which can be attributed to the increased fundraising activity. Whilst we strive for no complaints, we remain well below the industry standard of 1.2% and feedback received is vital for the continuous improvement of our fundraising activities.

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Annual report

Expenditure

Support costs and central services review

In 2023/24 our Support Costs were £3.4m (2022/22 £3.1m). Support costs include administrative costs and overheads, as well as costs of the technology and finance functions for the organisation.

Expenditure on charitable activities

The general reserves are required by the charity to meet its objectives of granting more wishes, to provide working capital to enable it to progress to complete its long-term development objectives, to protect its current activities, and to allow the trustees to meet their responsibilities and ensure the charity continues on a going concern basis. Reserve cover is discussed as part of the annual plan and budget and reviewed throughout the year as part of our reforecasting process.

At the balance sheet date of 31 August 2024, the total reserves were £4.8m. This figure has already accounted for our commitment towards wishes approved but not yet granted, through a provision for anticipated wish costs where no guaranteed funder is available, nor stock is being held. For 2023/24, this provision amounted to 160 wishes totalling £175k (2022/23 384 wishes totalling £741k).

The Reserves Policy requires that the charity holds free reserves of between 6 and 7.5 months cover of all of the following year's expenditure. The assessment of free reserves takes the wish provision into account but excludes the Designated Fixed Asset Fund (£140k) - see note 21 for the definition of these funds. The cover at the end of 2023/24 is £4.9m which is 5.2 months of expenditure cover (2022/23 £5.2m, 5.3 months). Recognising the need to invest in key areas of growth, trustees approved a deficit budget for 2023/24 with an expectation that reserves would drop below the policy for a period of 2 years. This was accepted as temporary measure to drive future sustainable and more predictable income. This investment is being constantly monitored and reviewed. There has been no change to policy.

Going concern

There are sufficient reserves to enable the charity to adapt in a timely and considered way, should we be unable to operate as planned in 2024/25.

Whilst we do not underestimate the financial challenge of granting the wishes of children who are waiting for a wish, whilst being open to new referrals, the charity is in a strong position. Trustees are confident that implementation of our strategy supported by real time data from our CRM will enable us to monitor and adjust our course as necessary as we seek to increase the number of eligible children for whom we can grant a wish.

Investment policy and performance

The trustees approved an Investment Policy in February 2014 which set out investment parameters in line with the charity's cash management requirements. Trustees confirmed the governance structure to provide transparency over the level of investments and financial return.

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Since April 2018 investments have been held in the Barclays Charity Fund, which provides a moderate risk profile with a 10-year investment horizon. The investment objective is to grow the value of long-term reserves to keep pace with inflation.

The fund has an ethical investment strategy and aims not to have direct exposure to companies that generate more than a small minority of their turnover from tobacco, adult entertainment, gambling or the manufacture or sale of arms. It invests in accordance with Charity Commission guidelines.

Investment performance is monitored regularly and reported quarterly to the trustees. 2023/24 saw an investment return of 10.19%. The portfolio performance since August 2018 has exceeded CPI by 6%.

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing document

The charity was incorporated on 26 June 1986 and amended by a Special Resolution dated 17 December 2007. It is controlled by its Memorandum and Articles of Association and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. The Memorandum and Articles of Association were updated by Special Resolution on 1 July 2020.

Recruitment, appointment and induction of new trustees

The charity's Articles of Association provide for a quorum of four members. Our governance guidelines, published and available on our website, specify that in general the Board will be between seven and twelve in number. Where there is a requirement for new trustees, these would be recruited and appointed by the Chair and existing trustees. The Chair and Chief Executive are responsible for the induction of any new trustees, which involves awareness of a trustee's responsibilities, the expectation of the Board and Trustees, the role of the Committee and Advisory Groups supporting Make-A-Wish, and the Scheme of Delegation.

Governance

The trustees delegate the day-to-day running of the charity to the Chief Executive who, in turn, works with senior managers across the organisation. In terms of decision-making, the trustees' main contribution is at a strategic level. The board recognises the importance of effective governance. Accordingly it has established executive committees which meet regularly and provide recommendations to the Board.

The Articles provide for a maximum term for trustees of nine years. In practice, unless special circumstances exist, trustees serve a maximum of six years, consisting of two consecutive three year terms.

Our ability to make the right decisions to achieve our mission and goals, in a way which is consistent with our values and behaviours, is key to the future success of the charity. With this in mind, we regularly review our governance handbook which clarifies our expectations of trustees and executives and provides a framework for efficient and effective decision-making. This handbook can be found on our website.

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The Board of Trustees establishes Committees as it considers necessary, to provide advice, and deliver more detailed scrutiny of certain areas than is feasible in the board's programme. Board Committees are non-executive except where defined tasks or authority is assigned. In addition, the board establishes advisory groups to provide strategic input and guidance in areas of priority. The current committees and advisory groups in place are the Finance and Performance Committee, the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the Community and EDI Committee, Income and Engagement Advisory Group, Wishgranting Advisory Group and the Digital Advisory Group alongside STARboard, our children and young people’s Board.

Make-A-Wish Foundation UK has two active wholly owned subsidiaries, Make-A-Wish Play Limited and Make-A-Wish Promotions Limited, which is the trading company for the charity. All operating profits of Make-A-Wish Promotions Limited are gifted to Make-A-Wish Foundation UK. It also has a dormant subsidiary, Make-A-Wish Limited.

Make-A-Wish Foundation[®] International

Make-A-Wish Foundation UK is affiliated to Make-A-Wish Foundation International and, as such, is a member of the largest wish granting network in the world: the Make-A-Wish Foundation [®] now covers more than 50 different countries across the globe. Make-A-Wish Foundation UK licenses the name “Make-A-Wish”, and associated marks, from Make-A-Wish Foundation International (MAWI), which in turn licenses the name from Make-A-Wish Foundation of America (MAWA). Both MAWI and MAWA are non-profit 501(c)(3) organisations in the United States.

Related Parties

These are referenced in note 24.

Principal Risks and Uncertainties

The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. A risk register is regularly reviewed by the trustees and helps shape the ongoing development of our plans.

The Trustees consider the key strategic risks to be in the areas of:

Risks are deemed to be of a strategic nature if their potential impact could have a material effect on our ability to meet our mission and goals. Their presence is therefore a reflection of the priority we attach to them as opposed to our confidence in our ability to mitigate them.

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Financial risk:

  1. Economic environment and global situation impact on donation levels.

  2. a. Mitigations include diversified income portfolio that is responsive to changes in donor behaviour, investment in mass fundraising and clear messaging about the impact of wishes.

  3. Underperformance of cash or gifts in kind fundraising impacts our ability to grant wishes.

  4. a. Mitigations include real time reporting for resources to ensure gifts in kind generation and utilisation, and quarterly income forecasts for cash reviewed alongside the wish pipeline to allow corrective action as required.

  5. Reserves are insufficient to support the charity through unexpected events.

  6. a. Mitigations include an annually reviewed reserves policy, robust financial planning with quarterly reforecasts over a three-year timeframe.

Stakeholder risk:

  1. Safeguarding incident, a child or vulnerable person is harmed.

  2. a. Mitigations include documented Safeguarding policy and procedures, accessible internally and externally. Induction and refresher training for all employees and volunteers and safeguarding oversight from both a Trustee and Executive Lead.

  3. Fraud, we are unable to deliver wishes, causing damage to organisational and individual reputations.

  4. a. Mitigations include segregation of duties and clear delegations of authority supported by central policies, training and embedded governance in digital design.

  5. Complaints and/or adverse publicity impacts our supporters and brand, creating unplanned crisis response resource.

  6. a. Mitigations include crisis communications group with MAWI and clear playbooks and guidelines, defined roles and responsibilities and, where appropriate, policies such as social media which are made available to all stakeholders.

Operational risk:

  1. Inability to attract and retain talent, whether this is employees or volunteers, restricting our ability to grant wishes.

  2. a. Mitigations include ensuring wishes, people and culture are at the heart of all we do, empowering through one people strategy, with tailored support and regular feedback sought.

  3. Length of the wish journey negatively impacts the wish experience for the child, reducing wish impact

  4. a. Mitigations include a focus on building in further wish anticipation, the ability to attract and utilise Gifts in Kind, supported by effective communication with families, referral partners, volunteers and employees.

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  1. Return on investment for fundraising, otherwise known as ‘pence in the pound’ metric is misunderstood or not considered value for money for stakeholders resulting in supporters choosing to support other charities

  2. a. Mitigations include tailored reporting to ensure we message correctly during a period of investment in fundraising, articulating the future returns our investment will generate to create long term sustainability, with joined up narrative, financials and impact.

  3. Business continuity planning is ineffective leaving us unable to grant wishes or function during a crisis

  4. a. Mitigations include cloud-based infrastructure and focus on further development of our plans in this area.

  5. Data and cyber-security is inadequate.

  6. a. Mitigations include effective data security and cyber essentials frameworks, Data Protection Officer, GDPR training for all employees and volunteers, Cyber Essentials accreditation and proactive simulations of attacks to raise awareness and provide training where needed.

Future developments

Fundraising

With the Art of Wishes gala being held every two years and not in 2024/25, cash available for wishes is less than in 2023/24 and our target of 1,150 wishes reflects that. Nevertheless, this target represents underlying growth in gifts-in-kind, partnerships and internal efficiencies, and in the next ‘gala’ year (2025/26) we are targeting 1,770 wishes. Investment in the acquisition of donors giving to us by regular direct debits, is projected to support growth in income and lessen the impact of ‘non-gala’ years in the future, enabling us to grant more wishes in those years.

To support our investment in mass fundraising, we are seeking to grow income from high value fundraising, realising the potential of the incredible networks that already support Make-A-Wish UK. To support this, we are developing fundraising propositions at a strategic level that showcase and invite donors to support the growing and urgent demand for wishes

Wish journey

In 2024/25 we will return to offering families face-to-face wish discovery sessions with one of our volunteers (known as Wish Makers). Face-to-face wish discoveries had to stop during the Covid19 pandemic and we are delighted to return to offer face-to-face sessions when desired by the wish family. We will continue to offer the option of video calls so that families can choose the most suitable option for them, and to ensure we maintain UK-wide reach. Due to our planned growth in wishes we plan to conduct 1,400 wish discoveries in 2024/25. We will also work with STARboard, our youth advisory board, alongside a corporate partner, to digitise and enhance the wish discovery process, so that children and families can spend time outside of their wish discovery session thinking about what their wish might be.

Alongside wish discoveries, we will also increase the number of volunteer opportunities to attend wishes with over 800 wishes planned to be granted in this way in 2024/25.

Report and financial statements Year ended 31[st] August 2024 | Page 22

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Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The trustees, who are also directors of the charitable company, are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under the law, the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law, the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and the group and the profit or loss of the group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and group enabling them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

So far as each of the directors is aware at the time the report is approved:

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Auditors

On 18th November 2024, Haysmacintyre LLP changed its name to HaysMac LLP. A decision was taken to re-appoint HaysMac LLP as auditors for the audit of 2024/25 accounts. The Trustees' Report incorporates the Strategic Report, which has been approved and authorised for issue by the board.

On behalf of the board

Lin Hinnigan Chair, Make-A-Wish Foundation[®] UK 4[th] February 2025

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Annual report

Independent auditor’s report to the members and trustees of Make-A-Wish Foundation[®] UK

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Make-A-Wish Foundation UK for the year ended 31 August 2024 which comprise the Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities, the Group and Charity Balance Sheets, the Group Cash Flow Statement, and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group and parent charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

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Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Trustees’ Annual Report and the Chair’s Statement. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and the parent charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report (which incorporates the strategic report and the directors’ report).

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charity Accounts (Scotland) Regulations (as amended) require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

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Responsibilities of trustees for the financial statements

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement as set out on page 24, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the group’s and parent charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the group or the parent charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below.

Based on our understanding of the charitable company and the environment in which it operates, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and relevant laws and regulations in connection with child safeguarding, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, and other factors such as compliance with legislation in relation to sales tax, payroll tax and fundraising regulations.

We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to revenue recognition, posting inappropriate journal entries, and management override of controls. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:

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Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the group and parent charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006, section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the group and parent charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company's members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Steven Harper (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of HaysMac LLP, Statutory Auditor

10 Queen Street Place London EX4R 1AG

Date: 27/03/2025

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Annual report

Statement of financial activities (Incorporating the income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Notes
Income and expenditure
Income from
Donations and
legacies
3
Other trading
activities
4
Investment income
5
Total
Expenditure on
Raising funds
6
Charitable
activities
7
Total
Net (expenditure)/
income before
gains/(losses) on
investments
Net gains/(losses)
on investments
14
Net movement in
funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds
brought forward
Total funds carried
forward		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2024
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2023
£
£
£
£
£
£
7,187,713
1,289,596
8,477,309
8,550,161
1,912,280
10,462,441
3,512,176
3,701
3,515,877
937,427
4,900
942,327
163,760
-
163,760
10,062
-
10,062
10,863,649
1,293,297
12,156,946
9,497,650
1,917,180
11,414,830
6,087,248
-
6,087,248
4,862,709
-
4,862,709
4,982,148
1,341,823
6,323,971
5,489,286
1,885,396
7,374,681
11,069,396
1,341,823
12,411,219
10,351,994
1,885,396
12,237,390
(205,747)
(48,526)
(254,273)
(854,344)
31,784
(822,560)
257,239
-
257,239
54,220
-
54,220
51,492
(48,526)
2,966
(800,124)
31,784
(768,340)
4,617,064
188,401
4,805,465
5,417,188
156,617
5,573,805
4,668,556
139,875
4,808,431
4,617,064
188,401
4,805,465

All transactions are derived from continuing activities. All recognised gains and losses are included in the Statement of Financial Activities.

Except for gains/(losses) on investments, there is no difference from the results above and the historical cost position.

The notes on pages 34 to 50 form part of these accounts.

Report and financial statements Year ended 31[st] August 2024 | Page 30

Annual report

Group and charity balance sheets as at 31[st] August 2024

Notes
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
13
Investments
14
Current assets
Stock
16
Debtors
17
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year
18
Net current assets
Net assets
Funds
21
Restricted funds
General funds
Designated funds
Total funds
22		 Group
Charity
2024
2023
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
140,081
140,264
140,081
140,264
4,103,384
3,954,020
4,103,384
3,954,020
4,243,465
4,094,284
4,243,465
4,094,284
27,536
23,999
27,533
19,999
2,293,895
2,577,420
2,267,987
2,507,171
(609,218)
306,717
(775,731)
276,985
1,712,213
2,908,136
1,519,789
2,804,155
(1,147,247)
(2,196,955)
(1,137,574)
(2,173,979)
564,966
711,181
382,215
630,176
4,808,431
4,805,465
4,625,680
4,724,460
139,875
188,401
139,874
188,401
4,528,475
4,476,800
4,345,724
4,395,796
140,081
140,264
140,081
140,264
4,808,431
4,805,465
4,625,680
4,724,461

The net movement in funds for the year relating to the parent charity alone amounted to (£98,779) (2022/23: (£630,383)

The charity only Statement of Financial Activities is shown in note 24. The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board of the Trustees on 4[th] February 2025 and were signed below on its behalf by:

Trustee - L Hinnigan Trustee – H Spice

The notes on pages 34 to 50 form part of these accounts.

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Annual report

Group cash flow for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Notes
Cash (used in) operating activities
a.
Cash provided by/(used in) investing
activities
Interest and dividend income
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Purchase of investments
Proceeds from sale of investments
Cash used in investment activities
Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents in the reporting period
Cash and cash equivalents at the
beginning of the year
Total cash and cash equivalents at the
end of the year		 2024
£
£
(1,153,516)
163,760
(34,051)
(129,706)
237,580
237,583
(915,935)
306,717
(609,218)		 2024
£
£
(1,153,516)
163,760
(34,051)
(129,706)
237,580
237,583
(915,935)
306,717
(609,218)		 2023
£
£

(974,417)
10,062
-
-
-

10,062

(964,355)

1,271,072

306,717		 2023
£
£

(974,417)
10,062
-
-
-

10,062

(964,355)

1,271,072

306,717



(915,935) (964,355)
306,717 1,271,072
(609,218) 306,717

Report and financial statements Year ended 31[st] August 2024 | Page 32

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Notes to the cash flow statement

a. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to the net cash
flow from operating activities
Net movement in funds
Losses/(Gains) on investments
Depreciation charges
Interest and investment income receivable
(Decrease)/increase in debtors
(Decrease)/increase in stock
(Decrease)/increase in creditors
Net cash (used in) operating activities
b. Analysis of changes in net debt
Cash
Overdraft facility repayable on demand
Total		 As at 31st
August 2023
306,717
-		 2024
2023
£
£
2,966
(768,341)
(257,239)
(54,220)
34,234
31,818
(163,760)
(10,062)
283,525
730,838
(3,534)
(8,367)
(1,049,708)
(896,083)
(1,153,516)
(974,417)

Movement in
year
As at 31st
August 2024

84,065
390,782

(1,000,000)
(1,000,000)
306,717
(915,935)
(609,218)

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Annual report

Notes to the financial statements

1. Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) – (Charities SORP (Second Edition, effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Make-A-Wish Foundation[®] UK meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).

Judgements and estimates

Judgements made by the trustees, in the application of these accounting policies that have significant effect on the financial statements and estimates with a significant risk of material adjustment in the next year are deemed to be in relation to legacy income and wish provision are discussed below.

On approval of a wish, a provision is made based on the expected costs of the wish, with the exception of wishes which have been guaranteed to be funded by a third party. The wish costs for these wishes are not recognised until the wish is granted. The actual costs of wishes may vary from our provision due to factors such as family size or seasonal cost variations. Those wishes which have not yet been approved, are disclosed as a contingent liability in note 19, based on the number of wishes and average wish cost.

Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

Trustees have reviewed forecast income, expenditure and cash flows in the planning process and consider that the charity will have adequate resources to continue for the foreseeable future (being a period of at least twelve months from the date of approval of these financial statements). As it is currently more cost effective, the trustees have chosen to borrow against their investments as opposed to sell investments to accelerate growth. There are no material uncertainties faced by the charity. It is therefore appropriate to continue to prepare the accounts is on a going concern basis.

Basis of consolidation

The financial statements consolidate the results of the charity and its wholly owned subsidiaries Make-A-Wish Promotions Limited and Make-A-Wish Play Limited on a line-by-line basis. A separate Statement of Financial Activities and Income and Expenditure Account for the charity has been presented in note 23 to comply with Scottish charity regulations.

Income

All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to income, it is probable that income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

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Donations and legacies

Donations income and income from government grants is accounted where there is entitlement, probability of receipt and it is measurable. For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: notification has been made by the executor(s) to the charity that a distribution will be made (in most cases probate will have been granted and the estate finalized), or when a distribution is received from the estate.

Generating funds

Income is accounted for on a cash received and accruals of known income basis unless related to an event scheduled to take place in a later accounting period in which case it is deferred until after the event has taken place. The main sources of income are analysed in the notes. The subsidiary income represents net invoiced sales of services, excluding value added tax and is included in the profit and loss account as it is earned.

Investment income

Investment income reflects the amount receivable for the year from investments and deposit account.

Expenditure

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category.

Irrecoverable Value Added Tax (VAT)

Expenditure on which there is irrecoverable VAT is shown within each relevant cost category gross of VAT.

Raising funds

These costs are incurred in relation to the fundraising initiatives which are organised, predominantly throughout the United Kingdom. As well as the direct costs associated with each initiative, costs are included in relation to staff members who are engaged directly in fundraising initiatives, publicity campaigns to generate income and an appropriate proportion of their use of shared facilities and central services.

Charitable activities

Liabilities for wish granting expenses are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a specific commitment creating an obligation and an expectation that a wish will be fulfilled. The liabilities at the balance sheet date are included within creditors.

Gifts in kind (GIK)

The charity receives the benefit of work carried out by volunteers, the value of which is not included in these accounts in line with the requirements of paragraph 6.18 of the SORP. Gift in kind income represents various goods/services donated free of charge. The income is included when it can be reliably valued. Goods donated for distribution to beneficiaries and for use by the charity are included at fair value, whilst facilities and services are included at the value to the charity. Unique ‘one off’ items donated for sale at auction are recognised when they are sold.

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Cost of administration

These costs are allocated to cost of raising funds and charitable activities on the basis of an appropriate apportionment of resources and activities.

Governance costs

Governance costs have been allocated in line with cost of administration and include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include audit fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the charity.

Leases

Payments under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the life of the lease.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.

estimated useful life.
Leasehold property improvements • 10% on cost
Office equipment • 33% on cost
Computer equipment • 25% on cost
Computer software • 33% on cost

Computer equipment and software are combined for reporting.

Tangible fixed assets bought by the company have been capitalised at the minimum amount of £500 for individual assets. Assets donated during the year have been capitalised at their estimated purchase cost.

Foreign exchange

Foreign currency transactions for income and expenditure are accounted for at an average weekly exchange rate at the point of recognition in the accounts. Any difference at the date of payment is treated as an exchange gain/loss.

Stocks

Stocks are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value, after making due allowance for obsolete and slow moving items.

Investments

Investments are included in the financial statements at market value at the balance sheet date. Realised and unrealised gains and losses on revaluation and disposals occurring in the year are reported in the Statement of Financial Activities.

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Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. The designated fund represents funds earmarked for specific reasons as decided by the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Pensions

The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable for the year are charged in the Statement of Financial Activities.

Financial instruments

Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at amortised cost, with the exception of investments which are held at fair value. Financial assets held at amortised cost comprise cash at bank and in hand, together with trade and other debtors. A specific provision is made for debts for which recoverability is in doubt. Cash at bank and in hand is defined as all cash held in instant access bank accounts and used as working capital. Financial liabilities held at amortised cost comprise all creditors except social security and other taxes.

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account or matures within three months of the date of the balance sheet.

Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

Employee benefits

Termination benefits are accounted for on an accruals basis and in line with FRS 102.

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Annual report

2. Legal status of the charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity.

3. Income from donations and legacies

Donations
Legacies
Donations in kind
Government grants		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2024
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2023
£
£
£
£
£
£
4,828,932
1,289,596
6,118,528
5,818,790
1,912,280
7,731,070
1,048,027
-
1,048,027
625,780
-
625,780
1,310,754
-
1,310,754
2,105,591
-
2,105,591
-
-
-
-
-
-
7,187,713
1,289,596
8,477,309
8,550,161
1,912,280
10,462,441

4. Income from other trading activities

Fundraising events
Subsidiary’s income		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2024
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2023
£
£
£
£
£
£
3,142,806
3,701
3,146,507
630,373
4,900
635,273
369,370
-
369,370
307,054
-
307,054
3,512,176
3,701
3,515,877
937,427
4,900
942,327

5. Investment income

Deposit account interest
Investment income		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2024
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2023
£
£
£
£
£
£
9,959
-
5,959
10,062
-
10,062
157,801
-
157,801
-
-
-
163,760
-
163,760
10,062
-
10,062

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6. Expenditure on raising funds

Donations and legacies
Direct fundraising costs
Agency and professional
fees
Legal and professional
Staff and related costs
Donations in kind
Other trading activities
Direct fundraising costs
Agency and professional
fees
Legal and professional
Staff and related costs
Bad debts
Support costs (note 8)		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2024
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2023
£
£
£
£
£
£
1,052,511
-
1,052,511
1,486,949
-
1,486,949
1,017,942
-
1,017,942
495,601
-
495,601
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,163,792
-
1,163,792
1,090,757
-
1,090,757
130,850
-
130,850
-
-
-
3,365,095
-
3,365,095
3,073,306
-
3,073,306
786,810
-
786,810
241,715
-
241,715
52,532
-
52,532
109,990
-
109,990
-
-
-
-
-
-
322,480
-
322,480
281,763
-
281,763
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,161,822
-
1,161,822
633,468
-
633,468
1,560,331
-
1,560,331
1,155,935
-
1,155,935
6,087,248
-
6,087,248
4,862,709
-
4,862,709

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7. Expenditure on charitable activities

Wishgranting expenses
Donations in kind
Movement in provision for
wishes in progress
Staff and related costs
Other
Support costs (note 8)		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2024
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2023
£
£
£
£
£
£
1,464,941
1,341,823
2,806,764
1,147,751
1,885,396
3,033,147
1,179,904
-
1,179,904
2,098,621
-
2,098,621
(503,817)
-
(503,817)
-
-
-
981,691
-
981,691
761,454
-
761,454
54,767
-
54,767
50,790
-
50,790
3,177,486
1,341,823
4,519,309
3,551,947
1,885,396
5,437,343
1,804,662
-
1,804,662
1,937,337
-
1,937,337
4,982,148
1,341,823
6,323,971
5,489,284
1,885,396
7,374,680

8. Analysis of support costs

Staff and related costs
International registration
fee
Governance costs (below)
Other direct support costs
Governance costs
Accountancy fees
Audit fees
Other governance		 Fundraising
Wishgranting
2024
Fundraising
Wishgranting
2023
£
£
£
£
£
£
856,083
854,644
1,710,727
625,778
917,933
1,543,711
-
266,573
266,573
-
249,075
249,075
15,843
15,817
31,660
12,979
19,039
32,018
688,405
667,628
1,356,033
517,178
751,290
1,268,468
1,560,331
1,804,662
3,364,993
1,155,935
1,937,337
3,093,272
-
-
-
-
-
-
15,776
15,749
31,525
8,736
12,814
21,550
68
67
135
4,243
6,225
10,468
15,844
15,816
31,660
12,979
19,039
32,018

These costs are allocated to cost of raising funds and charitable activities on the basis of an appropriate apportionment of resources and activities.

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9. Net expenditure for the year

9. Net expenditure for the year
2024 2023
This is stated after charging £ £
Operating leases – equipment 1,296 1,296
Auditor’s remuneration – audit fees 25,590 21,550
Auditor’s remuneration – non-audit fees 9,690 8,250
Depreciation 34,234 31,818

Auditor’s remuneration – audit fees include audit fees of £8,280 in respect of the subsidiary companies (2023: £5.250)

10. Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel

management personnel
Salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs
Redundancy costs
The number of higher paid staff whose taxable emoluments
fell into higher salary bands was:
£60,001 to 70,000
£70,001 to £80,000
£80,001 to £90,000
£90,001 to £100,000
£110,001 to £120,000		 2024
2023
£
£
3,527,580
3,108,195
364,346
331,527
126,914
108,144
-
-
4,018,840
3,547,866
2024
2023
Number
Number
4
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
-

There were no trustees’ remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31[st] August 2024 (2023: £nil). During the year £2,012 was reimbursed to the trustees (2023: £nil).

The key management personnel of the charity, and the group, comprises the trustees, the Chief Executive, Director of Finance and Technology, Director of Operations, Director of Income and Engagement. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity during that period were £405,257 (2023: £419,654).

Report and financial statements Year ended 31[st] August 2024 | Page 41

Annual report

11. Staff numbers

11. Staff numbers
The average number of employees analysed by activity:
Fundraising and marketing
Wishgranting and volunteering
Administration		 2024
2023
Number
Number
36
36
34
25
17
18
87
79

12. Corporation taxation

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.

13. Tangible fixed assets – Charity (also comprising that of the group)

Cost or valuation
At 1stSeptember 2023
Additions
At 31stAugust 2024
Accumulated depreciation
At 1stSeptember 2023
Depreciation charge for year
At 31stAugust 2024
Net book value
At 31stAugust 2024
At 1stSeptember 2023		 Leasehold
property
improvements
Office
equipment
Computer
equipment
Total
296,076
8,069
648,609
952,754
-
-
34,051
34,051
296,076
8,069
682,660
986,805
156,182
8,069
648,239
812,490
29,607
-
4,627
34,234
185,789
8,069
652,866
846,724
110,287
-
29,794
140,081
139,894
-
370
140,264

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Annual report

14. Fixed asset investments

14. Fixed asset investments
Group and charity
Market value
Opening balance
Additions at cost
Disposal proceeds
Realised gain/(loss) on investments
Unrealised gain on investments
Closing balance
Historical cost
Opening balance
Charity only
Shares in group subsidiary		 2024
2023
£
£
3,954,020
3,899,800
129,706
-
(209,484)
-
(28,096)
-
257,238
54,220
4,103,384
3,954,020
3,710,545
3,605,811
2
2

The charity holds the entire £1 share capital of its trading subsidiaries, Make-A-Wish Promotions Limited and Make-A-Wish Play Limited.

Report and financial statements Year ended 31[st] August 2024 | Page 43

Annual report

15. Results from trading activities of subsidiaries

The charity has two wholly owned trading subsidiaries, Make-A-Wish Promotions Limited and Make-A-Wish Play Limited, both of which are incorporated in Great Britain. The registered office of both organisations are the same as that of the charity.

Make-A-Wish Promotions Limited undertakes commercial sponsorship from a range of corporate partnerships and trading activities of Make-A-Wish Foundation UK. Audited financial statement have been filed with the Registrar of Companies. A summary of the results of Make-AWish Promotions Limited is shown below.

Make-A-Wish Promotions Limited (Company No. 04015443)
Summary profit and loss account
Turnover
Cost of sales
Total gross profit
Administrative expenses
Operating profit for the year
Gift Aid payment to parent company
Retained (loss)/profit for the year
The assets and liabilities
Current assets
Current liabilities
Total net assets
Aggregate share capital and reserves		 2024
2023
£
£
369,370
307,054
-
-
369,370
307,054
(5,406)
(3,721)
363,964
303,333
(250,000)
(449,732)
113,965
(146,399)
194,692
95,545
(8,165)
(22,982)
186,527
72,562
1
1

Report and financial statements Year ended 31[st] August 2024 | Page 44

Annual report

Make-A-Wish Play Limited undertakes commercial sponsorship which relates to video games. Audited financial statements have been filed with the Registrar of Companies. A summary of the results of Make-A-Wish Play Limited is shown below.

Make-A-Wish Play Limited (Company No. 04015443)
Summary profit and loss account
Turnover
Cost of sales
Total gross profit
Administrative expenses
Operating profit for the year
Gift Aid payment to parent company
Retained (loss)/profit for the year
The assets and liabilities
Current assets
Current liabilities
Total net assets
Aggregate share capital and reserves		 Year ended
31st August
2024
7 months
ended 31st
August 2023
£
£
642
2,613
-
-
642
2,613
(5,894)
(1,140)
(5,252)
1,473
-
-
(5,252)
1,473
213
1,474
(3,990)
-
(3,777)
1,474
1
1

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Annual report

16. Stocks

16. Stocks
2024 2023 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
Finished goods 27,536 23,999 27,533 19,999

17. Debtors

17. Debtors
Group Charity
2024 2023 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
Trade debtors 228,609 275,299 213,609 217,062
Prepayments and accrued income 2,065,286 2,294,609 2,054,378 2,290,109
Other debtors - 7,518 - -
Amounts owed by group undertakings - (6) - -
2,293,895 2,577,420 2,267,987 2,507,171

18. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors
Social security and other taxes
Committed wishes
Amounts due from group undertakings
Other creditors and accrued expenses
Deferred income		 Group
Charity
2024
2023
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
315,132
549,661
315,132
549,661
90,913
97,732
93,397
88,906
237,369
741,186
237,369
741,186
-
-
(3,990)
(2,382)
243,362
164,473
239,362
152,705
260,471
643,03
256,304
643,903
1,147,247
2,196,955
1,137,574
2,173,979

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Annual report

Deferred income brought forward
Income released in year
Income deferred in year
Deferred income carried forward		 Group and charity
2024
2023
£
£
643,903
1,023,940
(635,580)
(1,023,940)
252,148
643,903
260,471
643,903

19. Contingent liabilities

We are currently engaging with 560 children about a wish that they would like granted. Once designed, and over time, these wishes will be granted as funds become available. The estimated cost of granting all of these wishes is currently £945k. This contingent liability will be recognised as a liability once a specific commitment is communicated directly to the wish child and family. In addition to our general fundraising activities, we have generous levels of gifts in kind and financial commitments from several partners to support the granting of these wishes.

20. Operating leases

As of 31[st] August 2024 the group had annual commitments under operating leases as set out below:

<1 year
2-5 years		 Equipment
Building
2024
2023
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
1,296
1,296
116,724
116,724
324
1,620
330,717
447,441
1,620
2,916
447,441
564,164

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Annual report

21. Analysis of charitable funds

Unrestricted funds
General fund
Restricted funds
Wish funds: To have
Wish funds: To go
Wish funds: Any wish
Wish funds: Specific wishes
Designated funds
Fixed asset fund
Total funds
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Restricted funds
Wish funds: To have
Wish funds: To go
Wish funds: Any wish
Wish funds: Specific wishes
Designated funds
Fixed asset fund
Total funds		 Balance 1st
September
2023
Income
Expenditure
Gains and
transfers
Balance 31st
August 2024
£
£
£
£
£
4,476,800
10,863,649
(11,069,396)
257,422
4,528,475
(53,846)
1,790
(45,252)
-
(97,308)
105,957
971,284
(942,051)
-
135,190
56,617
132,902
(143,938)
-
45,581
79,673
187,321
(210,582)
-
139,875
188,401
1,293,297
(1,341,823)
-
139,875
140,264
-
-
(183)
140,081
140,264
-
-
(183)
140,081
4,805,465
12,156,946
(12,411,218)
257,239
4,808,431
Balance 1st
September
2022
Income
Expenditure
Gains and
transfers
Balance 31st
August 2023
£
£
£
£
£
5,245,106
9,497,650
(10,351,994)
85,038
4,476,800
-
100,000
(153,846)
-
(53,846)
100,000
1,420,902
(1,414,945)
-
105,957
56,617
-
-
-
56,617
-
396,278
(316,605)
-
79,673
156,617
1,917,180
(1,885,396)
-
188,401
172,082
-
-
(31,818)
140,264
172,082
-
-
(31,818)
140,264
5,573,805
11,414,830
(12,237,390)
54,220
4,805,465

Report and financial statements Year ended 31[st] August 2024 | Page 48

Annual report

Name of fund

Wish funds: To have - Funding for specific wish type

Wish funds: To go - Funding for specific wish type

Wish funds: Any wish - Funding for any wish

Wish funds: Specific wishes - Funding for individual wishes

General fund - The ‘free reserves’ after allowing for all designated and restricted funds.

Fixed asset fund - Reflects the net book value of assets not available for immediate conversion to cash

22. Analysis of group net assets between funds

Fund balances at 31[st] August 2024 are represented by:

Tangible fixes assets
Investments
Currents assets
Current liabilities
Long-term liabilities
Total net assets		 Restricted
funds
Designated
funds
General
funds
Total funds
£
£
£
£
-
140,081
-
140,081
-
-
4,103,384
4,103,384
139,875
-
1,572,338
1,712,213
-
-
(1,147,247)
(1,147,247)
-
-
-
-
139,875
140,081
4,528,475
4,808,431

23. Related party transactions

At the year end there were no outstanding balances due to Make-A-Wish Promotions Limited (22/23 amount due to Make-A-Wish Promotions £2,388), and £3,990 was due from Make-A-Wish Play Limited (2022/23 £nil).

There were no other related party transactions.

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Year ended 31 [st] August 2024 | Page 49
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Annual report

24. Charity only statement of financial activities

Income and expenditure
Income from
Donations and legacies
Charitable activities
Other trading activities
Investment income
Other income
Total
Expenditure on
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Total
Net (expenditure)/income
before gains/(losses) on
investments
Net gains/(losses) on
investments
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought
forward
Total funds carried
forward		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2024
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2023
£
£
£
£
£
£
7,187,071
1,289,596
8,476,667
8,550,161
1,912,280
10,462,441
-
-
-
-
-
-
3,149,781
3,701
3,153,482
620,790
4,900
625,690
163,760
-
163,760
10,062
-
10,062
250,000
-
250,000
449,732
-
449,732
10,750,612
1,293,297
12,043,909
9,630,745
1,917,180
11,547,925
6,081,360
-
6,081,360
4,857,845
-
4,857,845
4,976,742
1,341,823
6,318,565
5,489,286
1,885,396
7,374,682
11,058,103
1,341,823
12,399,926
10,347,131
1,885,396
12,232,527
(307,491)
(48,526)
(356,017)
(716,386)
31,784
(684,603)
257,238
-
257,238
54,220
-
54,220
(50,253)
(48,526)
(98,779)
(662,166)
31,784
(630,383)
4,536,061
188,401
4,724,461
5,198,227
156,617
5,354,844
4,485,807
139,874
4,625,682
4,536,061
188,401
4,724,461

Report and financial statements Year ended 31[st] August 2024 | Page 50

MAWUK Accounts 2024 - Trustees Report v5 Final SIGNED

Final Audit Report

2025-03-27

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