Mission: The Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We have granted over 11,000 wishes since our inception in ... (More)
Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1985, and donations are tax-deductible.
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Important note on the timeliness of ratings
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Financial and Accountability & Transparency score for Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
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Star Rating System by Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator evaluates a nonprofit organization’s financial health including measures of stability, efficiency and sustainability. We also track accountability and transparency policies to ensure the good governance and integrity of the organization.
Exceptional
This charity's score is 92.48, earning it a 4-Star rating. Donors can "Give with Confidence" to this charity.
This score is calculated from two sub-scores:
Finance: 89.80 View details
Accountability & Transparency: 97.00 View details
This score represents Form 990 data from 2019, the latest year published by the IRS.
View this organization’s historical ratings.
Star Rated Report
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Program Expense Ratio
76.6%
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s).
This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Administrative Expenses
8.2%
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Expenses
15.0%
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Liabilities to Assets Ratio
4.0%
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency
$0.15
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Working Capital Ratio
1.77 years
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Growth
8.70%
We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
Governance
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
| Governance: | |
|---|---|
| Independent Voting Board Members ... (More) | |
| No Material Diversion of Assets ... (More) A diversion of assets – any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft – can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories:
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| Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant ... (More) Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.
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| Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties ... (More) | |
| Documents Board Meeting Minutes ... (More) | |
| Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing ... (More) | |
| Compensates Board ... (More) |
Policies
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Policies: | |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest ... (More) | |
| Whistleblower ... (More) | |
| Records Retention and Destruction ... (More) | |
| CEO Compensation Process ... (More) | |
| Donor Privacy ... (More) Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories:
The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. (Less) | Partial |
Transparency
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Transparency: | |
|---|---|
| CEO Salary Listed on 990 ... (More) | |
| Board of Directors Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Key Staff Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Audited Financial Statements on Website ... (More) | |
| Form 990 Available on Website ... (More) |
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Salary of Key Persons
Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Thomas P. Weatherall, President, CEO
$375,835 (3.48% of Total Expenses)
Current CEO and Board Chair can be found in the Leadership & Adaptability report below.
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2019
Business Master File Data
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Other loans to individuals (BMF activity code: 562)
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
Data Sources: IRS Forms 990
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to view this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available).
Pandemic Response
Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
Staffing
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
The economic decline at the onset of the pandemic resulted in business interruptions and market losses that affected our donors and our chapter financials. The uncertainty of the recovery was, for a lengthy period of time, a factor in our revenue and expense streams. Fundraising events and program initiatives were suspended that were not compatible with the new safety protocols, social distancing guidelines and, earlier on, shelter-in-place orders in New Jersey. We anticipate a return to many of these initiatives in 2022.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
Due to medical and public concerns and considering the population we serve (children with critical, life-threatening illnesses, many of which have compromised immune systems), travel-related wishes and wishes that involve large gatherings were postponed for the well-being of our wish kids and their families. Annually, an average of over 80% of wishes granted in New Jersey prior to the pandemic involved travel. As a result, many wishes were postponed. Now, as we begin, in phases, to return to delivering our mission in its full capacity including travel and large gatherings in the near future, we will face a new challenge never before experienced – a significant amount of wishes involving travel or large gatherings that were postponed at the onset of the pandemic, as well as new and future referrals for travel or large gathering-related wishes.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Despite the pandemic, wishes never stopped being granted for children with critical illnesses – from pools to campers, puppies to shopping sprees, gaming computers to room makeovers and beyond. Wishes included police escorted car parades, virtual experiences and home deliveries. Wish visits turned virtual, so the exportation of the imaginative possibilities of a wish would not be delayed. Multiple project wishes being worked on simultaneously now involved in-kind resources that took longer periods of time to secure. There were delays in shipping and even labor shortages. Throughout all the challenges faced, our team remained in constant communication with families whose wishes were on hold. While some children chose to wait for their postponed travel wishes for their own health and safety, others chose to determine a wish that could be granted now – many at a high cost. Children are being diagnosed daily with a critical illness, and our vision is to reach every eligible child.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
From the beginning of the pandemic, while our staff worked remotely full time, our team also set out on finding new ways to safely deliver our mission and eventually return to our wish-granting facility. We worked with donors, board members and partners to our mission to assist in key in-kind changes to our facility, including an updated air ventilation system, protective shields around desk areas, an increase in thorough facility maintenance and cleaning, and other improvements to ensure a safe return to the office by our staff. Those safeguards will remain in place now that our staff has returned to the facility and we continue to promote a safe and healthy work environment for staff (and soon to include our facility visitors, wish families and volunteers as we make progress in our re-emergence plans).
Historical Ratings
| Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
| Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
| 5/1/2021 | 2019 | 92.48 | |
| 12/1/2019 | 2018 | 88.68 |  |
| 12/21/2018 | 2017 | 84.07 | |
| 3/1/2018 | 2016 | 91.60 | |
| 2/1/2017 | 2015 | 90.00 | |
| 6/1/2016 | 2014 | 89.70 | |
| Rating Version: 2.0 | |||
| 10/1/2015 | 2014 | 91.55 | |
| 2/1/2015 | 2013 | 84.41 | |
| 10/1/2013 | 2012 | 91.13 | |
| 11/6/2012 | 2011 | 89.27 | |
| 3/1/2012 | 2010 | 88.07 | |
| 12/1/2011 | 2010 | 86.13 | |
This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990. | |||
| 9/20/2011 | 2009 | 72.28 |  |
| Rating Version: 1.0 | |||
| 2/1/2011 | 2009 | 64.50 |  |
| 4/1/2010 | 2008 | 78.95 | |
| 12/1/2008 | 2007 | 79.18 | |
| 12/15/2007 | 2006 | 89.99 | |
| 12/1/2006 | 2005 | 76.95 | |
| 9/1/2005 | 2004 | 87.81 | |
| 11/1/2004 | 2003 | 90.61 | |
| 1/1/2004 | 2002 | 90.83 | |
Previous: Finance & Accountability / Next: Leadership & Adaptability
Impact & Results
This score estimates the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Impact & Results Score
Not Currently Scored
Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey cannot currently be evaluated by our Encompass Rating Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Do you work at Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Largest Programs
Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey reported its largest program on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:
$8,562,389
Spent in most recent FY
100%
Percent of program expenses
Wish Granting Programs
Previous: Impact & Results / Next: Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
This score provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Leadership & Adaptability Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey is a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of the organization's Leadership & Adaptability through the nonprofit organization submitting a survey response directly to Charity Navigator.
Leadership & Adaptability Report
100
of 100 points
Mission
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s mission
SEE SCHEDULE O. Make-A-Wish New Jersey creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Our vision is to grant the wish of every eligible child.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Strategic Goals
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: 1. Continue to increase our medical outreach and wish-granting capacity to reach 100% incident rating – approximately 700 children in NJ are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness each year.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Goal Two: 2. Grant every eligible wish currently in our pipeline and on hold due to COVID-related restrictions, in addition to all newly-referred eligible children this year.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: 3. Raise the vital funds needed to grant the wishes of every eligible child. This will result in an ongoing increased budget year-over-year.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Leadership Development
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
We have partnered across our Make-A-Wish network to provide virtual, collaborative leadership opportunities which promote best practices and to improve, strengthen and secure our technology infrastructure.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Mobilizing for Mission
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Policy Advocacy
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
Make-A-Wish New Jersey engages regularly with its corporate and community partners. Our Board includes community leaders, representing the New York Giants, the Garden of Dreams Foundation of Madison Square Garden, and other established NJ businesses, and they provided valuable support through the pandemic (from in-kind support to wish-granting requests and virtual visits with sports celebrities, to assistance with safety upgrades in our facility and beyond, etc.). We share our stories through multiple social media platforms, traditional media, and have stewarded public-facing advertising partners to assist with large-scale advertising opportunities. These have included radio and television interviews, PSAs, billboards, print and online publication advertisements, and email marketing partnerships directly targeting the medical/referral community. We focus on efforts to reach more eligible children, and seek the financial support to grant the wish of every eligible child.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Story of Adaptability
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Over the past 18 months, many types of wishes continued to be granted to children with critical illnesses - backyard pools, campers, puppies, virtual shopping sprees, hot tubs, gaming computers, filming equipment, bedroom and basement makeovers, etc. Wishes were delivered in new, safe ways, including car parades, police escorted deliveries, and even porch drop-offs with staff at a safe distance from the home – and many responsibilities that prior to the pandemic relied heavily on 300+ active volunteers were shifted to a staff of 25-30. In addition to the granting of project wishes that involved added research, vendors and resources, there were added complications including delays in product availability, manufacturing, shipping interruptions and even labor shortages, there was also the added workload factor of ensuring constant communication with wish families whose wishes were put on hold. Pandemic situations continued to change, as did family situations – some wish children have chosen to continue to wait for their travel wishes, while others chose to determine a different wish that could be granted immediately. Wishes being granted during the pandemic, in many cases, became high cost and required the support of donors to continue to grant every wish that was eligible and able to be granted safely. As we continue to take steps towards re-emergence, donor support is vital to fund the pipeline of other high-cost travel wishes that have been on hold, as well as the continually growing pipeline of referrals. Children are being diagnosed daily with a critical illness that would qualify for our mission, and our vision is to reach every eligible child and create a life-changing wish experience for them.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Additional Information
Unscored
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Organization Leadership
Tom Weatherall
President, CEO
David Indursky
Chair
Previous: Leadership & Adaptability
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves. Learn more about how and why we rate Culture & Community.
Culture & Community Score
100
out of 100
Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey has earned a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating. The organization provided data about how it listens to constituents (Constituent Feedback) (see report below).
The Culture & Community Beacon is comprised of the following metrics:
Constituent Feedback: 100/100 (100% of beacon score)
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: Not Scored
Culture & Community Report
100
of 100 points
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
This organization has not provided information regarding the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices it is presently implementing. As such, the organization has not earned a score on this metric. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective DEI policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Methodology
We are utilizing data collected by Candid to document and assess the DEI practices implemented by the organization. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the Equity Strategies section of their Candid profiles to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Constituent Feedback
Constituent Feedback and Listening Practice data are not available for this organization. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Methodology
We've partnered with Candid to survey organizations about their feedback practices. Nonprofit organizations can fill out the How We Listen section of their Candid profile to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Analysis and Research
Like the overall Encompass Rating System, the Culture & Community Beacon is designed to evolve as metrics are developed and ready for integration. Below you can find more information about the metrics we currently evaluate in this beacon and their relevance to nonprofit performance.
Constituent Feedback
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
