There are projects you build, and then there are projects you get to pour your whole heart into.
Our work with Make-A-Wish America on Student WishMakers was one of those: a chance to work shoulder to shoulder with their team to take a big idea from strategic assessment to launch, reimagining youth fundraising under one clear, inspiring peer-to-peer program.
Make-A-Wish already had a strong foundation for youth fundraising, with existing programs that engaged students, schools, campuses, and local communities. But there was an opportunity to bring those efforts together into a more cohesive program that could create a clearer on-ramp for youth activation, peer-to-peer fundraising, and chapter engagement.
Streetlight began with a specialized assessment focused on program positioning, audience needs, naming structure, messaging, storytelling, activation strategy, resource needs, and digital presence. The goal was to help Make-A-Wish establish a stronger foundation for a reimagined youth fundraising program: one with a unified brand identity, a consistent messaging framework, and a flexible structure chapters could use ahead of the new school year.
One of the best parts of this project was the way the work happened. We got to work closely with the Make-A-Wish America team, combining their deep understanding of the mission, chapters, and youth audiences with Streetlight’s strategy, creative, digital, and fundraising expertise. From kickoff through launch, our team also led project management end to end, something many agencies leave to the client. That meant Make-A-Wish could stay focused on the vision while we kept the moving pieces aligned.
The result was Student WishMakers, a refreshed national identity designed to unite youth-led fundraising efforts under one empowering brand. Student WishMakers is now a nationwide youth fundraising movement powered by Make-A-Wish America, giving students of all ages a way to raise funds, rally their communities, and help grant life-changing wishes for children facing critical illnesses.
Once the strategy was in place, Streetlight worked alongside Make-A-Wish to bring the program experience to life across the website, messaging, visuals, and email journey. Our team supported the work across strategy, copywriting, UX, design, development, supporting visual assets, and email communications, including autoresponders, milestone messages, and coaching emails.
The website needed to introduce the new program clearly, make the audience pathways easy to understand, and inspire students, schools, chapters, and supporters to take action. The visual direction helped Student WishMakers feel distinct and youth-friendly while staying connected to the Make-A-Wish brand. The copy brought the program’s voice to life in a way that felt empowering, joyful, and easy for chapters to use.
For Streetlight, this project is a strong example of what happens when strategy, creative, technology, and fundraising expertise work together. Also, when trust and collaboration guide the process. We were grateful not only to help shape the program, but to work alongside a client team so committed to creating something useful, inspiring, and scalable for chapters and students.
We are grateful to have played a role in helping bring Student WishMakers to life. We can’t wait to see how students, schools, chapters, and communities make it their own.
Because when young people are given a clear path to lead, rally, and fundraise, they help make wishes come true.
