Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa Inc

“The board of directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the directors then serving, may designate and appoint one or more committees comprised of directors, each of which shall consist of two or more directors. Such committees, to the extent provided in said resolution, shall have and exercise the authority of the board of directors in the management of the corporation, except no such committee may exercise the authority of the board of directors in reference to the following matters: (i) filling vacancies on, or increasing or decreasing the members of, the board of directors or any committee of the board of directors; (ii) adoption, amendment or repeal of these bylaws or the articles of incorporation; or (iii) any matters prohibited by law.”

“The foundation works with an independent public accounting firm engaged to prepare the return. The draft return prepared by the accounting firm will be reviewed by the foundation's president & ceo. The return is then presented to the finance committee for their review. Subsequent to the committee's approval, a complete copy of the form 990 will be provided to all voting members of the governing board prior to filing with the internal revenue service.”

“The foundation maintains a conflict of interest and ethics statement as provided by the make-a-wish foundation of america for each officer, employee, board member, and volunteer. Such statements must be signed upon date of hire, election or commencement of volunteer service, and at least annually thereafter. The signed statements are then submitted to and reviewed by the director of volunteer services if they are from volunteers, and the president & ceo if they are from staff and board members. Review of the statements is monitored by the president & ceo. The procedures for addressing any conflicts of interest of which the president & ceo becomes aware includes but are not limited to the following (1) determining the nature of the conflict via verbal or written communication with the interested person, (2) fully disclosing conflicting interests to the board, (3) the conflicted person rescues himself/herself from deliberations and decisions regarding the transaction, and (4) taking appropriate actions warranted by the conflict as recommended by the board up to and including termination of service.”

“The president & ceo's compensation was determined by the board of directors, consisting of independent persons. It was reviewed against national benchmarking salary studies, surveys done every few years by the make-a-wish foundation of america, and by local salary surveys conducted by state organizations and by national benchmarking organizations. The board's discussion and decisions were contemporaneously documented. Documentation includes the terms of the transaction and the date it was approved, the members present during deliberations and those who voted on it, and the comparability data relied upon and how it was obtained.”

“The organization makes its financial statements available upon request.”

“In late spring of 2023, the leadership at adventureland notified make-a-wish iowa that they would not be able to set up in accordance with their contract for their winter fundraising event known as jolly holiday lights. Staff worked to find a path forward in a short time frame that would allow them to still utilize the other agreements in place (such as the lighting lease) and raise revenue for the organization. Financially it was not a successful fundraiser. This ended the external event fundraiser run by make-a-wish iowa.”

“It is the founding principle of our vision to grant the wish of every eligible child, between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18. For wish kids, just the act of making their wish come true can give them the courage to comply with their medical treatments. With our wish making process, we strive to bring a sense of excitement and hope during extremely difficult times and deliver a joyful life changing experience whether the wish is a princess party, swim with the dolphins, or the countless other possibilities dreamed up by the magical mind of a child. The make-a-wish foundation of iowa granted 200 life changing wishes in the fiscal year ending august 31, 2024. The total cost of wishes granted for the fiscal year was $3,899,814. Of this amount, $389,825 was contributed by various vendors who provided in-kind contributions such as travel and travel services, transportation, lodging, and other services and use of facilities to complete a child's wish. For financial statement purposes, these amounts are included as contribution revenue and granted wish expense. For form 990, however, the irs requires this amount be excluded from both revenue and expense.”

“Change in value of split interest agreements 2,162. Change in value of beneficial interest of assets 9,794.”

“Gerdin family foundation donation of $3,500,000. This donation is to be paid out in the amount of $700,000 a year for five years.”