MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF METRO NEW YORK AND WESTERN NEW YORK Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF METRO NEW YORK AND WESTERN NEW YORK

EIN 11-2645641 · Patient & Family Support (E86)

What they do

TOGETHER, WE CREATE LIFE CHANGING WISHES for CHILDREN WITH CRITICAL ILLNESSES.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $64.90 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders36 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

58.20%of revenue went to mission work64.9% of expenses · Program services

15.90%of revenue went to fundraising17.7% of expenses

$89.66spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

15.56%of revenue went to management and office costs17.4% of expenses

$1.82in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

88.1%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $405,630 for PHILIP LUSSIER (CEO (THRU 3/31/25)). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$19,293,645

Mission workProgram services$11,228,43658.20% of revenue64.9% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$3,002,50915.56% of revenue17.4% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$3,067,24015.90% of revenue17.7% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$1,995,46010.34% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$17,298,18589.66% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 64.9% mission · 17.4% management · 17.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.66% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 66.4% mission · 16.4% management · 17.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 123.99% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 64.5% mission · 17.9% management · 17.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 119.34% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 57.7% mission · 22.8% management · 19.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 69.94% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 55.3% mission · 22.1% management · 22.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.56% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 60.1% mission · 18.9% management · 21.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 107.25% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 67.6% mission · 14.2% management · 18.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.99% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 78.1% mission · 10.3% management · 11.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 119.55% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$19,293,645

Expenses$17,298,185

Annual surplus $1,995,460 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$11,228,436 · 64.9% of expenses

Management and office costs$3,002,509 · 17.4% of expenses

Fundraising$3,067,240 · 17.7% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$19,293,645

Expenses$17,298,185

Assets$31,514,710

Income$30,145,882

Contributions$17,001,601

Mission work (program services)$11,228,436

Fundraising$3,067,240

Grants given$468,931

Average grant$66,990

Management and general$3,002,509

Executive compensation (total)$1,826,436

Stocks and bonds$19,617,182

Accounting fees$5,573

Investing fees$73,614

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

PHILIP LUSSIERCEO (THRU 3/31/25) · 35 hrs/week $405,630Base $386,874 · Other $18,756

MAUREEN FITZGERALDCHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER · 35 hrs/week $247,445Base $243,965 · Other $3,480

GINA FLORESCUCHIEF MARKETING OFFICER (THRU 6/2/25) · 35 hrs/week $230,300Base $213,907 · Other $16,393

WHITNEY REICHENBACKER VIGGIANOCFO · 35 hrs/week $205,871Base $190,203 · Other $15,668

ANIKA DAUGHTRYCHIEF MISSIONS OFFICER · 35 hrs/week $199,218Base $192,758 · Other $6,460

BENJAMIN MARCHIONEREGIONAL DIR. WESTERN NY · 35 hrs/week $158,391Base $145,528 · Other $12,863

LEIGHANN BUSCEMIDR. SIG. EVENT AND BOARD ENGT. · 35 hrs/week $149,334Base $144,032 · Other $5,302

ELIZABETH SYSLODIRECTOR, STRATEGIC AND PHIL. PRTNSPS. · 35 hrs/week $145,717Base $140,611 · Other $5,106

WESLEY ALEXANDERDIRECTOR, DATA AND TECHNOLOGY · 35 hrs/week $127,097Base $122,610 · Other $4,487

DIANA LOPEZDIRECTOR, MISSION SUPPORT · 35 hrs/week $120,363

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (36)

PHILIP LUSSIERCEO (THRU 3/31/25)

MAUREEN FITZGERALDCHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

GINA FLORESCUCHIEF MARKETING OFFICER (THRU 6/2/25)

WHITNEY REICHENBACKER VIGGIANOCFO

ANIKA DAUGHTRYCHIEF MISSIONS OFFICER

BENJAMIN MARCHIONEREGIONAL DIR. WESTERN NY

LEIGHANN BUSCEMIDR. SIG. EVENT AND BOARD ENGT.

ELIZABETH SYSLODIRECTOR, STRATEGIC AND PHIL. PRTNSPS.

WESLEY ALEXANDERDIRECTOR, DATA AND TECHNOLOGY

DIANA LOPEZDIRECTOR, MISSION SUPPORT

WILLIAM BRILLIANTBOARD CHAIR

MICHAEL MOCKUSDIRECTOR

MICHAEL NENNERDIRECTOR

NAVEEN SHAHANIDIRECTOR

ANDRIA TRINIDADTREASURER

RABIA SHEIKHDIRECTOR

SARAH PONTIUSDIRECTOR (AS OF 1/28/25)

SHEILA PELUSODIRECTOR

STEPHEN THOMASDIRECTOR

STEVE BURNSDIRECTOR

TRACIE RODBURGDIRECTOR

TREVOR FREELANDDIRECTOR

MARIE ARRIGODIRECTOR

MARGIE TANDIRECTOR (AS OF 10/29/24)

LILIAN ZHOUDIRECTOR (AS OF 4/22/25)

JULIA BUNYATOV-GODDARDDIRECTOR

JOHN HEALEYCEO (AS OF 3/24/25)

JOHN CORTESEVICE CHAIR

JAMES ODONNELLDIRECTOR (AS OF 10/29/24)

JAMES GALOWSKIDIRECTOR (THRU 1/15/25)

JACLYN COHENDIRECTOR

FRED GIBBONSDIRECTOR (AS OF 1/28/25)

EMMA FINEDIRECTOR

BRIAN DONAGHYDIRECTOR

ARTURO POIREDIRECTOR

ANNMARIE IMPARATOSECRETARY

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1983
Location: 1745 BROADWAY 22ND FLOOR EAST, NEW YORK, NY 10019-4640
County: New York
In care of: WHITNEY VIGGIANO
Primary officer: WHITNEY VIGGIANO, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(212) 957-9474

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: September 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP
NTEE classification: Patient & Family Support (E86)
IRS tax category: Patient & Family Support
Grant-giving organization: Yes