Volunteer

Volunteers Kristine & Lisa

Join a caring community of volunteers who transform lives. Together, we can make countless wishes come true.  

Your time and unique talents are critical to bringing strength and hope to wish kids when they need it the most. In fact, our volunteers are at the heart of every wish experience. 

Make-A-Wish Minnesota volunteers consider their work impactful and meaningful. And, their efforts are rewarded—not in dollars or cents, but in the incredible difference they make in the lives of our wish kids. Volunteers even have the freedom to choose when and how they would like to help transform lives in our community. 

Visit our volunteer spotlight page to read the stories of some of our outstanding volunteers. 

Service Enterprise Seal

Service Enterprise Certification 

Make-A-Wish Minnesota is certified by Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, as a Service Enterprise! Achieving Service Enterprise certification is a prestigious accomplishment for an organization. In fact, organizations that certify join the top 11 percent of nonprofits nationwide in volunteer management and organizational performance. Certification signifies that organizations have the capability and management expertise to strategically use volunteers to improve the performance of their organization.

Types of Volunteer Opportunities

Make-A-Wish® offers a volunteer position for every time and talent.

Work Directly with Kids 
Wish Granters 

Wish granters are essential to fulfilling each child's wish. They work in teams of two or three and help the wish child discover wish ideas that could bring them hope and joy. They also help create an exceptional wish experience through ongoing engagement with the child and their family. Learn more!

Wish Discovery Volunteers

Wish discovery volunteers are essential to keep children moving along their wish journey in a timely fashion. Essentially one half of the wish granter position, a wish discovery volunteer meets virtually with the wish child and family to help the wish child brainstorm ideas for wishes that could bring them hope and joy. They also help create an exceptional wish experience through ongoing engagement with the child and their family. Learn more!

Wish Pals

Wish pals are essential to keeping children and families engaged during the period of time after a wish has been chosen, but before the wish has been granted. Essentially the second half of the wish granter position, they step in when either a wish discovery volunteer finishes their assignment, or a wish granter needs to roll off a wish, taking up the reins to create an exceptional wish experience through ongoing engagement with the child and their family. Learn more! 

Shopping Spree Assistants 

Shopping Spree Assistants help ensure wish children who have wished to have a shopping spree have an experience they'll never forget! These volunteers accompany the wish child on the first day of their shopping spree and may be the wish family's primary point of contact during their stay in Minnesota (if they are from another state). These volunteers are there to make sure the wish child and their family have everything they need during their wish experience. Learn more!

Airport Meet and Greeters 

Airport Meet and Greeters help families get their wish trip started on a great note and ensure the wish child and their family are taken care of when they arrive home from their trip. Many families are traveling for the first time and navigating the airport can be a daunting and stressful task, especially if the child has any medical equipment. Meet and Greeters are there to help so the wish child and their family don't have to worry about a thingLearn more!

Public Facing Opportunities 
Event Volunteers

Event volunteers help the Foundation raise funds by assisting at events. Varied tasks are assigned to ensure success of the event. Learn more!

Fundraiser Organizers

Fundraiser Organizers plan events to benefit Make-A-Wish® Minnesota. They help provide funds to grant wishes for Minnesota children with critical illnesses. Learn more!

Speaker's Bureau or Wish Ambassador

Be the face of Make-A-Wish Minnesota!  A Speaker’s Bureau volunteer will present key information and share stories regarding Make-A-Wish to community organizations, corporations, schools, and internal or external events. Through these efforts the Speaker’s Bureau volunteer will aim to increase the audience’s awareness and support for Make-A-Wish. This opportunity is open to all wish families, as well as volunteers and supporters who have been serving for at least one yearLearn more!

Work Behind the Scenes 
Office Volunteers 

Office volunteers support the Make-A-Wish® Minnesota staff at the office and assist with behind the scenes tasks that keep the organization running smoothly. Learn more! 

Become a Volunteer Today

Your Make-A-Wish Journey Starts Today 

Volunteers are critical to the mission. Get started today and soon you can bring hope and joy to local children with critical illnesses as a Make-A-Wish Minnesota volunteer. 

Step 1:  Read the volunteer position descriptions 
Most of our positions require volunteers to be at least 18 years old. Event volunteers must be at least 14 years old, with minors accompanied by an adult. Be sure you thoroughly read through the description and understand the commitment required.  

Step 2: Review our Volunteer Orientation Session 
Completion of a Volunteer Orientation is a requirement for all new volunteers. To complete this session online, please watch the webinar below.  

Wish kid Caleb

Download a PDF of the volunteer application: 

All signatures must be in wet ink, so please print the form and return via email, fax, or mail (details on application). 

Step 3: Complete the Volunteer Application Process 
Upon completion of the Volunteer Orientation and application, we will reach out to you to schedule a short phone interview and complete a background check.  

The background check is a required part of the application for all volunteers except those exclusively interested in working events or organizing fundraisers. Make-A-Wish® volunteers commonly are trusted to work directly with our wish families and may handle Make-A-Wish resources (including money or donated goods) as they assist with wishes. For the protection of the wish families and the Foundation itself, we run an extensive background check on all staff and volunteers. In order to cover the cost of background checks, we ask volunteers to pay the background check fee. With questions regarding the application, please contact us.

Step 4: Approval 
Once your application has been successfully screened, we will contact you to inform you of the good news. At this point you will be added to the weekly “Wish Wednesday” e-newsletter which outlines the most up to date volunteer opportunities. 

Step 5: Complete Additional Training 
Some volunteer roles require additional training before starting, so at this time you will have the option to complete other trainings. 

With any questions regarding the volunteer application process or to get started, please contact us