STARboard frequently asked questions

The process is designed to be enjoyable for our applying children and young people while giving them a chance to learn. We hope your experience as a STARboard member will equip you with a range of skills and learning opportunities for you to use in all areas of your life, including on future applications. Throughout the process we will be on hand to answer questions and provide feedback for children and young people who would like it. We want to make sure the board is a right fit for them as much as they are the right for the board!

Our regions will reflect the regions of our fundraising managers, these are: 

• Scotland
• North England
• East England
• Central and West Midlands
• Northern Ireland
• London and South East
• Wales and South West England
• South England.

No. We will accommodate your schedule for interviews. Interview slots will be available on Skype/FaceTime at various times throughout the day and evening. Please let us know if you need to change your slot.

We will let you know 2 weeks in advance of any prep work. This may include, thinking about a topics ahead of time, researching ideas or reading information for discussion at the meeting.

No. Just like our Board of Trustees, the STARboard is an advisory board of volunteers. However, we will cover expenses for getting to meetings.

Your primary contact as a STARboard member will be Becky Howie, STARboard leader. As the board works through different projects and activities, you might also work with Make-A-Wish members of staff, volunteers, fundraisers, wish families or trustees. We hope you’ll enjoy mixing with the Make-A-Wish community.

Of course. We will support applications for all wish children aged between 11-20 who had their wish granted in the last 2 years. We’ve worked hard to design an application process that we hope will give everyone the opportunity to shine and show their strengths. If you’d like to discuss your application at any point, please contact us [email protected]. If selected for STARboard we will support you to make sure you have the skills needed to feel confident.

There may be the opportunity for STARboard members to speak at events. Make-A-Wish, as well as your fellow board members, will be on hand to provide support, practise, ideas and encouragement to help you, if you would like.

Meetings will be a full day on the weekend. There will be lots of snack breaks, lunch and activities to make sure it doesn’t feel long! Meetings will begin at approx 10am so people can travel.

Sickness is unavoidable and your health comes first. Please let the board leader know as soon as you can if you’re unwell, ideally by phone. The board only gets to meet a few times a year and we want as many board members as possible to participate.

We want this to be a positive experience for everyone applying and for every applicant to learn something from the process. Children who are not selected after their interview will all be offered feedback either in an email or phone call, dependent on how they would like it.

Sickness, medical appointments, important family events. If you’re not sure you’ll be able to make a meeting, speak to the STARboard leader (member of staff leading the board).

The STARboard is an important part of the Make-A-Wish community, and we want everyone to know how committed we are to being a child-led organisation. Pictures, videos and stories help spread the word about the STARboard, and we use these across social media, our website, press (e.g. newspapers, magazines, TV or radio), emails and via organisations we work with. We’ll talk with you about how this could work and find out what you’re comfortable with. We usually don’t use personal details like last names.