Make-A-Wish Foundation of America CEO salary and executive pay
Make-A-Wish paid its CEO, Leslie Motter, $739,620 for the fiscal year ending August 2025. That is up $45,539 (6.6%) from the fiscal year ending August 2024. Total revenue on that return was $136,767,956, up 4.4% from $130,963,023 for the fiscal year ending August 2024. Make-A-Wish ranks 31st of 45 major nonprofits on this site by CEO pay. Make-A-Wish has 4 Form 990 returns on record, for fiscal years ending 2022 to 2025. Also known as Make-A-Wish.
Last updated from IRS e-file data. EIN 86-0481941, Phoenix, AZ.
CEO, fiscal year ending August 2025
$739,620
- Total revenue
- $136,767,956
- CEO pay vs. peers
- Higher than 58%
Source: Form 990, fiscal year ending August 2025, IRS object ID 202641259349301779.View the filing
Peers: the 207 other organizations on this site with revenue of $50 million to $500 million. Ranked 86th of 208 by top pay as a share of revenue. Pay is 0.54% of revenue, our calculation from the same return. Revenue is Part I, line 12; peers are compared on their latest full-year returns.
This is the national office in Phoenix. Local Make-A-Wish chapters file their own returns.
Highest-paid people on the latest return
On the latest return, 1 person was paid more than $500,000 and no one more than $1 million.
| Name and title | Total |
|---|---|
| Leslie Motter CEO PRESIDENT & CEO | $739,620 |
| Luann BottCRPSO (FORMER) | $368,756 |
| Jared PerryCHIEF REVENUE OFFICER | $347,550 |
| Karen SmithCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | $328,050 |
| Amy BrindleyCCAO (FORMER) | $319,476 |
Also paid on the latest return: Cathleen Paugh (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER/TREASUER), $318,014; Janell Holas (CHIEF BRAND ADVANCEMENT OFFICER), $312,993; Frances Hall (CHIEF MISSION OFFICER), $303,303; Terri Foulks (CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER), $297,237; Yvonne Moss (CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER/SECRETARY), $253,536; Brian Powell (SD, LEADERSHIP & PLANNED GIVING), $234,929; Florenda Newton (CHIEF CORPORATE ALLIANCE OFFICER), $230,726; Thomas Parker (CTO (FORMER)), $229,633; Adam Faircloth (CIFO), $228,788; Mohannad Aladwan (SD, IT APPS. & BUSINESS), $194,713; Jennifer Connery (CCRO (AS OF 10/2024)), $194,295; Jonathan Smith (SD, DIGITAL & BRAND COMMUNICATIONS), $191,434; Scott Frier (SD, STRATEGY), $188,933; Teresa Duran (CIO (FORMER)), $185,017; Keith Goodwin (CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER), $158,075; and 1 more.
Also listed in Part VII of the latest return, with no pay reported: Reba Dominski (CHAIR), Orlando Ashford (DIRECTOR), Dolf Berle (DIRECTOR (UNTIL 10/2024)), Scott Braun (DIRECTOR), Phil Colaco (DIRECTOR), Josh D'Amaro (DIRECTOR), Shirley Davis (DIRECTOR), Doug Eckrote (DIRECTOR), Whitney Eichinger (DIRECTOR (AS OF 4/2025)), Kate Gebo (DIRECTOR (AS OF 4/2025)), Keri Gohman (DIRECTOR), Derrick Hall (DIRECTOR), Cheryl Heinonen (DIRECTOR), Joaquin Hidalgo (DIRECTOR (UNTIL 10/2024)), Steven Izen (DIRECTOR), Rebecca Messina (DIRECTOR), Stan Moss (DIRECTOR), Sundeep Reddy (DIRECTOR), Tierney Remick (DIRECTOR), Linda Rutherford (DIRECTOR), Amy Waldron (DIRECTOR), Constance Weaver (DIRECTOR), James Wilkinson (DIRECTOR), Michelle Wilson (DIRECTOR).
CEO pay by year
Each row is the CEO on that year's return.
| Fiscal year ending | Name and title | Total | Revenue | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2025 | Leslie Motter CEO PRESIDENT & CEO | $739,620 | $136,767,956 | Filing |
| Aug 2024 | Leslie Motter CEO PRESIDENT & CEO | $694,081 | $130,963,023 | Filing |
| Aug 2023 Amended | Richard Davis CEO PRESIDENT & CEO (THRU 11/2022) | $577,076 | $135,276,222 | Filing |
| Aug 2022 | Richard Davis CEO PRESIDENT & CEO | $622,231 | $128,554,773 | Filing |
How this pay was reported
The parts of each total, as reported on the return for the fiscal year ending August 2025.
Source: Form 990, fiscal year ending August 2025, IRS object ID 202641259349301779.View the filing
| Part VII | Schedule J | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and title | From org | Other | Base | Bonus | Other | Deferred | Nontaxable | Total |
| Leslie MotterPRESIDENT & CEO | $702,370 | $37,250 | $582,285 | $119,185 | $900 | $35,750 | $1,500 | $739,620 |
| Luann BottCRPSO (FORMER) | $356,661 | $12,095 | $183,576 | $45,465 | $127,620 | $12,095 | $0 | $368,756 |
| Jared PerryCHIEF REVENUE OFFICER | $323,050 | $24,500 | $306,212 | $15,938 | $900 | $23,000 | $1,500 | $347,550 |
| Karen SmithCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | $313,850 | $14,200 | $289,611 | $23,339 | $900 | $12,750 | $1,450 | $328,050 |
| Amy BrindleyCCAO (FORMER) | $282,826 | $36,650 | $188,965 | $57,911 | $35,950 | $35,750 | $900 | $319,476 |
These figures come from Make-A-Wish's Form 990 returns, as the IRS publishes them. The methodology page explains how they're chosen. To report an error, email corrections@ceopaycheck.com.
How Make-A-Wish compares
Ranked 31st of 45 major nonprofits by CEO pay.
- Previous in this ranking: 30th, Goodwill Industries International, $766,469
- Next in this ranking: 32nd, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, $723,520
Closest in revenue among organizations in the same revenue band:
American Society of Mechanical Engineers$2,088,766 (CEO), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
HumanGood$1,566,593 (CEO), fiscal year ending Dec 2024
Meridian Health Services$758,114 (CEO), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
World Education Services$996,526 (CEO), fiscal year ending Dec 2024
Bowen Health$1,261,033 (CEO), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
Common questions
Leslie Motter (PRESIDENT & CEO) was paid $739,620 for the fiscal year ending August 2025: $702,370 from Make-A-Wish and $37,250 in other compensation (Part VII columns D and F).
The CEO, Leslie Motter, was the highest-paid person on the latest return, at $739,620.
This is the national office in Phoenix. Local Make-A-Wish chapters file their own returns.
Make-A-Wish paid its CEO, Leslie Motter, $739,620 for the fiscal year ending August 2025. That is up $45,539 (6.6%) from the fiscal year ending August 2024. The earliest return on record is for the fiscal year ending August 2022, when the CEO was Richard Davis, paid $622,231. By fiscal year end: August 2022, $622,231 (Richard Davis); August 2023, $577,076; August 2024, $694,081 (Leslie Motter); August 2025, $739,620.
Make-A-Wish's return for the fiscal year ending August 2025 reports total expenses of $137,816,534 and total revenue of $136,767,956 (Part I, lines 18 and 12), so expenses exceeded revenue by $1,048,578. Expenses were $125,537,455 for the fiscal year ending August 2024, so they rose 9.8%. The CEO's pay of $739,620 equals 0.54% of expenses, our calculation.
From the 4 Form 990 returns Make-A-Wish Foundation of America filed with the IRS for fiscal years ending 2022 to 2025. The latest full-year return was filed on May 5, 2026. Schedule J of the fiscal year ending August 2025 return breaks down pay for all 5 people in the pay breakdown above.