CASE STUDY
LEAD GENERATION
Make-A-Wish Foundation
ABOUT
High-intent lead generation for a high-commitment program
The Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Trailblaze Challenge is a high-commitment endurance program requiring participants to raise $2,500+.
I led paid media and broader marketing strategy to recruit participants willing to commit time, energy, and money.
Campaigns converted 83% of qualified leads into four-figure commitments, making it the most successful Trailblaze event nationally.
How: Precision targeting and segmented messaging built to filter for commitment, not cheap clicks.
-
The Trailblaze Challenge was not a typical “sign up now” offer.
The goal was not volume, it was quality:
Prospective participants first RSVP’d for a no-cost, no-commitment info session
Approximately 80% of attendees converted into committed fundraisers
Each conversion represented thousands of dollars in downstream revenue
Complicating factors included:
A long conversion path
No direct sales CTA in the ads
High emotional, physical, and financial commitment required
This required precision targeting and messaging, not scale for scale’s sake.
-
1. Intent-First Targeting
Instead of relying on broad fitness or events audiences alone, I built targeting around motivation and life context, including:
Endurance and adventure interests
Individuals drawn to personal challenge and transformation
People navigating major life transitions such as loss, grief, or change
Behavioral patterns observed in prior Trailblaze participants
The goal was to reach people already primed for commitment before they ever saw the offer.
2. Gender-Segmented Messaging
We ran fully separate creative and copy for men and women:
Men: challenge-oriented, achievement-driven messaging
Women: identity, growth, and adventure-forward messaging
Same event. Same pathway.
Different psychological entry points.
3. Lead Generation, Not Direct Conversion
Ads drove RSVPs to local info sessions rather than direct sign-ups.
This structure allowed for:
Self-selection before commitment
Higher trust and stronger buy-in
Ads weren’t a hard sell
Higher downstream conversion quality
Paid media acted as the filter, not the closer.
-
Paid media delivered a disproportionate share of high-intent participants:
Over 40% of Trailblaze participants reported discovering the event through social media ads
Info session conversion rates were the highest in the event’s history
The event raised over $1.1M, making it the most successful Trailblaze Challenge nationwide
This strategy was later presented to the national Make-A-Wish organization as a model for other chapters.
Overview
“Beth is a tremendous asset. Her ability to take on complex, high-stakes work and deliver with clarity, creativity, and follow-through is exceptional.”
— Valerie Trainer
Chief Advancement Officer, Make-A-Wish 
The Takeaway
This campaign succeeded because it was never about traffic.
It was about:
Finding the right people
Meeting them with the right message
Creating a pathway that rewarded commitment
That same structure applies directly to:
Coaching programs
Membership communities
High-commitment services
Group programs and retreats
Applications, demos, and info sessions
When quality matters more than quantity, paid media becomes a filtering system, not a megaphone.
How This Applies to Your Business
If your offer requires:
Trust before purchase
Commitment before conversion
Buy-in over impulse
Then effective lead generation is not about more clicks.
It is about better intent.
That is the work Sable does best.
Book a discovery call to see how this approach could translate to your funnel and deliver more qualified leads for your business.