Wings of Hope, Inc.
Changing and saving lives through the power of aviation
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The problem we are addressing is summed up in our mission: Wings of Hope changes and saves lives through the power of aviation. In the United States, we transport individuals with serious medical conditions to specialized care that is not available to them locally. In our international field sites, we use aircraft to provide emergency medical transport services to people in remote areas who cannot easily access hospitals and emergency health care. We also use aircraft to fly medical professionals and resources into remote areas with little or no health care resources. The problem we are addressing can be summed up in one word: access. The people we serve do not have access to the health care they need to heal and to hope. We use aviation to provide that access.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Medical Relief & Air Transport (MAT) Program
The Wings of Hope Medical Relief & Air Transport (MAT) Program provides medical air transport services, free of charge, to individuals who need specialized medical care that is not available to them locally. Using aircraft, specially outfitted with stretchers to accommodate fragile and non-ambulatory patients, we fly individuals to hospitals and treatment centers in 26 states within a 600-mile radius of our St. Louis headquarters.
Soar into STEM
SOAR into STEM is a four-week, hands-on learning experience that provides high school students project-based learning, connections to STEM curriculum, and direct knowledge of the workings of a global aviation nonprofit using airplanes to change and save lives. The program promotes job training opportunities in the field of aviation mechanics and encourages students to pursue continuing education classes to prepare to enter the field of aviation at the conclusion of the SOAR into STEM sessions conclude. Wings of Hope is honored to continue impacting youth in the St. Louis community by offering a wide range of STEM and aviation opportunities. The four sessions include many STEM and aviation project-based activities, and each session will have a different focus related to aviation and STEM. At the completion of the SOAR into STEM program, students will sit "left seat" with a certified flight instructor and pilot their first aircraft, starting their logbook and their journey into aviation
Global Programs
In 2021, Wings of Hope worked in 10 countries outside of the United States. Every country and its needs
are different, but our approach is the same: We partner with local organizations that use aviation as a
crucial tool in service delivery, providing material and volunteer support to help them deliver medical
care and other resources to isolated communities. In 2021, 75,000 people were served globally.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The metric combines all program areas: Global Programming in ten countries, Soar into STEM, and Medical Relief & Air Transport Program
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of new donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of individuals to whom medicines were distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of children who have access to healthcare
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of outreach attempts to reporters
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Terminally ill people, Chronically ill people, People with physical disabilities
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
1. Maximize the Impact of Wings of Hope Programs
2. Increase the Financial Sustainability of Wings of Hope
3. Ensure a Strong, Effective and Sustainable Board of Directors
4. Ensure Proper Infrastructure to Achieve Our Mission
5. Elevate Our Brand Visibility
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Strategies to achieve 5 goals
1: Program Impact
Develop growth plan for U.S. MAT Program
Develop model for International Programs to maximize impact/resources Establish strategic partnerships to increase program effectiveness/reach
2: Financial Sustainability
Increase contributed revenues
Conduct endowment campaign
Maximize plane donation revenues
Establish relationships within aviation community
3: BOD
Review/refresh, as needed, governance/composition
Increase diversity
Evaluate recruitment/orientation/succession/evaluation processes
Engage BOD in actively fulfilling governance/fundraising responsibilities
Align committees w/ strategic plan & monitor progress
4: Infrastructure
Engage/nurture strong, experienced, diverse volunteers
Identify/retain top-quality staff
Create long-term IT plan
Conduct facilities/operations needs assessment
Develop methods to measure impact of programs/operations
5: Branding
Develop effective communications strategy
Engage high-powered champions
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Wings of Hope, in collaboration with our in-country partners, designs and implements innovative community-level solutions, leverages longstanding cross-sector relationships, and deploys technical and operational expertise to make a difference in the lives of families around the world. Many of our operations rely upon our robust volunteer base at our St. Louis headquarters – which includes a roster of retired doctors, nurses, engineers and pilots – as well as many more at our field bases around the world. Our operating budget is built upon a diverse funding base including thousands of individual members around the world, aircraft donations, foundation grants, and strong corporate sponsorship. Our programs are designed and implemented by an innovative, engaged and dedicated team ready to create collaborative solutions to a wide array of challenges.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2021, Wings of Hope directly served nearly 75,000 people around the world.
We are an aviation nonprofit, and two-thirds of our international field sites use aircraft to help people. When it makes sense, we also support programming that falls outside of the confines of aviation. These include on-the-ground efforts to improve health, food security, as well as income and education opportunities.
Our U.S.-based MAT program served 174 individuals in 2021, but demand for our services far exceeded our ability to meet this demand. Currently, we restrict our MAT service area to a 800-radius from our St. Louis headquarters. Our challenge, going forward, is to scale up our ability to serve a substantially larger population of those in need of our services – both in the Midwest and nationwide.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Wings of Hope, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 07/19/2022
Fred Meyland-Smith
No Affiliation
Fred Meyland-Smith
James D Moffat
Shelley Perulfi
Donald T. Kukla
Cameron Conway
Kelli Fabick
David Agee
Nikki Bodie
Robert Ciesla
Justin Giessman
Rollin Jackson
Manish Kohli
Gary Kretz
Bryan Krueger
Adam Kruger
Andy Kuchan
Juan Carlos Lenz
Melissa Owens
Jim Rhodes
Elizabeth Vasser-Browne
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.