Sailing Heals Inc
Helping cancer patients and caregivers escape for a spirit-lifting day at sea!
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We aim to address the ongoing need for psychosocial support for cancer patients and their caregivers. Specifically, we work to give patients and caregivers a chance to get away from it all to get out on the water for a day of sailing.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
General healing sails
A 2 hour restorative sailing experience for patients and caregivers navigating cancer. These sails allow patients and caregivers to get away from their stress and treatment for an afternoon and create new memories and friendships that can last a lifetime.
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 free participants on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Caregivers, People with diseases and illnesses, People with physical disabilities
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total number of fields trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of trips provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn 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?
Our goals are to continue to offer a spirit-lifting day at sea for cancer patients, their caregivers and others in need of a healing break in our 20+ current ports where we operate and to add one port each year. We'd like to continue to attract quality and experienced individuals as volunteer host captains, board members and volunteers.
We would also like to pay our staff a working wage which is motivating and commensurate with the skills and dedication they bring to the organization.
We would like to create more alliances with businesses that can provide some cost-savings for us in the way of transportation and travel costs and event costs. We have been successful in doing this with our printing and design help but would like to expand these relationships to other areas that can provide professional support and assistance to our organization.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have a multi-prong strategy for making this work including 2 - 3 larger fundraising events a year and 3 - 4 smaller ones; mail campaigns; our Sailing Hearts legacy/memorial program; and more stewardship of our existing donors/sponsors.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Hard work and sound and regular input from our board and other professionals will lead us to achieve these goals as they have in the past.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In the 7 years we have been operating, we have hosted over 3600 guests for complimentary lunches and healing sails in 24 ports around the country. In many cases, our guests have told us that they enjoyed the best day of their summer with us and that our program provided the hope and joy they needed to get through, perhaps, a final phase of their illness and have faith that they will have enjoyable days again.
We have established real and lasting relationships with some of the best yacht clubs and hundreds of generous host captains. We have a dedicated group of volunteers in many of our ports and hundreds of donors who want to support our efforts. We have established our Sailing Hearts legacy program to honor or remember loved ones at each of our events/sails that has been quite moving for all who have participated.
We have managed to sustain an excellent board of directors & grow our staff from one full time Exec. Dir. and part time bookkeeper to now 3 part-time staff and one ED.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
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.
Sailing Heals Inc
Board of directorsas of 07/08/2022
Dr. Lori Wirth
Ken Adam
Pamela O'Connor
Dudley Welch
Lori Wirth
Brenda Lormil
Peter Gamage
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 ? Not applicable -
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? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
No data
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/08/2022GuideStar 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 analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- 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 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.