Hope Air

About Hope Air:

Founded in 1986, Hope Air is the only national charity that provides free flights to people who cannot afford travel costs to access specialized medical care outside their local area. According to the charity's survey,  29% of patients would cancel or postpone their medical appointment without Hope Air's assistance. In F2017, Hope Air provided 12,684 travel arrangements, of which 24% were for cancer patients, 9% for musculoskeletal disorders, 8% for cardiovascular disorders, 8% for nervous system disorders, and 5% for gastrointestinal disorders. The average total cost per travel arrangement was $284 in F2017. The cost is lower than the charity’s stated average roundtrip airfare cost of $625 because some travel arrangements were not flights and some of its airline partners donate seats. Since 1986, Hope Air has provided 132,102 flights to Canadians.  

Results and Impact: Of the 12,684 travel arrangements in F2017, 11,640 were flights for patients across Canada. The remaining arrangements were 981 Confederation Bridge toll passes and 63 ferry passes to low-income Prince Edward Island families travelling to other provinces for medical appointments.

Financial Review:

Hope Air is a medium-sized charity with $2.1m in donations in F2017. Its administrative costs were 4% of revenues and fundraising costs were 13% of donations. For every dollar donated, 83 cents go to the cause, falling within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. The charity has funding reserves of $2.1m, which can cover annual program costs for 8 months, indicating a need for funding.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Hope Air. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 20, 2018 by Joeyanne Cheung.