Flying Doctors of America

What Flying Doctors of America does

Flying Doctors of America (FDoA) is a non-profit, non-sectarian 501(c)(3) organization that organizes and conducts medical and dental mission trips to underserved communities worldwide. Founded in 1990 by Allan Gathercoal with $700, the organization has completed 460+ missions and treated approximately 430,000 people for free across 15+ countries including Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador, Cuba, India, Kenya, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Jordan, and Egypt. Mission teams consist of physicians, dentists, nurses, chiropractors, nurse practitioners, PAs, and non-medical support volunteers who travel on scheduled trips, typically a week in duration, to deliver free care to the "poorest of the poor" under the organization's self-described "Mother Teresa Principle."

The core product is the organized mission trip, priced as a per-volunteer donation of $2,785 (Peru, El Salvador) to $2,995 (Cuba) per trip. There is no proprietary technology underlying the service; logistics are managed through the FDoA website, direct coordinator contact, and the experience of repeat volunteer leadership. The organization supplements mission fees with a three-tier annual membership program — Basic ($100), Co-Pilot ($500), and Pilot/Captain ($1,000) — that grants priority mission notifications, priority accommodations, and family inclusion in exchange for tax-deductible donations used to seed new missions.

The business model is donation-driven across three streams: per-mission participation fees from volunteers, recurring annual memberships, and general individual/corporate contributions. Go-to-market relies on word-of-mouth through professional medical networks, a website and newsletter, and recruitment by board members and team leaders who themselves are repeat mission participants. FDoA operates as a division of Medical Mercy Missions, Inc., with headquarters in Coeur D'Alene/Cape Coral, 11-50 employees, and a volunteer-led board. The organization has no institutional investors, no venture funding, no patents, no AI/ML capabilities, and no disclosed technology product; its competitive position rests on 36 years of brand credibility, an established multi-country access network, and a deeply committed repeat-volunteer ecosystem.

Name

Flying Doctors of America

Legal name

Flying Doctors of America

Website

https://fdoamerica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Flying Doctors of America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1990 that organizes volunteer medical and dental mission trips to underserved populations across 15+ countries, relying on per-mission donations and annual memberships rather than institutional funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Medical Mission Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs (BPAGACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB)

Keywords

• Medical mission trips
• Humanitarian healthcare services
• Volunteer medical programs
• Nonprofit medical missions
• Global health outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Coeur D'alene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Mission Participation Donations: Medical professionals and volunteers pay a donation fee to participate in mission trips. Fees vary by destination: Cuba mission $2,995, Peru and El Salvador missions $2,785.
2. Annual Membership: Three-tier membership program: Captain ($1,000/yr), Co-Pilot ($500/yr), Basic ($100/yr). Membership provides notification of new missions, priority accommodations, and includes spouse. Donations are tax-deductible as organization is a 501(c)(3).
3. General Donations: Individual and corporate donors contribute to support medical missions. Organization emphasizes that donations go directly to mission operations rather than administrative costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Flying Doctors of America organizes and leads medical and dental mission trips to underserved communities worldwide, deploying teams of physicians, dentists, nurses, chiropractors, and support volunteers to provide free healthcare to populations who otherwise lack access to medical care. The organization operates as a non-profit, non-sectarian 501(c)(3) division of Medical Mercy Missions, Inc., funding operations through mission participation donations, tiered annual memberships, and general donations.

Product overview

Flying Doctors of America is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization that operates as a single integrated service offering centered on medical mission trips. Their core product is organizing and leading medical/dental mission teams to underserved communities globally. The organization supplements its mission work with a tiered membership program (Pilot, Co-Pilot, and Basic tiers ranging from $100-$1,000 annually) that provides mission notifications and priority accommodations in exchange for donations that fund new missions and sister causes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Mission Trips Organized medical and dental mission trips to underserved communities worldwide, providing free healthcare to populations who would otherwise lack access to medical care. Teams include physicians, dentists, nurses, and support volunteers. For medical professionals who want to volunteer their skills in international settings.
• Cuba Mission Participation (November 8-14, 2025) One-week medical mission to Havana, Cuba, including clinic work and a free day, with resort accommodation. Participation donation of $2,995. For medical professional volunteers and support volunteers.
• Peru Mission Participation (August 1-7, 2026) One-week medical mission to Cusco, Peru, including clinic days, a Machu Picchu visit, exploration day, and farewell dinner. Participation donation of $2,785. For medical professional volunteers and support volunteers.
• El Salvador Mission Participation (March 20-27, 2026) One-week medical mission to El Salvador, including 4 days of free clinic, Pacific Ocean beach resort accommodation with pool, and day trips to volcanoes, waterfalls, and beaches. Participation donation of $2,785. For medical professional volunteers and support volunteers.
• Captain (Pilot) Membership Top-tier annual membership at $1,000/year. Includes phone and email notifications of new missions before public posting, priority accommodations including private rooms when available, covers spouse and adult children, and recognition on the website. Tax-deductible; funds new missions and sister causes. For individual supporters and medical professionals seeking priority access to missions.
• Co-Pilot Membership Mid-tier annual membership at $500/year. Includes email notifications of new missions before public posting, priority accommodations including private rooms when available, and includes spouse. Tax-deductible; funds new missions and sister causes. For individual supporters and medical professionals seeking priority access.
• Basic Membership Entry-level annual membership at $100/year. Includes email notifications of new missions as soon as they are posted. Tax-deductible donation. For individual supporters who want to stay informed and contribute to the mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 460+ medical missions completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Medical Mercy Missions, Inc.coreOthersFlying Doctors of America is a division of Medical Mercy Missions, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) corporation. This is the parent organization structure under which FDoA operates.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Partners in Health: Global health nonprofit providing medical care to impoverished communities worldwide. Comparable mission-focused care delivery model and reliance on clinical professionals, though with more permanent infrastructure.
• Remote Area Medical: Operates free mobile medical clinics for underserved populations using volunteer professionals. Comparable volunteer-driven free-care model, though primarily domestic (US) rather than international missions.
• Operation Smile: Runs medical mission trips globally for reconstructive surgery using volunteer medical professionals. Directly comparable business model of mission-based volunteer teams, similar donor-funded structure, and targeted underserved populations.
• International Medical Corps: Provides humanitarian medical relief and training worldwide using volunteer and staff medical professionals. Shares FDoA's model of organized medical teams delivering care in underserved international settings.
• Mercy Ships: Operates hospital ships delivering free medical care to underserved regions via volunteer medical professionals. Comparable in volunteer-driven medical mission model targeting the world's poorest populations.
• International Medical Relief: Provides medical mission trips to underserved communities worldwide through volunteer medical professionals. Closely comparable business model with paid volunteer participation and global destination footprint.
• Health Volunteers Overseas: Improves healthcare in resource-scarce countries through volunteer medical professional education and training. Shares FDoA's volunteer-clinician model and international mission footprint.
• Medical Teams International: Delivers medical humanitarian aid through volunteer medical professionals to people in crisis. Comparable in using volunteer clinicians for international medical missions and donor-funded operations.
• Global Medical Brigades: Organizes volunteer medical brigades to underserved communities internationally. Closely comparable short-term mission trip model with paid volunteer participation fees and global geographic reach.
• Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières): Global medical humanitarian organization that sends physicians and medical professionals to underserved regions. Directly comparable to FDoA in mission-driven medical care delivery, though operating at much larger scale and with paid staff.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fdoamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flying-doctors-of-america

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Flying Doctors of America