The Distinguished Flying Cross Society

What The Distinguished Flying Cross Society does

The Distinguished Flying Cross Society (DFCS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded on June 6, 1994, in San Diego, California, on the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. The organization is the only national society specifically dedicated to honoring recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross, the U.S. military medal awarded for heroism or extraordinary achievement in aerial flight. DFCS operates through approximately 9 staff supporting 23 regional chapters across 15+ U.S. states, serving a membership that spans aviators from WWII through current conflicts, along with their spouses, descendants, and approved supporters.

DFCS runs as a membership-based community organization with no proprietary technology systems; it relies on standard nonprofit infrastructure including the Neon One CRM platform for membership management and Honor Roll directory, Zeffy for event registration, QuickBooks for financial tracking, and partner-operated e-commerce storefronts. Core offerings include biennial national reunions (the 53rd Annual Reunion is planned for 2026, with the 2027 Reunion scheduled for Pensacola), the OGTA (Old Guys and Their Airplanes) award-winning documentary video series produced by John Mollison, Educator Kits aligned to state curriculum standards, the Linebacker II Libraries four-part Vietnam documentary, a quarterly DFCS Newsletter, an annual scholarship program for descendants (active since 1998), and a perpetual Honor Roll of DFC recipients.

Revenue is generated through a combination of annual membership dues (Regular, Associate, Affiliate, Lifetime, and free two-year Active Military tiers), charitable donations, corporate sponsorships (Airbus, Palmetto Military Support Group, Columbia Craft Brewing, Copper River Seafoods, Peninsula Seafoods), merchandise sales fulfilled by PriorService.com, and profit-sharing from the DFCS Wine Club partnership with Evergreen Family Wines. Specific membership pricing is established by the Board of Directors and is not publicly disclosed. In 2025, DFCS transitioned its IRS designation from 501(c)(19) to 501(c)(3), a structural change intended to broaden its donor and corporate sponsor pool.

Name

The Distinguished Flying Cross Society

Legal name

The Distinguished Flying Cross Society

Website

https://dfcsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Distinguished Flying Cross Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving U.S. military Distinguished Flying Cross recipients through 23 regional chapters, biennial reunions, scholarships, and documentary media programs, funded by memberships, donations, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The organization collects membership dues from Regular, Associate, and Affiliate members. Dues structures are established by the Board of Directors as specified in Operating Procedures.
2. Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, DFCS receives charitable donations from members, corporations, and the public. The organization developed an endowment through corporate sponsorships and members' donations.
3. Merchandise Sales: DFCS generates revenue through branded merchandise sold via PriorService.com fulfillment partner and the DFCS Wine Club through Evergreen Family Wines partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Distinguished Flying Cross Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that honors and preserves the legacy of U.S. military aviators awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. It sells tiered memberships (Regular, Associate, Affiliate, Lifetime), delivers biennial reunions and chapter-based fellowship, maintains a permanent Honor Roll directory, administers an annual scholarship program for descendants of members, and produces educational content including the OGTA video documentary series and school educator kits.

Product overview

The Distinguished Flying Cross Society operates a membership-based nonprofit organization centered around a website platform that provides membership management, educational content, and event coordination. The core product is the DFCS Website Platform which enables membership enrollment, scholarship applications, and event registration. Supporting offerings include the OGTA Video Series (documentary interviews with combat aviators), Educator Kits for schools, the Linebacker II Libraries documentary series, quarterly newsletters, annual scholarship programs, biennial reunions, an Honor Roll directory, a wine club partnership, and merchandise store—all unified under the mission to honor, preserve, and teach the legacy of Distinguished Flying Cross recipients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 23 regional chapters serving members across the United States
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, secondary and minor.

• Old Guys and Their Airplanes (OGTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning multimedia series produced by John Mollison featuring interviews with decorated combat aviators. DFCS partners with OGTA to document and share the stories of DFC recipients with the public through video series, educator kits, and community events.
• AirbusmajorOthersCorporate sponsor of DFCS reunions; represented by Ron Tremain who presents Aircrew of the Year awards to Coast Guard crews at events.
• PriorService.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProud fulfillment partner for the Distinguished Flying Cross Society, handling all merchandise store operations including shipping and customer service for memorabilia.
• Evergreen Family WinessecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerDeveloped exclusive DFCS Wine Club offering wine at discounts to members with a percentage of profits coming back to the DFCS organization.
• Nine Line ApparelminorOthersVeteran-owned lifestyle brand that creates products symbolizing the distress call from the battlefield. Their Nine Line Foundation supports severely injured veterans.
• The Palmetto Military Support GroupminorOthersLocal support organization that sponsors DFCS reunions in the South Carolina area.
• Columbia Craft BrewingminorOthersCraft brewery sponsor of DFCS reunion events.
• Copper River SeafoodsminorOthersCorporate sponsor of DFCS reunions.
• Peninsula SeafoodsminorOthersCorporate sponsor of DFCS reunions.
• Neon OnecoreTechnology or IntegrationCRM platform provider for DFCS membership management, enabling members to update profiles, staff to manage memberships, and integrating with QuickBooks for financial tracking.
• River RatssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeteran aviation organization that hosts annual reunions; DFCS hosts evening events at River Rats gatherings including buffet dinners with guest speakers.
• Tailhook AssociationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNaval aviation association hosting symposiums; DFCS maintains presence at Tailhook events including Hook '26 reunion in Reno, Nevada.
• Marine Fighter ForaysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine fighter aviation community event; DFCS has professional group display presence at Foray events in Dallas, reaching the Marine fighter community.
• ZeffysecondaryTechnology or IntegrationNonprofit-focused registration platform used by DFCS for secure online event registrations with no platform cost to the organization.
• Semper Fi MissionminorOthersVeteran-focused nonprofit addressing physical, mental, and spiritual needs; DFCS supports Patriots 5K run/walk/ruck event benefiting veterans mental health and suicide prevention.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Military Officers Association of America (MOAA): Larger, established military officer association with broader scope across all service branches. Board member Robert Certain serves on MOAA's board, indicating institutional overlap; both serve career military officers and their families.
• Air Force Association (AFA): Large, established independent nonprofit supporting the USAF and aerospace community. Comparable in mission of honoring airmen and preserving aviation heritage, though broader in scope and significantly larger in scale than DFCS.
• Wounded Warrior Project: Massive, well-funded veteran nonprofit that shares donor pools and corporate sponsorship ecosystem with DFCS. Represents the dominant scaled operator in the veteran nonprofit fundraising landscape DFCS competes in for donor dollars.

Direct peers

• Tailhook Association: Membership association for naval aviators that hosts annual symposiums (Hook '26). DFCS maintains presence at Tailhook events, and both organizations serve decorated combat aviators with reunion-style gatherings and shared member overlap.
• River Rats Association: Veteran aviation organization that hosts annual reunions where DFCS hosts evening events. Both organizations share the mission of preserving combat aviation fellowship and feature overlapping pilot membership.
• Combat Helicopter Pilots Association: Membership association for combat helicopter aviators with reunion events. Shares DFC recipient members (helicopter pilots like Michael Hays with 35 Air Medals and a DFC) and operates similar event-driven engagement and recognition programs.
• American Ex-POWs: Veteran service organization led by DFCS Director Robert Certain as national commander. Comparable membership model of veteran recognition, advocacy, and community engagement around shared service experiences.
• Marine Corps Aviation Association (MCAA): Association supporting Marine Corps aviation with reunions, awards, and recognition. DFCS's Marine Fighter Foray partnership and Marine DFC recipients create direct member overlap in the Marine aviation community.
• Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA): Membership organization supporting Army aviation, with overlapping member base of DFC recipients who flew Army rotary-wing aircraft. Comparable in operating reunions, conventions, and recognition programs for aviation officers.

Emerging players

• National Aviation Hall of Fame: Educational nonprofit honoring aviation pioneers and enshrinees, with overlapping audience of aviation history enthusiasts and educator partnerships. Adjacent in mission of preserving aviation heritage and offering educational programming similar to DFCS's OGTA series.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dfcsociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dfcsociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 The Distinguished Flying Cross Society