MEDICAL MISSION TRIP 2023 COSTS FOR VOLUNTEERS
This page details core medical mission expenses, the International Airfare Cost and the Medical Mission Fee, which are eligible for fundraising and tax deduction. Information regarding Cultural Immersion Cost is dealt with individually by our Travel Coordinator since it is a peripheral expenditure unrelated to your volunteer role.
File photo: Co-Chair Brooke Harris, RN, Tungod, 2018.
The International Airfare Cost (IAC)
International Airfare Cost includes your roundtrip international flight plus the trip protection plan that allows you to rebook flights if needed.
Volunteers are expected to book and pay for their flights to and from the Philippines. Our Travel Coordinator can guide you and get a copy of your final itinerary to plan your airport pick-up and drop-off. Book your flights by 7 February 2023.
We recommend using Google Flights to monitor prices. Use CEB for the “Where to” box, a departure date of 9 May 2023 and a return date of 19 May 2023. If you want to play around with the departure dates for better pricing, make sure it is a few days BEFORE 9 May 2023. For the return date, add 3-5 days AFTER 19 May 2023. Expect fares to be between $1,200 to $1,500.
File photo: Family Medicine Consultation, 2018.
The Medical Mission Fee (MMF)
The MMF covers the following for your 10-day medical mission trip:
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Transportation from the time you arrive at the airport to when you will be dropped off for the next leg of your journey
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Meals and beverages (non-alcoholic)
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Laundry while at Home Base
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Shared lodging at the Home Base (although private rooms are available for a small fee)
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Project-specific items: meds, surgical, dental, and laboratory supplies for the five clinics
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Non-medical items:
- Volunteer Kit - a drawstring backpack, two light blue scrub tops, two t-shirts, face towels, and a water bottle
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Shared, portable wifi
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Group sightseeing and recreational activities
File photo: Minor Surgery, 2018.
How to Calculate the Medical Mission Fee
Your Medical Mission Fee is calculated using a Base Rate of $1,980 per person, to which applicable discounts and private room surcharges are applied. MMF is calculated on a per-person or per-party basis.
MMF per person = $1,980 - applicable discount + private room surcharge
MMF per party = How many there are in the party X $1,980
Minus sum of discounts for each member in the party
Plus one-time private room surcharge
Examples of How Your Medical Mission Fee is Calculated
File photo: Urgent Care, Medical Mission Trip 2014.
Medical Mission Fee Monthly Installment Plan
Enroll in our Monthly Installment Plan for no extra fee if you want your MMF divided into five equal parts (i.e., 20% of the MMF), charged monthly to your credit card starting 23 December 2022.
File photo: Co-Chair Henk Jordaan, MD, 2016.
The Holiday Fundraiser
With guidance from our Holiday Fundraiser Coach, volunteers may opt to fundraise during the holiday season to fully or partially defray the Medical Mission Fee and International Airfare Cost. The concept for the Holiday Fundraiser is simple: let your friends and family know that you are volunteering in a medical mission to the Philippines and ask them to help you raise funds for this trip by donating to HAND-Philippines.
Here are the specifics:
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Indicate that you intend to participate in the Holiday Fundraiser and create your personalized Holiday Fundraiser page when you register for the trip. You will leave your credit card information for future charges. Your personalized Holiday Fundraiser page will need a profile pic and a short bio.
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Let your close family and friends, those who routinely send you gifts for the holidays, know right away that you are fundraising for a medical mission trip and would appreciate getting donations for it.
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Let your donors know that they can make contributions through the following:
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CHECK: They can hand you a check written for HAND-Philippines with the memo stating your name. You will get instructions as to how to send the checks to us. Their gifts are 100% tax deductible using this method.
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VENMO: They can Venmo you with the memo stating that it is to support your mission trip with HAND-Philippines. You will then get instructions on how to forward the money to us. Although this peer-to-peer payment method is the most convenient, their gifts are not tax-deductible. The reasons are highly complicated.
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WEBSITE: They can go to your official Holiday Fundraiser page by giving them the link or QR code. Their gifts are 100% tax deductible using this method.
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- Our Holiday Fundraiser Coach will help you set up social media posts to reach other potential donors.
- On 23 December 2022, a charge for your deposit will be posted to your card, which is 20% of your MMF. This amount is counted towards your fundraising total at the end.
- Fundraising ends on 20 January 2023. Your deposit and all donations are added, and the sum hereafter is referred to as your Holiday Fundraising Total
File photo: Pharmacy staff, Medical Mission Trip 2018.
Refund and Coverage Rules for the Holiday Fundraiser
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Priority goes to covering Medical Mission Fee (MMF) first and International Airfare Cost (IAC) second. Once MMF and IAC are covered, the excess goes to the Org’s General Fund.
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Only volunteers (new or returning) are eligible to participate.
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Once your MMF target is met, you will receive your deposit back as a reward for attaining this target.
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Your IAC will be refunded up to a maximum of $1,500 only.
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Proof of ticket purchase and amount are required to refund IAC.
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All refunds are subject to a service charge of 3.49%.
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Volunteers belonging to a party may choose to fundraise individually or as a group.
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If fundraising as a group (of two or more volunteers), the total target is the sum of each member’s target. Coverage follows the same principle: The group’s total MMF has to be met first before deposits are refunded, after which coverage starts for each member’s IAC, with the funds divided evenly among them.
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Publicly sourced funds cannot be used to cover costs associated with non-volunteers who travel in the same party with volunteers participating in the fundraiser, even if their Holiday Fundraising Totals are over their targets.
File photo: Volunteers in a Manila Jeepney, 2018.
Mission Cost Coverage Based on Holiday Fundraiser Total
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If your Holiday Fundraiser Total is equal to or greater than the sum of your MMF+IAC, then both your MMF and IAC are fully covered. You will receive a refund of your deposit and IAC, which means public donations are fully subsidizing your medical mission trip. Any excess goes to the Org’s General Fund, and you will receive a special plaque presented to you at the mission’s closing ceremony.
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If your Holiday Fundraiser Total is more than your MMF but not quite able to cover both MMF and IAC, then only your MMF is fully covered while your IAC is partially covered. You will receive a refund of your deposit and whatever is left goes to refund your IAC, which means public donations are subsidizing a significant portion of your medical mission trip.
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If your Holiday Fundraiser Total is less than your MMF, then only your MMF is partially covered by how much you raised. There will be no refund for your deposit or your IAC. You will still have to pay for what is not covered in your MMF (the balance owed), divided into four equal parts billed on your credit card monthly starting 27 January 2023. At the very least, public donations are subsidizing your MMF, thereby significantly reducing the amount that you are paying.
Here's a chart to summarize the above scenarios:
File photo: Pharmacy, Medical Mission Trip 2018.
Refund Policy
Given the nature of our nonprofit status, payments you made for yourself and donations made on your behalf are treated differently. If, for any legitimate reason, you cannot take the trip in 2023 but have already started paying the Medical Mission Fee, you may request a 100% credit towards the next medical mission trip or a refund minus a service charge of 3.49%. On the other hand, publicly sourced funds (the money you raised through the Holiday Fundraiser) cannot be returned. The Org will keep them as 100% credit for the next medical mission trip.
File photo: Baby in a bucket bath, 2014.