Wheels to Wellness Senior Transportation

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Executive Summary

Wheels to Wellness Senior Transportation is a nonprofit in California that gives older adults rides to medical appointments, grocery stores, pharmacies and social activities. Screened and trained volunteer drivers use their own cars, and a ride coordinator matches each request with a driver and keeps everyone safe.

When older adults can no longer drive, they can become isolated and skip medical visits. With this grant we will pay a ride coordinator and mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers. Rides are free to riders, and donations are welcome but never required. We provide non-emergency rides only. We do not provide medical care, and we do not transport people who need a stretcher or an ambulance. In an emergency, call 911.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $161,000. We are asking for $45,000 from a community foundation to a ride coordinator salary and mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers. The rest of the budget comes from other grants, sponsors and donors that are listed in the funding section. Every dollar amount in this plan is an estimate and none of it is a promise of any result for the people we serve.

Company Description

Wheels to Wellness Senior Transportation is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes older adults. The board meets monthly, approves the budget and oversees the executive director. A new organization without its own determination letter can use a fiscal sponsor, explained in the funding section.

What we believe. Older adults have the right to stay connected and independent. We treat every rider with dignity and put safety first.

What we do:
- Volunteer driver rides. Volunteers drive older adults to medical visits, pharmacies, grocery stores and social activities in their own cars.
- Ride coordination. A coordinator takes requests, matches drivers and checks in with riders and drivers.
- Driver screening and training. Background checks, driving record checks, insurance checks and training in assisting older adults.
- Friendly check-ins. Drivers and staff look out for riders' well-being.

Limits. We provide non-emergency door-to-door rides in standard cars. We do not transport people who need stretchers or specialized equipment that cannot be carried in a car, do not provide medical care and do not allow drivers to handle medicine or money.

Who we serve. Adults aged 60 and older who live in our service area and cannot drive or have no other ride.

Our board has at least five members, including at least one person who has used our services or lives in the community we serve, and only a minority of board members may be related to each other or paid by the organization.

We keep a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy and a record retention policy, and the board reviews them every year.

Problem & Opportunity

Many older adults lose their independence when they stop driving.

1. Missed medical appointments. Without a ride, some people skip visits and get sicker.
2. Isolation. People who cannot get out of the house see friends less often.
3. Food and medicine. Getting to the grocery store and pharmacy becomes hard.
4. Limited public transit. Buses may not run near their homes or may be hard for people with mobility needs.
5. Cost. Taxis and ride apps are expensive for people on fixed incomes.

Why it matters now. The number of older adults is growing and families live far apart. Volunteer ride programs are an affordable way to meet the need.

How we know the need is real. We reviewed transit coverage and the number of older adults who do not drive in our county, surveyed 100 older adults and talked with clinics and senior centers. Older adults said that missing rides were their biggest problem, and clinics said patients miss visits for lack of a ride. The numbers are in the appendix.

We update these facts every year using public data, partner reports and what the people we serve tell us, and we change the program when the facts change. If a need turns out to be smaller than we thought, we will say so and put the money where it is needed most.

Products & Services

What the funded project will do. With this grant we will pay a ride coordinator and mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers for a full year.

How a rider takes part:
1. Registration. An older adult or a family member calls and registers, and the coordinator explains the program.
2. Ride request. The rider calls at least two days before a ride.
3. Matching. The coordinator finds a screened driver and confirms the time and place.
4. The ride. The driver arrives on time, helps the rider into the car and waits or returns as agreed.
5. Check-in. The coordinator calls riders after their first rides and regularly after that.

What the grant pays for. The request covers the ride coordinator's salary and mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers.

What we do not promise. We do not promise a ride for every request. We explain limits honestly and offer other options. We track rides given and rider feedback and report honestly.

Safety. Drivers pass a background check and driving record check, must have a valid license and insurance and complete training. Drivers do not enter homes beyond the door and do not handle medicine or money. We call 911 for emergencies.

We start small, check what works and grow only when we can do the work well. Every few months we review the numbers and the stories from the people we serve and change the plan where it is not working.

We write plain-language handouts for every step so people know what to expect, what it costs and who to call with questions, and we ask each person at the end whether the help was useful and what we could do better.

Market Analysis

Who benefits from this project are adults aged 60 and older in our service area who cannot drive or have no other ride, and their families.

Who we serve. Older adults who live alone or with limited help, many on fixed incomes, many with mobility challenges and many who have recently stopped driving.

How many people we plan to serve. In Year 1 we plan to serve about 180 riders with about 2,800 rides, supported by about 60 volunteer drivers. By Year 5 we plan to serve about 450 riders a year with about 7,000 rides. We chose these numbers from the capacity of one coordinator at first and two by the fourth year and the number of volunteer drivers we can recruit and support.

Where we serve. Our city and nearby communities within a short drive of medical offices and stores.

Who else benefits. Families who worry less, clinics with fewer missed appointments and volunteers who find meaning in helping neighbors.

How we will be careful. We keep rider information private, share it only with the matched driver as needed and respect riders' choices.

We choose how many people to serve from the number of staff, hours and rooms we really have, not from the size of the need. If we reach fewer people than planned, we will report it and explain why.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices in our area.

1. Public transit and paratransit. Provide rides but have limited routes and long scheduling needs.
2. Taxis and ride apps. Are available but expensive and hard for some older adults to use.
3. Medical transport companies. Provide rides for those who need special care but are costly.
4. Family and friends. Help when they can, but not always available.
5. Other volunteer ride programs in nearby counties.

What makes us different. We offer free, friendly, door-to-door rides in regular cars with screened volunteers, and a coordinator who knows each rider. We work with paratransit and other programs and refer riders to them when they need services we cannot provide.

How we avoid duplication. We meet with the transit agency and senior centers each quarter to share information and coordinate service areas.

We keep a written list of every other organization that does similar work in our area and review it each year. If another group can serve a person better, we refer the person and say so plainly. Funders can expect us to tell the truth about overlap, to share what we learn and to work as part of a larger network of help.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach older adults and volunteers once the project is funded.

Referral partners. Clinics, senior centers, hospitals, pharmacies and housing communities will share information and refer riders.

Community outreach. Presentations at senior centers, churches and libraries and large-print flyers.

Volunteer recruitment. Retirees, faith communities, employers and service clubs will be invited to become drivers.

Word of mouth. Riders and drivers tell friends. With permission, we share stories.

Digital outreach. A website and social media will share how to ride and how to volunteer. We will not post personal information.

Access. Materials will be in large print and in English and Spanish, and riders can request a ride by phone.

Measuring outreach. We will track how each rider and driver heard about us and adjust our outreach where it is not working.

Marketing budget. Outreach and printing are part of the program budget.

Most people hear about services from someone they already trust, so we spend more time with partners and neighbors than on advertising. We write our materials in plain language, test them with a few people from the community and fix anything that confuses them.

Operations Plan

How the project will be carried out, in plain terms.

Timeline for Year 1. Months 1 and 2: hire the coordinator, set up the scheduling system and phone line, sign insurance and recruit the first drivers. Months 3 to 12: register riders, match rides and train new drivers.

Space. The coordinator works from a small office and by phone.

Partners. Clinics, senior centers, a transit agency and an insurance agent. Each has a written agreement.

Safety and insurance rules. Drivers must pass a criminal background check, a driving record check and a vehicle and insurance check, and complete training. The organization carries non-owned auto insurance for volunteer driving. Drivers use seat belts, follow traffic laws and may not use phones while driving. We call 911 for emergencies. We report suspected abuse or neglect of an older adult as the law requires.

Money controls. Mileage reimbursement is paid at a rate that does not exceed the allowed rate, based on logged trips, and two people review every payment. No driver is paid for time.

Records and reporting. We track riders, rides and driver hours and report to funders each quarter.

Training. Drivers receive training in assisting older adults, dementia awareness and safe driving.

We write down every step of the project in a short manual so that any trained staff member can carry it out the same way. We hold a short team meeting every week to review problems, safety concerns and numbers, and we ask the people we serve for feedback at least twice a year.

Management & Organization

The executive director leads the organization and manages the budget, insurance and partners. The ride coordinator takes ride requests, matches drivers and supports riders and volunteers.

The team. Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance. The numbers in parentheses are how many people we plan to have in Years 1 through 5.
- Executive Director: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $54,000 a year each.
- Ride Coordinator: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $44,000 a year each.

Governance and money controls. A volunteer board of directors oversees the budget and the executive director. Two people review every payment, the board reviews financial statements every month, an outside accountant prepares the yearly tax return and audit-ready records, and every grant is tracked in its own budget line. We screen staff and volunteers who work with the people we serve, train everyone on privacy and safety and keep written policies on conflicts of interest and complaints.

Staff and advisors. We seek staff with experience in aging services and welcome older adults on our team. An advisory group of riders, a driver, a nurse and a transit planner meets quarterly.

Feedback and complaints. Anyone we serve can give feedback or a complaint by phone, in writing or in person, and can ask to speak with the board chair. We reply within five working days, keep a log of every complaint and report the themes to the board each quarter. No one loses services for speaking up.

Milestones Narrative

Goals for each of the first five years and how we will measure results. These are goals, not promises.
- Before the grant starts (2 to 3 months before the grant starts): hire the coordinator, set up the scheduling system and phone line, arrange insurance and recruit and screen the first drivers
- Year 1: serve about 180 riders with about 2,800 rides and about 60 volunteer drivers. The budget is $161,000.
- Year 2: add a grocery shuttle day and recruit more drivers. The budget is $164,000.
- Year 3: expand to nearby communities. The budget is $167,000.
- Year 4: hire a second coordinator. The budget is $216,000.
- Year 5: serve about 450 riders a year with about 7,000 rides and publish a plain results report. The budget is $219,500.

How we will measure results: riders served, rides given, volunteer drivers active, rides requested but not given, riders' own ratings of independence and driver safety incidents (aim for none). We report results to funders in the same plain numbers we use here, and we say honestly when a goal was missed and what we changed.

We report to funders every quarter and send a short plain-language summary to our board each month. At the end of each year we review all of the goals, publish a short results report and update the plan for the next year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $45,000 from a community foundation for a ride coordinator salary and mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Ride Coordinator salary, $38,000.
- Other: Mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers, $7,000 (other funds add $2,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 34% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $161,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $6,100 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grant revenue $131,000; individual donations $20,000; community and medical partner sponsors $10,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $54,000; ride coordinator $44,000; mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers about $24,000; non-Owned auto insurance for volunteer driving about $10,000; driver screening and training about $6,000; outreach and printing about $6,000; administration and insurance about $10,000.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $11,800 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $2,800 for laptops, a ride scheduling system and a dedicated phone line, $1,700 for driver kits with first aid supplies, seat belt extenders and step stools, $2,200 for driver screening setup and training materials, $2,400 for insurance and policy review by an attorney, $1,800 for magnets, flyers in large print and a simple website, and $900 for opening supplies.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($11,800), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $38,500, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $50,500. We start with $12,000 of our own savings and $40,000 in startup support from a local foundation and our board, $52,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $161,000 in Year 1 to about $219,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $131,000, $126,000, $121,000, $162,000, $157,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans a small surplus each year, about $6,100, $5,900, $5,500, $7,000 and $6,700 in Years 1 to 5, which we put into savings.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $48,100, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $6,440 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Individual donors and community and medical partner sponsors grow each year, so grants become a smaller share. Clinics and health plans may help fund rides to appointments over time.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A driver may be hard to find for a ride. We recruit many drivers and keep a waiting list.
- An accident could occur. We screen drivers, require insurance and follow a written accident procedure.
- A grant may end. We grow donors and sponsors each year and keep savings.
- Fuel costs may rise. We review the reimbursement each year.
- A rider may become ill during a ride. Drivers are trained to call 911.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller with one site or one staff member and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this proposal:

- Your IRS determination letter showing 501(c)(3) status, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your board list and board minutes approving the application.
- Your most recent budget and financial statements.
- A list of other funders and what each has given or been asked to give.
- Your driver screening policy, training outline and accident procedure.
- Proof of non-owned auto insurance.
- Agreements with clinics and senior centers.
- Letters of support from riders and partners.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $131,000 in Year 1, growing to $157,500 in Year 5.
- Individual Donations: $20,000 in Year 1, growing to $36,000 in Year 5.
- Community and Medical Partner Sponsors: $10,000 in Year 1, growing to $26,000 in Year 5.
- Staff pay is shown in the management section and includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers $24,000, non-Owned auto insurance for volunteer driving $10,000, driver screening and training $6,000, outreach and printing $6,000, and administration and insurance $10,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year as the program grows.
- Grant and partner payments arrive after we bill, so about $6,440 (4% of Year 1 income) is owed to us at the end of Year 1.
- The program does not pay income tax. Any surplus stays in the program.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real numbers.

Plain words used in this proposal:
- Grant: money given for a specific purpose that does not have to be paid back, as long as it is spent as promised.
- Request: the part of the budget we are asking this funder to pay for.
- Surplus: money left over after a year's costs. A small surplus is healthy because it builds savings for slow months.
- Startup costs: one-time costs, such as equipment, paid once before the program runs at full speed.
- Working capital: cash kept in the bank to pay bills while waiting for grant payments.
- In-kind: goods or services given instead of money, such as donated space.
- Fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for a new group and passes the money to its program, usually for a fee.
- 501(c)(3): the tax status that lets a nonprofit receive tax-deductible gifts and many grants.

How to read the numbers. Every income and cost figure is a plan, not a result. Income rises as sponsors and donors join, costs rise a little each year, and each year's budget is planned to balance with a small surplus. Startup costs are shown separately because they are paid once. If a real number turns out different, we will update the plan and tell our funders why.

Startup Costs