Frequent Flyer Pledge Program

What is the Center for Global Health Frequent Flyer Pledge program?  This program allows members of the UW-Madison Health Science Community, Alumni and interested others to support the efforts of health science students and affiliated faculty who are interested in international work. International field activities, in the form of practicums/clerkships, field-based education, research, or service projects are powerful life experiences that have a long-term impact on the worldview and lifetime vocation of UW health science students. The Center for Global Health (CGH) Frequent Flyer Pledge program allows donors the opportunity to facilitate these experiences by granting travel awards in the form of airline tickets to students or accompanying faculty who have plans to travel to another country to participate in health-related education, service, or research activities.  Awards may also be used to support US-based travel where the purpose of the trip is primarily international, such as presenting research at a global conference where international colleagues will be among the beneficiaries. 

How does the program work?  Donors pledge the number of miles needed for an award ticket for a round trip flight either to an international location or to a gateway city.  The number of miles needed will range from as low as 25,000 for domestic travel to a gateway city, to international trips that require from 35,000 -100,000 miles, depending on the airline and the international site. Once CGH selects a student or faculty member for the award, the donor will be asked to redeem the award in that person’s name. The award recipient will select specific flights and dates, but the donor must authorize the issuance of the ticket.  

Can my miles be combined with mileage from another donor?  Due to the varying fees and regulations associated with individual airline award programs and the subsequent difficulty of combining miles from various airlines, the CGH Frequent Flyer Pledge program can only accept awards for the amount of entire tickets. 

Are donations to the CGH Frequent Flyer Pledge program tax-deductible?  No. 

Are there any fees associated with donation?  No. 

Will I find out how my miles were used?  Yes.  You will be contacted by the award recipient to arrange for travel, and you will be informed about the destination and purpose of the trip.  If so desired, recipients will also share their trip reports and experiences with the donors who make their travel possible. 

How do I pledge awards to the CGH Frequent Flyer Pledge program?  You may download the Frequent Flyer Pledge form and mail it Melissa Coons at Health Sciences Learning Center, 750 Highland Ave., Rm. 4230A, Madison, WI 53705.