For those who regularly read my blog, you may remember my post announcing my recent kidney donation.  I wanted to let you know that the surgery went well for both my recipient and for me.  Now I am back at home resting.  While I do not yet have the energy to get back into my regular blogging, I did want to share this with you.

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of meeting all donors and recipients involved in the donor chain.  It was so neat to hear each story and how they became involved in kidney transplantation.

We gathered at the Clarian Transplant Unit at Indiana University Hospital on IUPUI’s campus.  Many of the medical and professional staff members were present, as well.

The story of the donor chain was recorded by the marketing department of Clarian Health Partners, as well as one of Indianapolis’ local new station, WTHR.  If you are interested, make sure to watch WTHR on Christmas Eve at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. (contingent upon breaking news).  If I receive more information about the airing of the story, I will be sure to post it.

Professional development is critical – especially as the nonprofit sector becomes increasingly professionalized and as more empirical research focuses on effective practices of nonprofit organizations.

There are many options for nonoprofit professionals, ranging from workshops to graduate degrees.  A leading nonprofit scholar and practitioner, Lilya Wagner, provides information specifically for fundraisers.  It is available in her chapter, Resources for Strengthening Fund Raising Skills, in the book, Hank Rosso’s Achieving Excellence in Fund Raising.

For my professional development, I chose to seek graduate education.  I just finished my third semester of four semesters – in earning my Master of Public Affairs, with a concentration in Nonprofit Management.  You can check out what courses I have completed at SPEA-IUPUI on my Graduate Education page.  (Click on the course name for a sample of my work!)

Some of the key benefits of this experience include:

1. Readings that build my knowledge
2. Assignments that develop my skills
3. Colleagues that expand my network

Based on my experience, I recommend asking some important questions before enrolling in a nonprofit degree program:

• Who are the students?  Ask questions about age, race, gender, education, work experience, etc.
• Who are the professors?  Are they practitioners, scholars, or both?
• What is the course work?  Is recent research used?  Are assignments designed to build a portfolio?

What other information is important to ask of an institution of higher education – that often isn’t found on websites or in brochures?  Please leave a comment with your suggestion.

Well, as of December 16 I have completed all of my Fall Semester finals and are therefore DONE with school until Spring Semester starts in January. Compared to last years finals these were fairly laid-back. There was some stress involved, but there always is. Out of my five classes, only one had a “normal” final- Chinese (C-119). There was a three page written exam and an oral portion where we had to answer questions, read a dialogue with a partner and then create a dialogue with a partner. I actually got to say “Oh yes, I have an allergy, I am allergic to studying!” in Chinese.

My web class (N-341) and Design Principles (N-280) both had group projects. I won’t go into the web one, because it was just too chaotic and I don’t feel like I really did that much to help. The N-280 final project was to design a themed deck of cards. My group picked Chinese take-out, which was a total joke at first, but we ended up going with it just because it was weird. My job was to design the face cards. I did the Queen first and then the King, Jack and Joker. I picked Red Pandas because I think they are quite under-appreciated and needed some love. Read more about them in the Artist’s Comments on dA. We got a 190/200 on it~ not bad.

My Intro to Digital Video (N-240)…ehh, I’ll get back to you on that one.

My last final (which was technically my first) was for Directed Study II (N299). It was a job shadow reflection paper, meaning of course that I went on a job shadow. Sort of. It was less of a job shadow and more of an informational interview, since we mostly sat around and talked about things. Myself and my classmates spoke with Steve Hodges, the Director of Electronic Media in the Offices of Communications and Marketing at IUPUI. He has won many awards for the creation of our school’s website (which is pretty awesome- I still LOVE that search bar). It was very interesting and informative and writing a paper for it wasn’t too hard.

Over the break I plan to work on assembling a portfolio site so that come Spring, I’ll have something to show for all my work in and outside of classes. I still need to find a good balance of my newfound love of design and my old love of drawing manga. I’m sure a few weeks away from classes will help with that. At least, I hope so! > w <

As classes wind down, all the major projects and finals come underway. They are there at every corner, in every class and they suck! However, with full creative rights, finals can be tolerated. In my Seeing Sideways class, we had a final research project due the 14th, which was our last class. It was supposed to be something that we like or love. I karaoked. Of course, I had worked myself into a frenzy up to the point of class and was debating doing it, then a fellow classmate balls’d up for me and did it first. So that really helped out a little bit and then I went to it. Of course, I wanted to do better and do it more than once but I got it out there. I felt like a virgin as I hit the class with my best shot. I felt just like jesse james as I (Oops) did it again. I felt hot blooded as the adrenaline rushed through my body. Karma kameleon is a bitch as the song came to an end. I had a total eclipse of my heart. Like all people who karaoke I had that feeling, and I just wanted to dance. I jumped in for my class and spun them right round baby right round. It was amazing, there is nothing like it.

By the way karaoke means “empty orchestra.”

Lindsey

What is the role of the nonprofit board in fundraising?

I suggest that it is a critical role – one that cannot be ignored or avoided.  The following ideas are informed by my fundraising experience and the coursework from the Principles and Techniques of Fundraising, offered by the Fund Raising School at the Center on Philanthropy.

Why should board members be the first constituency group to financially support their nonprofit organization?

• The board is the leadership of the nonprofit organization.  If the leaders don’t support the organization, why would anyone else?
• The board is a group of volunteers.  Of course, the staff members will sing the praises of their respective organization; they have a vested interest!  If a board member really “vouches” for an organization, it is often perceived as more genuine.
• The board is critical in the cultivation and solicitation of other donors.  How can a board member ask someone else to support an organization if the board member doesn’t!?!

Why should board members be involved in raising funds from other sources?

• The board has connections that staff members do not.  This can help with initial introductions and other critical components of the fundraising process.
• The board provides critical information and an important perspective.  How does the community perceive this organization?  What fundraising strategies work with particular types of people?
• The board brings additional skills.  Some individuals are great at telling stories.  Others are comfortable always meeting new people.  Some may enjoy building relationships one-on-one.  All of these skills are useful in the development cycle.

Ultimately, the board has a legal responsibility to lead the nonprofit organization.  (Check out this quick summary of legal duties, compiled by Board Source.)  For most nonprofit organizations, the financial viability of an organization is dependent upon fundraising.  So, the real question is:  why wouldn’t a board member be responsible for the organization’s fundraising?

Can you think of other reasons why board members should be involved in their nonprofit’s fundraising?  Please leave a comment!

Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of attending a Holiday Tea, sponsored by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI.  The event was well attended by alumni and donors.  A handful of faculty members and current students, like myself, were also invited.

I was able to meet SPEA alumni, Vivi Lamb, a recruiter for Simon Property Group.  After a brief conversation introducing ourselves and our work, we began to discuss issues of diversity.  I was pleased to hear that Vivi contributed to Simon Property Group’s success in diversity initiatives, ultimately winning an award from the Mayor’s Office of Indianapolis.

I was impressed by a story of how one decision, prioritizing diversity, increased the effectiveness and efficiency of an entire department at the company.  I would like to share it with you now:

An individual, who was hearing impaired, was hired by Simon Property Group.  He communicated via reading lips, instant messaging, and written notes.  The man requested two computer screens – the first for the content of his work and the second for instant messaging with his boss and co-workers.  The company provided the two screens, and soon afterwards, the man was performing his work tasks at a higher quantity and higher quality than all of his peers.  Interested in this improvement, the company assessed the situation and realized that the benefits of increased efficiency and effectiveness far exceeded the cost of a second computer screen – potentially for ALL employees.  Now, every person in the work team has two computer screens, and the department consistently performs at higher levels of quality and quantity (than previously with only one computer screen per employee).

There are several reasons why I love this story of diversity.

1. Diversity is more than just skin color.  It involves a variety of characteristics, including different abilities.
2. The company was committed to creating success by providing reasonable accomodations (which is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act).
3. The individual’s perspective is respected by the company – ultimately increasing the success of an entire department.

What a great example of how an organization can embrace diversity!  Do you know of another success story of how diversity practices have been effectively implemented?  Please leave a comment with your story.

To learn more about this bottom-line benefit of diversity, I plan to read a book recently released, None of Us is As Good As All of Us:  How McDonald’s Prospers by Embracing Inclusion and Diversity.  You may want to take a look, too!

“MARKETING?!?”

Unfortunately, nonprofit professionals often avoid marketing – assuming it is sinful to think like a marketer, wasteful to act like a marketer, and career suicide to talk like a marketer.

Well, I have a confession to make:  I have fallen in love with nonprofit marketing!  This semester, I have had the privilege to learn from (arguably) the top scholar and practioner in the field of nonprofit marketing:  Adrian Sargeant.

All of the coursework was hands-on.  I was applying marketing concepts to case studies of nonprofit organizations.  I was developing marketing research, constructing a marketing plan, and creating a communications plan.  And, I was loving it!

Because of this class, I now know how to approach a situation or a problem – leveraging the marketing framework.  I am confident in integrating marketing concepts throughout my work.  Ultimately, I am focused on answering the question:  How are we (the organization, the professional, etc.) “sensitively meeting the needs of society”?

…and what’s so bad about that?!?

Fellow nonprofit professionals, before refusing to work with a marketing consultant or pursue a marketing initiative, stop and think:  Would you like to be “sensitively meeting the needs of society?”  If your answer is yes, please recognize that the field of marketing can provide a new perspective, priceless advice, and research-based recommendations to nonprofit organizations.

Please leave a comment.  What is your perception of marketing in nonprofit organizations?  Feel free to share stories of the good, the bad, and the ugly!

If I had the opportunity to start over again would I? And with starting over would the process would include a whole new life, new name, new everything.

I have actually thought about this question on occasion. I think where I am at right now, I have regrets. OMG, I know I said the “R” word. A lot of people claim that regrets take from you and the quality of living, and you should never have them. Well, I do. I am dealing with them better than I have before but they are still there. There are things I wish I had done differently. There are things from my past that directly affect my life today and I wish that wasn’t there. Don’t get me wrong I am happy where I am now but it was a long road to get here and I am by no means at the ultimate in my life. I love my partner and I have a good job, I am writing which I love and school is almost over but that doesn’t mean that all my goals have been met. I just wish that some things in my past hadn’t happened, that’s all.

So would I change my life or start over again, that depends. Would I be able to keep the things in my life that make me happy now? Would I be able to be doing what I love and still be a bubbly, weird person? Would I look the same, because I like my looks?! If those things would change then I would have to say no. However, if starting over again meant that my past mistakes would be erased and that I would be rich right now, then I might reconsider. My life is on track for the most part, the track that I want to be on. So this question is still up for debate. And as of recently I haven’t had any big complaints. Will those regrets still be there? I am not sure, I am dealing with them and learning that not everything was and is my fault. I need those regrets to grasp reality and to know where my heart is now and where it is that I stand. 

That is my final answer.

Lindsey

My heading is in regards to Madonna’s song “Holiday” because the N385 assignment is to make up a holiday that we would want to celebrate and what we would do.

I think if I was able to make up a holiday I would want something to do with music. A musical celebration day. Where the whole world had to celebrate by singing, dancing and listening to their favorite music all day. They would listen loudly and happily and have no worries for the day. People would take the day off work and music stores and cafes’ would have specials so people could come in and listen to their music, while having their favorite coffee, food or drink.

This holiday would take place on a Monday because that would extend the weekend and people don’t like Mondays’ usually. This would be a celebration for everyone in the world, because music is everywhere.

Lindsey

So I can’t get the Kittens inspired by kittens girl out of my head today, hence the clever title.

“I want pie! I want beef jerky!”

Classic.

Anyway, yes, I am having Puffins for breakfast with soy milk and bananas. And coffee. Don’t forget the coffee!

Got a busy day today – heading downtown at noon for a Dreamweaver class at IUPUI. It’s the third in a series I’ve been taking. (Actually its the fourth but I didn’t take the first class!) Its like boot camp – they cram as much information as is humanly possible into a four-hour class. It’s great. Plus, my employer is graciously paying for it so that I can become a more productive worker and build more web pages for them! (Thanks guys!)

Then….Hank III tonight!!

I am so pumped for this show. I was really torn on whether or not to go, it being a “school night,” hubby couldn’t/didn’t want to go and its a good 30-40 minute drive from my house (in the rain, looks like). But then I was like, “hell, what am I? 80 years old? Live a little!” I think of couple of my old buddies will be there too, so it should be a great time.

Okay – off to work! Have a great day…

This afternoon, I enjoyed attending the panel discussion event, Meet the Funders.  It was hosted by:  IUPUI Solution Center, Nonprofit Solutions Initiative.  Panelists included:  Michael Twyman of the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, Ellen Annala of United Way Central Indiana, Angela Carr Klitzsch of Central Indiana Community Foundation, and Teresa Bennett of the IUPUI Solution Center.  Marie Beason of Indiana Grantmakers Alliance also offered a brief presentation.

The panelists highlighted the following trends for foundation giving in the current economic climate:

• Some foundations are not funding capital or endowment requests.  Instead, they are focusing on program and operational support.
• There is a renewed interest in capacity building.  Foundations are recognizing a role in long-term planning and security.
• Many foundations are not entertaining proposals from new organizations.  Organizations with pre-established relationships are preferred.
• Giving may still be down for 2010, 2011, and even further.  Pay-out rates are usually calculated on a three-year rolling average.
• Corporate foundations, in particular, may be interested in providing in-kind services and volunteers – not just financial support.
• Foundations with large endowments may begin to offer loans to nonprofit organizations.  This leverages the large financial base of foundations and benefits smaller agencies that often struggle with cash flow.  (Note:  These loans could be offered below the market rate.)

What other trends do you see in the grantmaking world right now?  Please leave a comment.

Check out this excerpt from my work portfolio for best practice guidelines on fundraising in a recession.

Okay, so addiction is not funny, but I love this chic Allison from Intervention. She was a hot mess. She was addicted to duster and was crazy for this stuff. So, like with anything that has some humor to it, YouTube has a whole collection of remixes and other clips from this specific episode. To me it is funny, it makes me laugh and it never gets old. I am serious I have watched this about 5o times and each time it still tickles me. To me that is what humor is, that is what makes something funny. If you have the notion to laugh and be happy when you see something then that is funny. Besides, my family and I have a running joke about Allison, because my mom thinks I kind of look like her and my ringer on her phone is the famous quote, “It’s like I’m walking on sunshine.”

Here is a little background:

Here is the remix:

You guys probably hate me know but I still think it’s funny. She got help and I am not sure her status today but you know what…that doesn’t make the remix any less funny.

Lindsey

N385, research ideas:

Karaoke. That is all there is to it. I love it, and I want to share it. I will do what it takes to get the word out about this wonderful art form

Not only is this a great topic, I can also incorporate my talents some how. Okay, so karaoke gives people like me a chance to shine, and we are usually pretty bad, but it is still fun and that is what I am going to do my research project on.

I will keep a running log of my progress in my blog, any input is accepted.

Lindsey

A network is a wonderful thing!  One thing the economic recession has taught professionals:  no one really has job security.  So, you need to strengthen your safety net – your network!

Here are 4 key tips for successful networking during an economic recession.

1. So, there are hiring freezes.  Thawing will happen.  And, when it does, make sure that you are the FIRST thought in someone’s mind.  Keep reaching out and making new contacts.  Position yourself in the forefront.
2. Making face-to-face contacts can be expensive – with meal costs and conference fees.  Choose wisely.  Find out where you can go and what you can do for free.  (For Indy nonprofit professionals, check out my calendar.)
3. A recession is not the time to retreat back into your turtle shell.  Do not isolate yourself professionally.  Ask others how you can be of assistance to them.  Also, ask your contacts, “Who else should I be speaking with about this?” 
4. Cultivate contacts in your network just like you would donors.  Remember those gift policies about recognition within 48 hours?  Be sure to send an email thank you immediately.  Then, send a handwritten thank you note.  This is not the time to be stingy with your time!

Some of these suggestions are based off of a conference call, hosted last week by the  Education Committee of the Alumni Association for the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

What are your suggestions for networking during a recession?  Please leave a comment.

During my time at the Center on Philanthropy, I had the pleasure of working with an undergraduate assistant, Brandon Muncy.  Our work together revolved around issues of diversity and philanthropy.

Though Brandon and I both are now employed in different positions elsewhere, we have remained in contact.  Several weeks ago, Brandon surprised me with a wonderful invitation.  He asked me to serve as an external advisor for his culminating research project.  Just last week, we had our first meeting.

As an anthropology major and philanthropy minor, Brandon is passionate about culturally sensitive practices in philanthropy.  So, his project will ultimately become an historical narrative on the interactions between Native American philanthropy and Western mainstream philanthropy.  It is very exciting to serve in an advisory role for such a great project!

To my fellow nonprofit professionals with a passion for diversity and inclusive practices, how do we encourage others to pursue these critical issues?  How do we cultivate more Brandon Muncy’s??? Please leave a comment with your suggestion.

From the Colloquia Archive at IUPUI, School of Informatics:

Creating and organizing a movie is a complex process. As Marcie Begleiter demonstrates, storyboarding is an essential process to the visualization of media and new media. She works at getting the audience more involved than I expected from a lecturer. She has fine art, liberal arts, film, storyboarding, and communication background. She also talks a bit about how she had her fortunes turn from painting sets to storyboarding and film training early in her career. Opportunity met need with her basic skill set.

Her experience with multidiscipline helped her many times in her career, including her current job in developing an art design school curriculum. Its simple, the story telling that comes from boards has its roots in drawing, spoken word, and songs. She delves into forcing students to describe a movie with no sound and describe what you are seeing in filmic language. She also points out that light travels faster than sound, and we are in part, firstly driven by the image.

Her slides start with the history of storyboards. It was hard to discover because most studios track the costs of a movie and not the art direction of the film from storyboards. They even begin to show the beginnings of mise-en-scene of how the director is going to create the feel of the movie. These early storyboards also served as early location scouting to find the proper places to shoot. Some do quick sketches of highlight, shadow, and mid-tone to show the shots of the film. Others draw more of a “visual metaphor.” The pictures are even less detailed in some but are showing what is to be emphasized in the frame with the objects scaled. The scene in Mildred Pierce shows how the camera is directing the focus in the frame from the ocean to Mildred. It is also a nonverbal queue that happens so fast in transition but greatly aids in storytelling. This is something that can be pre-planned so the direction can be maintained and not lost when in actual production.

She also shows more of a keyframe versus a storyboard, a very detailed shot with a lot of depth and feeling versus a thumbnail sketch. She explains how the eyes are led through the frame. She describes also, Alfred Hitchcock, and the simplicity that show a more logistical point of view. The frames are largely devoid of small details and show more movement in frame which was key to Hitchcock’s success as the characters act in the frames but the viewers also feel they are in the movie themselves. She points out a wider shot of a man hanging at the Statue of Liberty and it shows that attention of negative space; it sucks in the viewers to also feeling like they are less of a character and more of an actor. She really helps to show how varied storyboard are because they are a reflection of the director, less of a 2D representation of frames and more of a capturing of 4D ideas.

1. What if your mom told you that she was your sister?

2. What if you found out that you’re not really the age you are, but have thought that for as long as you’ve been alive?

3. What if the colors that we know, i.e. blue, green, red etc., was not really those colors, but instead blue was pink, or green was black etc.?

4. What if cats and dogs walked  on their back legs like humans?

5. What if dishes washed themselves?

6. What if technology didn’t exist?

7. What if God was one of us? (Song quote )

8. What if rain is “god” pissing on the world?

9. What if adults wore diapers and babies wore underwear?

10. What if, instead of talking everyone sang to each other?

11. What if cannibalism became legal?

12. What if rice krispies really did talk to you?

13. What if you could hear food talk?

14. What if cows went to restaurants to eat human burgers?

15.  What if same-sex marriages were legalized?

16. What if smoking cigarettes cured AIDS and having unprotected sex cured cancer?

17. What if everyone in the world jumped at the same time?

18. What if everyone got along with everyone?

19. What if we typed with our teeth?

20. What if we lived in tree houses?

21. What if the Kriss Kross fade really carried over?

22. What if we danced instead of walked?

23. What if newspapers made a comeback?

24. What if we groomed ourselves like dogs?

25. What if tattoo’s were our clothes and we could change them daily?

26. What if our ankles had boobs?

27. What if dogs had human babies?

28. What if cars flew?

29. What if we only communicated with pictures instead of words?

30. What if knowledge was an injectable solution?

31. What if we didn’t have to worry about money?

32. What if anger didn’t exist?

33. What if when we die we find out that God doesn’t exist?

34. What if your girlfriend ate all the starburst from Halloween?

35. What if zombies were real?

36. What if you read with your fingertips?

37. What if when we were done reading a book we ate it?

38. What if we could climb back into the womb whenever we felt like it?

39. What if life was like the Mario Brothers’ video game?

40. What if instead of eating food we ate LSD for every meal?

41. What if we wiped with vaseline instead of toilet paper?

42. What if Twitter didn’t exist?

43. What if light was dark and dark was light?

44. What if there wasn’t a government?

45. What if music didn’t exist, instead we enjoyed listening to screaming?

46. What if the world was haunted and we went to normal houses?

47. What if Eve never ate the apple?

48. What if the first thing that God created was Guitar Hero?

49. What if our names were the bird, and when we talked to each other we always gave each other the finger?

50. What if you won degrees on game shows?

Class this evening was, well, interesting. I feel very uncomfortable when people of authority (sorry Beth but you are the instructor) ask me, who are you…no really who are you? I have no idea how to answer that question. I can tell you what I like, my passions, who I love, how I feel about certain things, my goals, my dreams, who I care for, I can tell you about my family and friends, about my past and present and what I hope for the future, but I still haven’t got who I am pegged. I guess I could be all of these things, but as to who I am really, I do not know. I do not know why I am on Earth. Maybe that is the wrong answer but I am still figuring it out. Right now I do not feel like I am helping the world become a better place. I am broke, I am not working right now, I am basically a mooch or at least I feel that way. So, what does this mean? I know people who say they know me, which could be the case. Maybe the outsiders who love me knows who I am better than I know myself on that level.

In class, we discussed this idea of identity, and some said that it is what it is and others said that the past, present and future decide who we are, and things like that. I do not believe this to be true. I believe the past helps shape us but doesn’t define us. Just as the present and the future.

With my project today, I ripped my paper to a million pieces because I have come to realize and accept that I am a hot mess! I am so many things, that pegging to I am is not an option. If I had one word to describe me I couldn’t pick it out of the millions that I think when I think of myself.

My classmate, Isham, was a surprise. He was very easy to talk to and I felt myself get somewhat emotional when I was chatting with him. I am not sure why but it happened. For his paper, I folded it into a blank fortune-teller, because you never know what he is going to say in class. He is a talker, but I found out today that he is a listener too. That was a surprise. As the blank fortune-teller, each tab is open for interpretation. I went in to this assignment thinking one way and was proved wrong.

Lindsey

A blog by Marybeth Gasman and Nelson Bowman, III caught my eye this evening – “How About a Career in Fundraising for Students of Color?”

The co-authors did a great job of laying out current barriers and myths about fundraising.  The factors identified inhibit students of color from considering or entering the professional field of fundraising.

Then, Gasman and Bowman dive right into actionable recommendations for institutions of higher education – to encourage interest from students of color.  Proposed suggestions include:  creation of a student advancement council for fundraising experience, development of humanities or business-based programs for philanthropy and fundraising, and showcasing current professional fundraisers of color through career services programmng.

These are wonderful ideas that I wholeheartedly support, but I also have one more suggestion: create an internship program in which the students gain fundraising experience, course credit, and/or compensation in the advancement/development office of their respective institution of higher education.

I was both a student at and a development staff person for Hanover College.  Now, the same holds true for the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.  These experiences are wonderful learning opportunities – and an opportunity to contribute to the future alma mater!

To institutions of higher education:

I recommend developing a fundraising internship program – that is appropriate to the organization, emphasizes practical experience and self-reflection, is integrated into the established curricular structure, offers compensation via course credit or hourly wages, and is marketed to all students and especially students of color.

In my post yesterday, I began to discuss the complicated matter of organ donation.  After doing some more research and meeting with a staff person at the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization (IOPO), things have become a little more clear.  Below, I’ve shared some snapshots of the various institutions and their relationships:

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) exists because of Section 274 of the National Organ Transplantation Act of 1984.  The actual work of OPTN is carried out by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).  This relationship has existed for 20 years – due to successive renewed contracts.  Both are nonprofit entities.

UNOS serves as the “czar” for organ donation.  If you are not a member of UNOS, you do not have anything to do with organ donations in the United States.  Types of members include:  organ procurement organizations, transplant centers, laboratories, professional organizations, voluntary organizations, and the general public.  While most of these entities are nonprofits, some are for-profits.

So, the organ procurement organizations are also established by the National Organ Transplantation Act of 1984.  Check out Section 273.  These nonprofits must operate in accordance to the law and UNOS policies.  They serve specific geographic regions; for example, a majority of the state of Indiana is served by the IOPO.  All organ procurement organizations must maintain nonprofit status.

Many of the organ procurement organizations, by choice, are institutional members of the Association of Organ Procurement Organization (AOPO).  AOPO provides the national perspective on organ transplantation directly to the movers-and-shakers in D.C.  Again, a nonprofit entity.

Stay tuned for more posts about why there are so many nonprofit organizations involved in organ donation!  If you have a specific question that I have not yet covered, please leave a comment.

Organ donation is a complicated topic.  There are cadaver donations and living donations.  A living donor could be an exact match for the recipient.  Or, mis-matched families can be brought together – for a paired donation.  Perhaps a total stranger steps up as a good samaritan donor; this type of donation often begins a long chain of donations.

In addition to this variation in how a donation can happen, there are more complex issues.  There are ethical concerns, and economic concepts to consider.  And, we haven’t begun to talk about the laws governing organ donation.

The National Organ Transplant Act of 1968 is the grandfather of all organ donation laws.  A couple times, it has been amended, and a few related bills have also become law.  The law provides for the founding of national organizations – like the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.  Then, the regional and local organizations must administer organ donations, according to the identified guidelines.

For example, I met with a Transplant Social Worker at Clarian.  She explained that Clarian Health Partners is an institutional member of the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization. Their daily work is governed by the policies and procedures, set forth by United Network for Organ Sharing.

To learn more about how this entire system works and how the nonprofits work in adherence to the current legal structure, I will be meeting with a staff person tomorrow at the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization.

*This research is for a class project at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.  The course, Civil Society and Public Policy, is taught by Professor Leslie Lenkowsky.