Donor Network of Arizona

What Donor Network of Arizona does

Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) is a federally designated nonprofit Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) and 501(c)(3) headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, with a satellite office in Tucson. Founded in 1986 as the Arizona Organ and Tissue Bank, DNA administers the DonateLifeAZ Registry — Arizona's confidential statewide electronic donor registry containing over 5 million registrants representing more than 60% of the state's population. As the sole federally designated OPO for Arizona, DNA is mandated to coordinate all organ and tissue recovery, manage hospital referrals, provide donor family support, and maintain the state's authorization infrastructure. Over 95% of new donor registrations occur through the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) under a partnership agreement, with supplementary channels including the DonateLifeAZ.org online portal, the Swipe to Donate Life mobile app at community events, and paper forms.

The organization's core technological assets include the DonateLifeAZ Registry (a first-person authorization system in operation since April 2003), an accredited in-house immunogenetics laboratory performing HLA histocompatibility testing to match donors with recipients on the national UNOS waiting list, and integration with advanced organ preservation technologies (LIVERguard, BAROguard, Paragonix KidneyVault). In November 2023, DNA established Arizona's first dedicated donor care center (DCC) at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix. The organization holds AATB, EBAA, and UNOS accreditations and is subject to oversight by CMS, OIG, FDA, and UNOS. In December 2025, DNA deployed Specialist Direct's TransplantAI for AI-assisted kidney biopsy evaluation.

DNA's revenue model is federally mediated: as a designated OPO, it is funded through Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement for organ acquisition costs billed to transplant centers and insurance providers, supplemented by charitable contributions. Services to hospitals, donors, and recipient families are provided at no charge. In 2025, DNA facilitated a record 1,083 lives saved through organ donation. The organization is governed by a leadership team headed by President and CEO Kathy Mills, who succeeded long-tenured CEO Tim Brown in January 2025 after serving 32 years as SVP and CFO.

Name

Donor Network of Arizona

Legal name

Donor Network of Arizona

Website

https://dnaz.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Donor Network of Arizona is a federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization that administers the state's donor registry, coordinates organ and tissue recovery, and runs an in-house immunogenetics laboratory serving Arizona's 5M+ registered donors and 100+ hospital partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organ and Tissue Procurement Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Organ procurement services
• Tissue donation coordination
• Donor registry administration
• Organ recovery services
• Histocompatibility testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Federally Funded Organ Procurement Services: As a federally designated nonprofit Organ Procurement Organization (OPO), DNA is primarily funded through the federal Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement mechanisms, not through direct fees charged to donors or recipients. Services to hospitals are provided at no charge, supported by federal funding and charitable contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) is Arizona's only federally designated nonprofit Organ Procurement Organization (OPO). It administers the statewide DonateLifeAZ donor registry, coordinates organ and tissue recovery from deceased donors, provides HLA histocompatibility testing through an in-house immunogenetics laboratory, supports donor families, and partners with hospitals and transplant centers to place organs via the national UNOS waiting list. Services are provided at no charge to donors, families, recipients, or hospitals, funded primarily through federal reimbursement and charitable contributions.

Product overview

Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) is a federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) for Arizona. The organization operates primarily as a healthcare service provider rather than a software product company. Its core offerings include the DonateLifeAZ Registry (the state's confidential donor registry for organ and tissue donation authorization), Arizona's first Donor Care Center (DCC) at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix for enhanced donor care, an immunogenetics laboratory, and various organ and tissue recovery services. DNA also utilizes specialized preservation technologies from partner companies including TransplantAI for organ evaluation, KidneyVault for kidney transport, BAROguard for lung preservation, and LIVERguard for liver placement. The organization connects donors with transplant centers through the national waiting list system administered by United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organ Procurement and Recovery Services Statewide organ recovery and transplantation coordination as Arizona's federally designated OPO. DNA receives mandatory hospital referrals, manages the clinical donation process, and allocates organs through the national UNOS waiting list. Provided at no charge to donors, families, recipients, and hospitals.
• Tissue Recovery Services Recovery, processing, and distribution of donated tissues (including eye tissue). DNA became the state's only eye recovery agency after acquiring Arizona Lions Eye and Tissue Bank in 1995, and is accredited by AATB and EBAA. One tissue donor can heal up to 75 people.
• DonateLifeAZ Registry Arizona's confidential statewide electronic donor registry administered by DNA since April 2003, providing legally-binding first-person authorization for organ and tissue donation. Accessible to the public through ADOT MVD, DonateLifeAZ.org, and the Swipe to Donate Life app at community events. Free to the public.
• HLA Histocompatibility Testing (Immunogenetics Laboratory) Accredited in-house immunogenetics laboratory performing human leukocyte antigen (HLA) testing to determine histocompatibility between donors and potential recipients on the national UNOS waiting list. A specialized capability not available at general hospitals or transplant centers in Arizona.
• Donor Care Center (DCC) at Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix Arizona's first dedicated donor care center, co-located at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix as part of a partnership finalized in November 2023. The DCC enhances donor care, improves organ recovery timing, and streamlines transport logistics.
• Swipe to Donate Life App Mobile application used at community events (Arizona Diamondbacks games, health fairs, back-to-school fairs, college campuses, DeafNation Expo, ECHO luncheons) that allows Arizonans to register as organ and tissue donors with the assistance of DNA volunteers or authorized personnel.
• Donor Family Support and Aftercare Services Support services for donor families, including online grief resources, correspondence, honoring loved ones, and the Recipes of Remembrance program, plus follow-up communication with transplant recipients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,083 lives saved through organ donation in 2025 — record-breaking year in DNA history
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Banner HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023In November 2023, DNA finalized agreements with Banner Health to create Arizona's first dedicated donor care center (DCC) at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix. The DCC enhances donor care, improves organ recovery timing, and streamlines transport logistics, helping to save more lives. DNA Vice President of Clinical Services PJ Geraghty described donation as 'an additional, meaningful way for a family to remember a loved one they have lost.' This is a multi-year partnership formalized through agreements to co-locate donor care operations within the hospital.
• Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDNA partners with ADOT MVD to facilitate organ and tissue donor registration at all MVD field offices and authorized third-party (ATP) locations statewide. When Arizonans apply for or renew a driver's license or state ID, they are asked if they would like to register. Over 95% of new registrations occur through this channel, making it the single most important distribution and awareness partnership. August is recognized as MVD Saves Lives Month to celebrate this collaboration.
• Arizona Hospitals and Healthcare OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDNA partners with hospitals and healthcare organizations throughout Arizona for the Health Care for Hope campaign (annual in April during National Donate Life Month), donor care coordination, referral protocols, and community events. In 2024, 59 organizations participated in Health Care for Hope. DNA also partners with transplant centers, EMS providers, and health systems like HonorHealth and Banner Health for donation recovery operations and hospital-based programs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OneLegacy: Federally designated OPO serving the greater Los Angeles area and Southern California; the largest OPO in the U.S. by population served. Most direct peer to DNA given identical regulatory model, OPO mission, and federal reimbursement structure.
• LifeGift: Federally designated OPO serving Texas (Northwest, North, Southeast, and West Texas). Directly comparable to DNA in mission, OPO designation, organ/tissue recovery operations, and federal funding model.
• Gift of Life Michigan: Federally designated OPO for the state of Michigan and a member of the Donate Life America network alongside DNA. Closely comparable in state-bounded OPO mandate, statewide donor registry operations, and clinical service mix.
• Mid-America Transplant: Federally designated OPO serving Missouri, Arkansas, and parts of Illinois, with in-house clinical and HLA laboratory capabilities similar to DNA. Direct peer in organ/tissue recovery and donor family services.
• Donor Network West: Federally designated OPO for Northern California and Nevada. Directly comparable OPO with similar hospital referral network, DMV partnership channel, and Donate Life America affiliation like DNA.
• LifeSource: Federally designated OPO serving Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and western Wisconsin. Comparable state/region-bounded OPO with similar organ/tissue recovery, donor registry, and public education mission as DNA.
• Carolina Donor Services: Federally designated OPO serving North Carolina and Virginia. Direct peer sharing the OPO regulatory structure, donor registry management, and hospital partnership model used by DNA.
• New England Donor Services: Federally designated OPO serving Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Direct peer in OPO operations, donor registry, and organ/tissue recovery with comparable scale to DNA.
• Tennessee Donor Services: Federally designated OPO serving Tennessee and the only OPO in that state. Closely comparable to DNA in OPO regulatory model, statewide hospital referral agreements, and DMV-based registration channel.
• Lifebanc: Federally designated OPO serving Northeast Ohio. Direct peer with the same OPO mandate, organ and tissue recovery operations, donor family services, and community education model as DNA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/donatelifeaz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/donatelifeaz
• Facebookfacebook.com/donatelifeaz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/donor-network-of-arizona
• Instagraminstagram.com/DonateLifeAZ
• Pinterestpinterest.com/donatelifeaz

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Donor Network of Arizona