Gift of Hope

What Gift of Hope does

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is a federally designated, nonprofit 501(c)(3) Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) — one of only 55 in the United States — that coordinates deceased organ and tissue donation across the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana under the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984. Founded in 1986 (incorporated 7 July 1986, operations began 1 June 1987) and headquartered in Itasca, IL, the organization serves approximately 12 million residents through partnerships with 180+ hospitals, 10 transplant centers (Advocate Health Care, Lurie Children's, Loyola Medicine, Northwestern Medicine, OSF Healthcare, Rush, UChicago Medicine, UI Health, among others), eye banks (Eversight, Saving Sight), funeral service providers, and UNOS for donor-recipient matching. Through these channels it has facilitated more than 30,000 life-saving organ transplants since inception and set a 2012 Guinness World Record of 2,262 organ donor registrations in a single day.

The organization's operating platform combines clinical, logistical, and community-engagement infrastructure uncommon among peer OPOs. In 2024 it opened Illinois' first Organ Donor Care Center (ODCC) at Rush University Medical Center — a six-bed, two-OR dedicated facility with annual capacity for 250 donors. It operates an in-house Histocompatibility Laboratory with nucleic acid testing (NAT) capability serving as a regional testing site for multiple OPOs and transplant centers since 2016, one of the nation's first OPO-based Kidney Perfusion Laboratories (est. 2001), and the first in-house OPO transportation team (est. 2001). Donor family services, hospital development liaisons, and funeral-service partner-relations teams round out the operating stack, supported by multi-channel community education (high-school SODA chapters, faith community partnerships, African-American and Hispanic Task Forces, a Spanish-language podcast "Hablemos de la Esperanza").

Gift of Hope's revenue model is a hybrid of regulated healthcare reimbursement and nonprofit fundraising. As a federally designated OPO it receives hospital cost-reimbursement for donation case management, generates tissue procurement revenue, and supplements this through the Gift of Hope Community Foundation — a 501(c)(3) established in 2018 — which raises funds via charitable giving, memorial contributions, workplace giving, planned giving, donor-advised funds, and monthly giving. Donor families are never charged. Performance metrics for 2024 — 526 donors and 1,495 organs transplanted, the fourth consecutive record year — point to operational scaling consistent with the ODCC launch and broader capacity build-out.

Name

Gift of Hope

Legal name

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network

Website

https://giftofhope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Federally designated nonprofit Organ Procurement Organization coordinating deceased organ and tissue donation across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, serving 12M+ residents via 180+ hospital partnerships, an in-house donor care center, histocompatibility and perfusion laboratories, and a community-led outreach network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organ and Tissue Procurement Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transplant Specialty Hospitals (HLAFAHAE)

Keywords

• Organ procurement services
• Tissue donation coordination
• Donor registry services
• Organ transplant coordination
• Donor family support

Headquarters

HQ city

Itasca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Registry Coordination Services: As a federally designated nonprofit Organ Procurement Organization (OPO), Gift of Hope coordinates organ and tissue donation services. The organization is highly regulated and covers all costs associated with donation for donor families. Revenue is generated through federal oversight mechanisms and charitable donations rather than direct patient billing.
2. Charitable Contributions and Foundation Revenue: The Gift of Hope Community Foundation (501(c)(3), established 2018) raises funds through charitable giving, memorial contributions, workplace giving, planned giving, donor advised funds, and monthly giving programs to support programs, education, outreach, and research initiatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Gift of Hope is a federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates the recovery and transplantation of organs and tissues for deceased donors across the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana. The organization partners with 180+ hospitals and 10 transplant centers to facilitate donor referral, clinical management, organ allocation through UNOS, and post-donation family support services. It also operates in-house laboratories (histocompatibility and kidney perfusion), the state's first Organ Donor Care Center at Rush University Medical Center, and a dedicated transportation team.

Product overview

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network operates as a federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) coordinating organ and tissue donation across the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana. The organization's core offering is its donation coordination services, encompassing hospital partnership programs, funeral service support, and community outreach. Key products include the 2024-launched Organ Donor Care Center (ODCC) — Illinois' first specialized donor management facility — and the Donor Family Services program providing grief support and aftercare. The organization also operates the Gift of Hope Community Foundation for fundraising, maintains a Histocompatibility Laboratory with NAT testing capabilities, and offers the Champions for Hope professional education program. Additional offerings include in-house kidney perfusion and transportation services, a podcast (Let's Talk Hope), donor registry registration facilitation, and the Stories of Hope testimonial collection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organ & Tissue Donation Coordination Core OPO service coordinating organ and tissue donation for deceased donors across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, working with hospitals, transplant centers, and families to facilitate recovery and transplantation.
• Organ Donor Care Center (ODCC) Illinois' first specialized medical and surgical unit dedicated to managing the recovery of life-saving organs from deceased organ donors, operated in partnership with Rush University Medical Center with six donor care bays, two operating rooms, and capacity for 250 donors annually.
• Donor Family Services Ongoing aftercare program providing information, grief support, correspondence services between donor families and recipients, memory-making workshops, donor memorial quilt projects, and a private Facebook support group for donor families.
• Hospital Partnership Services Service program for 180+ partner hospitals providing dedicated Hospital Development staff liaisons, professional education programs, donation protocol development, and 24/7 donor referral services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ lives saved through organ donation since 1986
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Rush University Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Gift of Hope and Rush University Medical Center partnered to establish Illinois' first Organ Donor Care Center (ODCC). This pioneering facility provides 24/7 specialized care for donors, relieving pressure on hospital ICUs and operating rooms while improving transplant outcomes. The ODCC has six donor care bays and two operating rooms dedicated to organ recovery, with capacity to manage 250 donors annually.
• Illinois Secretary of State (George Ryan and Jesse White)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Illinois Secretary of State offices to launch the nation's first statewide organ/tissue donor registry in 1992 and change state law in 2005 to honor registered donors' decisions (effective Jan 1, 2006).
• Faith Communities and OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGift of Hope partners with faith-based organizations throughout Illinois and northwest Indiana to educate communities about organ donation and registration. Includes Hispanic Task Force (est. 1995) and African-American Task Force (est. 1988).
• High Schools and Student OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with high schools for education programs including SODA (Student Organ Donation Advocates) chapters. Award-winning 'Share Your Life, Share Your Decision' program educates tens of thousands of students annually.
• United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)coreTechnology or IntegrationGift of Hope coordinates with UNOS, the federally designated organization that manages the national transplant waiting list. Gift of Hope provides donor information to UNOS to match organs with waiting recipients.
• Transplant Centers (Illinois)coreTechnology or IntegrationWorks with 10 Illinois transplant centers including Advocate Health Care, Lurie Children's, Loyola Medicine, Northwestern Medicine, OSF Healthcare, Rush, UChicago Medicine, and UI Health to manage organ recovery, care, and transportation.
• Eye Banks (Eversight, Saving Sight)coreTechnology or IntegrationCollaborates with eye banks serving the region including Eversight and Saving Sight for cornea and eye tissue donation coordination.
• WGN-TVcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership announced June 2026 to expand donor registration awareness and drive registration through expanded media coverage.
• National Organ & Tissue Donation OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with national organizations including Donate Life America, AOPO (Association of Organ Procurement Organizations), HRSA, OPTN, and others to advance donation and transplantation.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Southwest Transplant Alliance: Federally designated OPO serving 49 counties across central and south Texas. A comparable mid-to-large OPO with similar reliance on hospital referral networks and a focus on community outreach to under-registered populations.
• Donor Network West: Federally designated OPO serving northern Nevada and a large portion of California. Similar in scale and operational complexity to Gift of Hope and one of the higher-throughput DSAs nationally, making it a relevant benchmark on organ recovery per capita and program funding.
• LifeGift: Texas-based federally designated OPO serving north, southeast, and west Texas. Comparable in scope and operational complexity, with overlapping hospital network coordination and donor family support models relevant for benchmarking.
• NJ Sharing Network: New Jersey's federally designated OPO. Operates at similar scale to Gift of Hope (dense multi-county DSA, multiple transplant centers) and runs parallel programs in donor family support, community education, and multicultural outreach.
• Mid-America Transplant: Federally designated OPO serving parts of Missouri, Arkansas, and southern Illinois — historically one of the top-performing DSAs in the U.S. Operates a comparable suite of donation, family services, and community education programs, and is a natural benchmark for Gift of Hope on organ recovery rates and infrastructure investments.
• Tennessee Donor Services: Federally designated OPO serving most of Tennessee. Operates an organ and tissue donation coordination model structurally similar to Gift of Hope's, including hospital liaisons, family services, and public education programming.
• LifeSource: Upper Midwest OPO serving Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of Wisconsin. Comparable scope and headcount footprint to Gift of Hope, with overlapping donation coordination, donor family services, and hospital partnership models.
• New England Donor Services: Federally designated OPO coordinating donation across the six New England states. Runs an analogous hospital partnership, donor family services, and tissue donor model, with comparable regulatory exposure under the same federal oversight regime as Gift of Hope.

Broad incumbents

• Eversight: One of the largest eye banking networks in the U.S. and a named collaborator with Gift of Hope on cornea and eye tissue donation. Operates a broader portfolio across multiple states rather than a single DSA, making it a broader incumbent in tissue recovery rather than a direct OPO competitor.

Others

• Donate Life America: National 501(c)(3) nonprofit alliance that manages the Donate Life brand and supports state donor registries. Not a procurement organization, but Gift of Hope's stated national partner and a key adjacent participant in the donation ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/giftofhope.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gift-of-hope
• Instagraminstagram.com/giftofhope_
• Xx.com/giftofhope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gift of Hope