What Lifesharing does

Lifesharing is a nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) and division of UC San Diego Health, founded in 1973 and operating as the federally-designated OPO serving San Diego and Imperial counties in Southern California. The organization coordinates deceased organ donation — including hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys, pancreases, and intestines — by identifying potential donors in its assigned service area and matching donated organs with patients on the national transplant waiting list through the national donor database. It also coordinates tissue donation (skin, bone, heart valves, veins, corneas, tendons) and operates a licensed tissue bank at its Mission Valley, San Diego facility that supplies tissue grafts to regional physicians, subject to FDA registration, California Department of Public Health licensing, and American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) accreditation. Supporting services include family services (after-care programs, honor walks, hero medal presentations, facilitated donor-recipient communications), public and student education programs (including bilingual classroom presentations reaching over 12,000 students annually), and a volunteer program of transplant recipients and donor families. In 2024 the organization transplanted a record 514 organs and recovered tissue from 470 donors.

The organization serves multiple beneficiary segments: transplant recipients on the national waiting list (with approximately 80% of California waiting list patients coming from multicultural communities), donor families requiring compassionate end-of-life support, hospital partners across every medical center in San Diego and Imperial counties, physicians requiring tissue grafts, and high school and college students reached through educational outreach. Lifesharing does not sell organ or tissue donation services to donors; rather, donation is free to the donor family, with Lifesharing paying all donation-related costs.

Lifesharing's revenue model is that of a federally-supported nonprofit: federal reimbursements cover a portion of clinical expenses associated with organ and tissue procurement, while private donations from individuals and organizations — routed through UC San Diego Health's donation page — fund community education, family services, and operational overhead. The organization does not disclose revenue publicly and has no equity ownership structure. Distribution of services runs through hospital partnerships (every medical center in the two-county area), the California DMV, the Donate Life California online registry, the OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade Float for awareness, and a community volunteer network spanning schools, hospitals, and DMV offices. Executive Director Jeff Trageser, in role since 2022 and elected AOPO President in June 2025, leads the organization.

Name

Lifesharing

Legal name

Lifesharing

Website

https://lifesharing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lifesharing is a federally-designated nonprofit organ procurement organization and division of UC San Diego Health that coordinates deceased organ and tissue donation across San Diego and Imperial counties, serving transplant recipients, donor families, regional hospitals, and physicians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organ and Tissue Donation Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Organ procurement
• Tissue donation
• Transplant coordination
• Donor family services
• Healthcare outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Federal Funding: Lifesharing receives federal funding for some clinical expenses related to organ and tissue donation coordination
2. Private Donations: Private donations from individuals and organizations to support the organization's mission. Donations can be made via credit card through UC San Diego Health's donation page or by check

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lifesharing is the federally-designated nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) serving San Diego and Imperial counties. It coordinates deceased organ and tissue donation at end of life, matches donated organs with patients on the national transplant waiting list, operates a licensed tissue bank supplying regional surgeons with tissue grafts, and provides compassionate family support, after-care programs, and facilitated donor-recipient communications.

Product overview

Lifesharing is a federally-designated nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) serving San Diego and Imperial counties in Southern California. The organization operates as a division of UC San Diego Health and provides a coordinated portfolio of services centered on organ and tissue donation. Core offerings include Organ Donation Coordination (matching deceased donors' organs including hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys, pancreas, and intestines with transplant recipients via a national database), Tissue Donation Services (recovering skin, bone, heart valves, veins, corneas, and tendons for transplantation), and a Licensed Tissue Bank supplying tissue grafts to regional physicians. Supporting services include Family Services (compassionate care, after-care programs, honor walks, hero medal presentations), Donor-Recipient Communication Facilitation (anonymous letter exchanges and facilitated meetings), and Public Education and Outreach Programs (Emmy award-winning films and community education). Lifesharing also operates Student Education Programs (classroom presentations to 10,000+ students annually), a Volunteer Program (transplant recipients and donor families sharing personal stories), Donor Registry Integration (facilitating DMV and online registration through Donate Life California), and specialized offerings including AMAT Conference Hosting and Lifesharing University for healthcare worker education. In 2024, Lifesharing transplanted a record 514 organs and recovered tissue from 470 donors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organ Donation Coordination Coordinates deceased organ donation by identifying potential donors in San Diego and Imperial counties and matching donated organs (hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys, pancreas, intestines) with patients on the national transplant waiting list.
• Tissue Donation Services Coordinates tissue donation including skin, bone, heart valves, veins, corneas, and tendons for transplantation.
• Licensed Tissue Bank Operates a licensed tissue bank at its Mission Valley, San Diego location supplying local and regional physicians with tissue grafts for surgeries and procedures.
• Family Services Provides compassionate after-care and family support programs for donor families, including honor walks, hero medal presentations, memory-making activities, and grief resources.
• Donor-Recipient Communication Facilitation Facilitates anonymous written correspondence between donor families and organ transplant recipients, with option for in-person meetings at Lifesharing offices in San Diego.
• Student Education Program Classroom presentations delivered to high school and college students across San Diego region in English and Spanish, educating them about organ donation before they register at the DMV.
• Donor Registry Integration Facilitates donor registration through the California DMV and the Donate Life California online registry.

Quantifiable outcome

• 514 organs transplanted in 2024 - a record in the organization's history
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO)coreOthers · 1 June 2025Lifesharing Executive Director Jeff Trageser was selected as President of AOPO, representing most of the nation's organ procurement organizations. AOPO plays a key role in the U.S. transplantation system.
• Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2024Lifesharing served as proud host sponsor of the 2024 AMAT Annual Conference in San Diego with the theme 'Empower, Engage, Elevate: Fostering an Inclusive Donation and Transplant Community.'
• San Diego Eye BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLifesharing collaborates with the San Diego Eye Bank to provide families with a single point of contact for eye and tissue donation, avoiding multiple donation requests from different organizations.
• UC San Diego HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLifesharing is a division of UC San Diego Health. Donations are processed through UC San Diego's donation page, and job postings are managed through UC San Diego's employment website.
• Donate Life CaliforniacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDonate Life California runs California's official organ, eye and tissue donor registry. Lifesharing directs potential donors to register through this organization.
• OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade FloatminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLifesharing is a proud sponsor of the annual OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade Float. Each year, one Lifesharing organ donor is selected to be memorialized on the float with a floral portrait.
• Hospitals in San Diego and Imperial CountiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLifesharing partners with every single medical center and health system in San Diego and Imperial counties to coordinate organ and tissue donation. The organization educates frontline hospital staff and provides onsite support for all active donation cases.
• Local Funeral HomesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLifesharing educates local funeral homes about the donation process to ensure families can still have open-casket funerals if they wish.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Donor Network West: Federally-designated OPO serving Northern California and Nevada. Directly comparable as a California OPO with tissue recovery operations, hospital partnerships, and multicultural outreach programs targeting the same state waiting list.
• Mid-America Transplant: Federally-designated OPO serving parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas. Comparable as a full-service OPO with organ and tissue recovery, family services, and significant public education programs.
• Southwest Transplant Alliance: Federally-designated OPO serving much of Texas. Comparable as a nonprofit OPO providing organ and tissue recovery, hospital services, donor family support, and large-scale community education.
• New England Donor Services: Federally-designated OPO serving the New England region. Comparable as a nonprofit OPO with tissue banking operations, donor family aftercare, and multicultural outreach targeting regional waiting list demographics.
• LifeCenter Northwest: Federally-designated OPO serving Washington, Montana, Alaska, and Idaho. Comparable as a nonprofit OPO with tissue banking, donor family services, and educational outreach, though operating across a larger multi-state service area.
• LifeGift: Federally-designated OPO serving parts of Texas. Comparable as a nonprofit OPO coordinating organ and tissue donation with hospital partnership networks, family services, and donor education programs.
• OneLegacy: Federally-designated OPO serving the greater Los Angeles area — the largest OPO in the U.S. Directly comparable as a California-based nonprofit OPO coordinating organ and tissue donation, and a partner via the shared Donate Life Rose Parade float.
• Gift of Life Michigan: Federally-designated OPO serving the state of Michigan. Comparable as a nonprofit OPO operating a licensed tissue bank, donor family services, and statewide public education, with similar organ recovery and education scale.
• CORE (Center for Organ Recovery & Education): Federally-designated OPO serving western Pennsylvania and parts of West Virginia and New York. Comparable as a nonprofit OPO with full-service organ/tissue coordination, family services, and community education.

Broad incumbents

• Donate Life America: National 501(c)(3) nonprofit alliance that manages the national Donate Life brand and supports the broader OPO and transplant ecosystem. Comparable as a strategic peer operating in the same organ donation awareness space, though not a direct OPO competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lifesharingsd
• Facebookfacebook.com/lifesharingsd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lifesharing
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifesharingsd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Lifesharing