Donor Conception Network

What Donor Conception Network does

Donor Conception Network (DCN) is a UK registered charity (no. 1041297) founded in 1993 and headquartered in London, providing support, information, and community for families built through egg, sperm, double, or embryo donation. The organization serves a defined set of persona segments including heterosexual couples, female and male same-sex couples, single women and single men, donor-conceived people, donors, and fertility professionals, with a stated community of 2,200+ mainly UK-based families. The core product is a £8/month membership subscription that grants access to over 150 annual online chats, 90+ WhatsApp groups, local meetups, an annual London conference plus additional conference events, and a biannual DCN Perspectives magazine. Secondary revenue streams include fee-based Telling & Talking workshops (£129-£299 per attendee), Getting Started events, conference tickets, and a bookshop selling a proprietary 'Our Story' children's book series (nearly 40 illustrated titles in English and Welsh) and 'Telling and Talking' parent guides. The organization is supported by referrals from fertility clinics and healthcare professionals, a Welcoming Team volunteer matching service, and donations. The business is operated by a small team of 14 employees and a community of volunteers, with no AI/ML technology components, no app, and no public API.

Name

Donor Conception Network

Legal name

Donor Conception Network

Website

https://dcnetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Donor Conception Network is a UK registered charity that provides support, information, and community for over 2,200 families built through donor conception, via an £8/month membership, peer-support chats, workshops, and a proprietary children's book series.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Support Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Parent Support Groups & Peer Networks (EDACALAG)

Keywords

• Donor conception support
• Fertility community services
• Family support charity
• Peer support groups
• Educational publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Primary revenue stream. Monthly subscription at £8 per month providing access to members' area, online chats, WhatsApp groups, local meetups, DCN Perspectives magazine, Friday Bulletin, and discounts on events and bookshop.
2. Bookshop Sales: Sale of educational books including the 'Our Story' series, 'Telling and Talking' guides, and other resources for donor conception families. All proceeds fund the charitable mission.
3. Workshop Fees: Fees for Telling & Talking workshops (early bird: £129-£249; full price: £169-£299) and Getting Started events (£80-£170). Workshop fees cover facilitators, venue, and admin costs.
4. Conference Tickets: Separate ticket sales for flagship London conferences and autumn events, with tickets starting from £35. Children's activities and creche available at additional cost.
5. Donations: Voluntary donations from supporters. Charity is funded by membership fees and donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Donor Conception Network is a UK-registered charity that provides a paid membership-based support ecosystem for families built through egg, sperm, double, or embryo donation. Its core offering is an £8/month membership granting access to 150+ online chats per year, 90+ WhatsApp peer-support groups, local meet-ups, biannual DCN Perspectives magazine, and a Friday Bulletin newsletter. It self-publishes the 'Our Story' illustrated children's book series and the 'Telling and Talking' parent guides, runs paid Telling & Talking workshops and Getting Started events, and convenes flagship spring/autumn/online conferences.

Product overview

Donor Conception Network is a UK-based registered charity offering a membership-based support ecosystem for families built through donor conception. The core offering centers on a £8/month membership providing access to a community network of over 2,200 families, online peer support chats, WhatsApp groups, local meet-ups, and annual conferences. The organization publishes the 'Our Story' book series (nearly 40 illustrated children's books for ages 2-6) and the 'Telling and Talking' guide series for parents across age groups (0-7, 8-11, 12-16, 17+). Paid services include Telling & Talking Workshops (online and in-person), the Getting Started event for prospective parents, and access to the DCN Perspectives magazine. All products and services are designed to support openness about donor conception and connect families with others in similar situations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DCN Membership Monthly subscription service (£8/month) providing support, information, and community access for donor conception families. Includes members' area, 150+ online chats per year, 90+ WhatsApp groups, local meet-ups, conferences, and the DCN Perspectives magazine.
• Our Story Book Series Range of illustrated children's books (ages 2–6) explaining donor conception in age-appropriate language. Nearly 40 versions cover sperm donation, egg donation, double donation, embryo donation, surrogacy, and various family types (mum and dad, two-mum, two-dad, solo mum, solo dad). Available in English and Welsh.
• Telling and Talking Guide Series Educational booklets for parents covering how to talk to children about donor conception at different ages (0–7, 8–11, 12–16, 17+). Includes guides for family and friends and continuing conversation resources.
• Telling & Talking Workshop Specialised workshops for parents of donor-conceived children aged 0–7, delivered online and in-person, helping parents explore how to talk to children about their origins in a safe, facilitated environment. Early bird pricing from £129 single/£199 couple (online) or £149 single/£249 couple (in-person); full price up to £169 single/£299 couple.
• DCN Perspectives Magazine Biannual magazine containing information, articles, interviews and reviews relating to donor conception, available exclusively to DCN members.
• DCN Conferences Flagship events including an annual London spring conference, autumn conference outside London, and online virtual conference (June/July), featuring expert talks, personal stories, practical guidance, and children's activities, with tickets from £35.
• Getting Started Event Event for prospective parents thinking about using egg, sperm or embryo donation, including embryologist overview, donor conceived people perspectives, and parent testimonials. Priced at £80 per person or £140 per couple (early bird), rising to £95 per person or £170 per couple after October 22.
• Lending Library Resource library available to members featuring books and materials about donor conception, parenting, and family building.
• Online Chats Relaxed online peer support get-togethers run 150+ times per year, allowing members to meet others in similar situations from the comfort of their homes.
• WhatsApp Groups 90+ WhatsApp groups connecting members by family situation, donation type, location, and other factors for mutual support and information sharing.
• Local Meet-ups In-person gatherings organised by local groups across the UK, Ireland, and some international locations to help families build supportive communities.
• Welcoming Team Volunteer-based service matching new members with experienced members in similar situations for personalised support and guidance on joining the network.
• Going it Alone: A Guide for Solo Mums in the UK (2nd Edition) Book by Emily Engel providing a practical guide for women considering or pursuing solo motherhood through donor conception in the UK, updated 2nd Edition released in 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ online chats annually connecting families across the UK and beyond
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ConnecteDNA ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the ConnecteDNA Project team to produce resources helping people navigate online DNA testing (such as Ancestry, MyHeritage, and 23andMe) in the context of donor conception. Produced a range of leaflets for donor conceived people, parents, and donors, plus case studies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Infertility Awareness Association of South Africa (IFAASA): South African nonprofit supporting people affected by infertility, including those pursuing donor conception. Operates a comparable support-community model to DCN but in a different geographic and regulatory context.
• Family Equality: US-based nonprofit advancing equality for LGBTQ+ families, including those formed through donor conception and surrogacy. Targets a partially overlapping audience (LGBTQ+ prospective parents) but with a primarily US focus and policy/advocacy emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Resolve: The National Infertility Association: Largest US-based nonprofit providing support, education, and advocacy for people facing infertility. Comparable mission and member-based support model to DCN, with a broader remit that includes donor conception alongside other infertility treatments.
• Brilliant Beginnings: Established UK surrogacy and fertility agency providing end-to-end services. While commercial rather than charity-based, it operates in the same donor-conception/surrogacy space and interacts with many of the same intended-parent populations that DCN serves.

Direct peers

• The Daisy Network: UK charity supporting women with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI), many of whom go on to pursue donor conception. Overlaps with DCN's egg donation pathway and operates a similar peer-support and information model.
• Fertility Network UK: UK national charity providing support, information, and community for anyone affected by fertility issues. Most directly comparable to DCN as a peer-support charity serving the same prospective-parent audience, with overlapping clinic referral channels and member-based model.
• Surrogacy UK: UK charity supporting surrogacy arrangements, including intended parents, surrogates, and resulting families. Directly overlaps with DCN's male same-sex couples and surrogacy-related segments and runs its own peer-matching community events.
• Cots (Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy): UK charity supporting people pursuing surrogacy to build their families. Comparable in mission (family building via assisted reproduction), community-based peer support, and UK regulatory engagement around surrogacy law.

Others

• Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA): UK regulator overseeing fertility clinics and donor conception. Not a commercial peer but the statutory body that shapes the regulatory environment in which DCN operates and through which clinic-partnership referrals flow.
• Progress Educational Trust (PET): UK charity focused on public understanding of fertility, genomics, and embryo research. Ecosystem peer that awarded DCN's director the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award; engages overlapping professionals and donor-conception policy issues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/d_c_network
• Facebookfacebook.com/donorconceptionnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/donor-conception-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/d_c_network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Conception Network