Gift of Hope

What Gift of Hope does

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is a not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) founded in 1986 and headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. It is the federally designated OPO coordinating organ and tissue donation across the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana, a service area covering 12 million residents and 180 partner hospitals. The organization manages the full donation lifecycle: receiving referrals through its Donor Resource Center (handling over 6,300 calls per month), evaluating donors, matching organs to transplant candidates via the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) system, coordinating recovery (organ and tissue including bone, skin, corneas, heart valves, tendons, ligaments), and providing aftercare support to more than 2,000 donor families annually. Since inception, its work has enabled over 23,000 organ transplants and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue recipients, with a 2021 record of 474 organ donors enabling 1,352 transplants.

The business model is a hybrid of federally supported OPO funding and philanthropic donations. As one of 57 federally designated OPOs, Gift of Hope receives federal cost reimbursement for organ acquisition activities, and its services are provided free of charge to donor families. The Gift of Hope Community Foundation, established in 2018 as a wholly-owned supporting organization, supplements revenue through donations and signature fundraising events such as the 'Celebration of Donation' 5K and 'Light It Up Purple.' Go-to-market is community-led: a six-person Community Affairs Department runs nearly 100 community-based programs, supported by a 300-member volunteer force (including donor families and transplant recipients), partnerships with funeral directors, medical examiners, and hospitals, and media partnerships (e.g., WGN-TV). Leadership is headed by President/CEO Harry Wilkins, MD, with COO Dave Bosch and a board including senior executives from Ascension Health and Heartland Alliance.

The operational footprint spans three offices (Itasca headquarters, Chicago, and Springfield) and integrates with ecosystem partners including AlloSource (tissue donation), UNOS (organ allocation), and the American Red Cross. The organization holds a Charity Navigator 4-star rating (2025) and pursues multi-channel awareness through blog, social media, community events, and the Illinois High School Association partnership. No AI, API, or software product revenue is generated; Gift of Hope is a service-delivery nonprofit whose competitive position is anchored in its federal designation, regional hospital relationships, and community trust built over nearly four decades.

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

Short description

Gift of Hope is a federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization coordinating organ and tissue donation across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, serving 12 million residents through 180 partner hospitals since 1986.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Itasca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Federal OPO Funding: As a federally designated organ procurement organization, Gift of Hope receives funding through federal programs. Gift of Hope is one of 57 OPOs that make up the nation's organ donation system.
2. Donations and Foundation Support: The Gift of Hope Community Foundation, established in 2018, raises funds to support Gift of Hope's mission and programs. The foundation hosts events like the 'Celebration of Donation' 5K and 'Light It Up Purple' to generate donations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gift of Hope is the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, coordinating the full lifecycle of organ and tissue donation from referral through transplantation. Services include donor registration management, clinical organ and tissue recovery, UNOS-based organ allocation, laboratory compatibility testing, hospital partner coordination, and aftercare support for donor families. All services are provided at no cost to donor families.

Product overview

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is a not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) that operates as a single, unified service platform coordinating organ and tissue donation across Illinois and northwest Indiana. The organization offers a comprehensive suite of services including donor registry management, organ and tissue recovery coordination, organ allocation through UNOS, hospital and funeral home partnership programs, donor family aftercare services, and community outreach education. The Gift of Hope Community Foundation, established in 2018, provides fundraising support for the organization's mission. The organization works with 180 hospitals and serves 12 million people in its donation service area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organ & Tissue Donation Coordination End-to-end coordination of organ and tissue donation in Illinois and northwest Indiana, from hospital referral through transplantation.
• Donor Registry Services Management of organ and tissue donor registration through the Illinois and Indiana donor registries, enabling residents to register their donation decision.
• Donor Family Services Aftercare support, grief resources, workshops, donor family/recipient correspondence, and memorial events for families of organ and tissue donors.
• Tissue Recovery Services Coordination of tissue recovery including skin, bone, corneas, heart valves, tendons, and ligaments for transplantation.
• Organ Recovery Services Clinical management of organ donation including evaluation, matching, and recovery of organs for transplant recipients.
• Organ Allocation Services Matching donated organs with transplant waitlist candidates through UNOS in coordination with the organization's laboratory team.
• Hospital Partnership Services Collaboration with hospitals including Champions for Hope training, donor referral processes, and clinical donation coordination across 180 hospital partners.
• Community Outreach Programs Community-based education programs delivered through a six-person Community Affairs Department covering nearly 100 programs to inform the public about organ and tissue donation.
• Gift of Hope Community Foundation Fundraising entity that supports Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network's mission through community events and donations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 474 organ donors in 2021 enabled 1,352 lifesaving organ transplants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021HRSA's National Hospital Organ Donation Campaign involved Gift of Hope supporting hospitals in educating staff and communities about the need for organ, eye, and tissue donation. The campaign generated over 50,000 new donor registrations nationally.
• AlloSourcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003AlloSource is Gift of Hope's primary tissue donation partner. Tim Joos, father of tissue donor Samantha Joos, works as IT Information Systems Manager with AlloSource in Centennial, Colorado. The partnership includes marketing efforts including sponsorship for ESPN's Sports Medicine Weekly show to educate the public about tissue donation and transplantation.
• United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)coreTechnology or IntegrationUNOS generates and provides lists of transplant candidates ranked by medical urgency, waiting time, and geography. Gift of Hope uses UNOS systems to match organs with waitlist candidates for transplantation.
• WGN-TVflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership with WGN-TV to expand donor registration awareness and educate viewers about organ and tissue donation.
• Rush University Medical CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGift of Hope and RUSH partnered on an organ donor care center. Critical care nurses at RUSH are trained in donor referral processes and work closely with Gift of Hope teams.
• American Red CrossflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network partnered with American Red Cross to launch 'A Path for a Healthier Chatham' donation and registration drive.
• Illinois High School AssociationflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerIHSA partnered with Donate Life Illinois to launch campaign encouraging organ, tissue, and eye donor registration among high school students.
• Funeral Service ProfessionalscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGift of Hope collaborates with hundreds of funeral directors in Illinois and Indiana. Funeral directors honor donors by flying Gift of Hope flags, incorporating donation-related wording into readings, providing casket-draping ceremonies, and displaying donor magnets. The Funeral Director Advisory Council advises on matters related to funeral services.
• Medical Examiners and CoronerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGift of Hope works with medical examiners, coroners, state attorneys and law enforcement to maintain ethical and legal standards in donation. Counties including Morgan, Moultrie, McLean, and Cook County have implemented protocols for donation authorization.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Indiana Donor Network: Indiana Donor Network is the federally designated OPO serving the Indiana portion that abuts Gift of Hope's northwest Indiana service area, operating the same organ and tissue procurement model with comparable hospital partnership networks and donor family support programs.
• Midwest Transplant Network: Midwest Transplant Network is a federally designated OPO serving Kansas and western Missouri, executing the same end-to-end organ and tissue procurement, hospital coordination and donor-family services as Gift of Hope.
• Mid-America Transplant: Mid-America Transplant is the federally designated OPO serving eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas - sharing a border with Gift of Hope's DSA - and operating an analogous hospital-based procurement and aftercare model.
• LifeSource: LifeSource is a federally designated OPO serving Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and western Wisconsin, performing the same organ and tissue procurement, Donor Resource Center intake, and donor family aftercare functions as Gift of Hope.
• LifeCenter Northwest: LifeCenter Northwest is a federally designated OPO serving Washington, Montana, Alaska and northern Idaho, executing the same hospital-partnered organ and tissue procurement and recovery operations that define Gift of Hope's core mission.
• Donor Network West: Donor Network West is one of the larger federally designated OPOs in the US serving northern Nevada and northern California, with a comparable hospital-network and community-outreach operating model to Gift of Hope.
• LiveOnNY: LiveOnNY is the federally designated OPO serving the New York metropolitan area, performing the same organ and tissue procurement, donor family support, and multicultural community outreach activities central to Gift of Hope's mission.
• New England Donor Services: New England Donor Services is the federally designated OPO serving Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, with an analogous organ and tissue procurement, hospital coordination, and donor family services model.
• Tennessee Donor Services: Tennessee Donor Services is a federally designated OPO serving Tennessee and a portion of Virginia, operating the same hospital-referral organ and tissue procurement platform and donor family aftercare programs as Gift of Hope.

Others

• United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS): UNOS operates the OPTN national organ allocation system that Gift of Hope integrates with to match donors to transplant candidates, making it both a core technology partner and the closest adjacent enabler of the OPO operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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

Compliance1 record

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