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Donation Promotion Toolkits

Any day is a good day to promote organ, tissue and eye donation, but there are special days and months with messages and materials that make it easier to get the word out. We've built a few toolkits to help you in your work to save more lives. Please download and share these messages through your community, workplace, place of worship, clubs and organizations, neighborhoods, family and friends. Anyone age 15 or older can register to be a lifesaving hero at heroicdeed.com.

Did you know?

UW Organ and Tissue Donation (UW OTD) serves deceased organ and tissue donors and their families in 108 hospitals in Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan. This team includes experts who: match donated organs to recipients in need, work with families during and after the donation process, manage the donor and recover and transport organs, and teams who work to educate hospital staff and fill the donor registry to make more gifts of life possible. We’re proud that UW OTD continues to be recognized as one of the nation’s finest organ procurement organizations.

Donation toolkits

Orangetober social media suggestions

For use with the Orangetober social graphic

  • Candy corn – love ‘em or hate ‘em? (insert thumbs up and thumbs down emojis)
    Either way, we can all agree how sweet it is to be a registered organ, tissue and eye donor. Be sweet. Be a hero. Be a donor. Register at heroicdeed.com

More ideas (Use the Orangetober logo or other graphics)

  • Of all the beautiful autumn colors, orange is our favorite. Got your dot? If not, register today at heroicdeed.com

  • It’s official! Orangetober is a thing! Move over pumpkins, Wisconsin’s orange donor dot is trending! Get yours at heroicdeed.com

  • Pumpkin spice? Yes! Apple picking? Sure! Orangetober? Definitely! Donor dot? Let’s do this! It’s time to soak in all your favorite fall activities in style! Start at heroicdeed.com

More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, and more than 60% of those waiting identify as Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) due to the health disparities that result in higher incidence of diabetes and high blood pressure. UW OTD is working to increase the number of donated organs and tissues from people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Although transplants can be successful regardless of the race or ethnicity of the donor and recipient, there’s a greater chance of longer-term survival if the shared genetic background of the donor and recipient are closely matched. This is one reason that it is important to be intentional about representation and outreach to encourage donor registration in communities of color.

National Donate Life Month was established by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003. Each April UW Health and hospitals across the nation pause to focus on local, regional and national activities that encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.

In 2023, Donate Life America was inspired by the natural world of a pond coming to life in the spring, which nicely represents the opportunity for new life that organ donors provide.

Many of us share our gratitude for donors throughout the year, but during Donate Life Month UW Health asks you to pause a moment to honor organ and tissue donors. You can access our Donate Life month toolkit to thank donors and their families, and to help others learn more about the importance of registering as an organ, tissue and eye donor.

Download these files to participate in the Donate Life 2023 activities: