A National Donate Life Month Story Series
“You’ve Said ‘Yes’ to Donation. Now What?” is a National Donate Life Month story series that chronicles the ins and outs of the complex donation process. Journey with us during NDLM 2017 as we showcase the behind-the-scenes people who help turn tragedy into triumph by making donation happen.
Getting to ‘Yes’ and Working Together: Donation Coordinator
Partners in Donation
Not a 9-to-5 Job
Donation Coordinators don’t work the conventional nine-to-five workday. And the job requires excellent time management and flexibility, so the people who work in these positions must be able to switch plans and gears at a moment’s notice.
“Every day is different,” Caitlin said. “The hours are varied, plans can change at any minute, and I love that. It’s important to get face time with our donation partners on a regular basis, whether it’s very early morning or late at night. We understand how busy they are and work around their schedules as much as possible.”
The Donation Coordinator’s job has its challenges. Because donation is not for everyone, Caitlin believes that her job is not to debate with or convince people that donation is for them. Her goal is to develop solid shared donation processes with partners, which can ultimately help achieve positive outcomes for people who want to donate.
Call Early and Call Often
“Timely referral calls from our partners are incredibly important to a successful donation outcome,” Caitlin said. “‘Call early and call often.’ is the main message I share during my trainings and informational sessions. Everything that takes place from the moment our partners call us with a donation referral until the conversation of donation takes place with a family or legal guardian determines if donation will happen. That is why establishing clear and effective donation procedures and processes with our partners is so essential to the shared donation process and to successful donation outcomes.”