Donation success in Michigan mirrors the national trend in saving and healing lives
Gift of Life Michigan helped a record 463 people become organ donors and 1,821 give the gift of tissue last year, saving hundreds of lives and healing tens of thousands more. The 2022 figures represent a significant 14% increase in tissue donors over the previous record in 2019 and an 8% increase in organ donors over 2021.
The records came as we hired more staff, spent more time on-site with potential donors and their families, and expanded our efforts to grow the Michigan Organ Donor Registry.
Public education and outreach
A critical first step was helping more residents register as organ and tissue donors. The Workplace Partnership initiative helped reach more than 55,000 residents through their employers and other public access points. Organizations such as the DNR and Rocket Mortgage increased our reach last year. This program is seeing significant growth already in 2023.
An expanding public education staff and key investment in its award-winning All of Us high school education program resulted in a record number of schools visited (203), presentations to students (471) and number of students reached (53,230).
Marketing efforts
We launched the Check Your Heart campaign, our largest marketing effort in history. It resulted in more than 21 million impressions. The three-year commitment exceeded all platform benchmarks for engagement and click-through rates in its inaugural year.
The campaign helped add nearly 237,000 residents to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry in 2022.
Clinical growth 
We hired more staff and that resulted in an 11% increase in on-site response to potential organ donation referrals. We approached 22% more families than the previous year, allowing more Michiganders the opportunity to choose a legacy of organ donation for their loved ones. We also talked with 25% more families about the gift of tissue.
Nationwide trends
Last year was big for organ transplants nationwide: Living and deceased donors made 42,800 transplants possible, surpassing the record of 41,000 in 2021. More than 25,000 kidney transplants were performed for the first time. The country reached a milestone of 1 million organs transplanted and Gift of Life is proud to have contributed to that accomplishment.
Still, with more than 100,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ, including nearly 2,400 in Michigan, we know we must do more. President and CEO Dorrie Dils expects the number of donors and transplants to continue upward.
“We will work hard, every day, to push for one more person registered, one more life saved, one more donor honored,” she said. “Our ultimate goal is that no one will linger or die on the waiting list. It should never happen.”
