A Look Into The "Say Yes" Campaign That Is Inspiring 16 and 17-Year-Olds to Become Organ Donors
Empowering Tomorrow: Get to Know Lisa Dodson and the Idea Behind the 'Say Yes' Campaign that is Inspiring 16 and 17-Year-Olds to Become Organ Donors
Lisa raising awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation.
Lisa and a colleague raising awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation
You are the Sr. Community Outreach Specialist at Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network. For those who aren't familiar, can you tell me more about Gift of Hope and your role within the organization?
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network (Gift of Hope) is a not-for-profit organization providing organ and tissue donation services, donor family services and public education. Our mission is to save and enhance the lives of as many people as possible through organ and tissue donation. As a Community Outreach Specialist my primary responsibility is to develop and implement programs, projects, and events to increase overall public awareness and education as well as build community partnerships to increase organ and tissue donation registration rates in Illinois.
How did you get into this field of work and end up in your position with Gift of Hope?
Twenty-two years ago, I "discovered" the field of organ and tissue donation and transplantation when I was recruited to join the American Red Cross Tissue Services in 2001. I have had a number of different roles in this field, have been with Gift of Hope since 2014, and in this position of Community Outreach Specialist since 2017. In 2017, I was appointed to develop a "downstate" (Illinois) Community Outreach program on behalf of Gift of Hope.
The "Say Yes" Campaign is considered to be your legacy with the organization. Can you share a bit more about its history - how it started and where it's at today?
On January 1, 2018, the “Drive for Life” Act, was signed into law, allowing 16- and 17-year-olds in Illinois to join the organ and tissue donor registry. Our Gift of Hope Community Outreach department quickly recognized the importance of this legislation and the potential impact it could have on increasing registration and, thus, saving and enhancing lives. The question then became "What is the best venue to reach large groups of high school students? The answer was the Illinois High School Association (IHSA)! I took on the role of "Project Lead" to contact the IHSA, establish a partnership and determine the events, activities and creative ways to optimize their "reach" into high schools, including students, athletic directors, coaches and administrators. This is the sixth year of the partnership. Every year we create fresh, new elements while staying committed to the purpose of the partnership. Currently, there are over 300,000 16 and 17-year-olds registered in Illinois.
What do you think most people don't realize about becoming an organ, eye, and tissue donor?
Education is critical as most people do not register out of fear, lack of information, or believing myths related to donation and/or transplantation.
Fear/Myth: If a tragic event occurs, "they" won't try to save me if they know I am a donor.
Fact: All life-saving measures will be exhausted by medical professionals before donation can proceed.
Medical professionals are in the field to "save lives" and do not want to have a patient die. Unfortunately, not all lives can be saved. No one is hoping for someone to die...only that if a death occurs that donation is considered and evaluated.
The other important message is do NOT rule yourself out due to age, medical condition etc. If you want to be a donor...register! Upon death, Gift of Hope is responsible to complete an extensive medical evaluation to determine if donation or transplantation is an option.
What are some of your short and long term goals for this campaign?
All goals lead to increasing the Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donor registry. We encourage everyone to make an informed decision and also talk to family and loved ones about their decision. At the time of tragedy, this is one less decision that has to be made on the behalf of the deceased. This is the overarching goal for any and all ages. In terms of metrics, the 16 and 17-year-old registration rates are tracked.
This campaign is one of the efforts to increase registration. I am very excited to see how the new materials, designed by Chelsie of Lettering Works, will appeal to students and encourage them to "Say Yes!"
What is your favorite part about connecting with 16 and 17 year olds through this campaign?
High school students are our future. As such, reaching high school students gives the opportunity to engage and teach about the meaning of being an organ, eye, and tissue donor. Hopefully, building a donation culture that is based on an informed decision and the understanding of the amazing impact that this decision can have on those needing an organ or tissue transplant. My favorite response from students is "Why would I not donate? I don't need my organs and tissues after I am gone."
How would you describe the process of working with Lettering Works to establish new branding for this campaign? What did you enjoy most?
I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Chelsie and Lettering Works on freshening the look and feel of our campaign to reach the high school student population. Chelsie was fully committed to understanding the goals of this project and translating my ideas to her designs! She provided valuable input and information to ensure the goals were met. She exceeded my expectations in every aspect of this project. What did I enjoy most? Working with and brainstorming with Chelsie! I also respect that Chelsie communicates every step of the process.
What is one thing you learned about branding throughout the process of working together that you think others should know?
Chelsie provides documents to be completed to help her understand the purpose and expectations of a project. I strongly recommend to anyone to put the time in the front end and be engaged in every step of the process required for successful completion of the project. Chelsie is an expert in her field, and I learned that that branding and lettering requires expertise, talent and strategic thinking. I want to thank Chelsie for all of the tools that she provided to help me better understand branding. I will go to her with any future projects!
The new campaign look is just rolling out. What value do you anticipate receiving from this strategic update?
Gift of Hope is part of a donation consortium called "Donate Life Illinois." For 2024, one of the major goals was to highlight the brand and colors of Donate Life Illinois. The next step is to share the new materials with the members of Donate Life Illinois and launch the use of the new branding materials in Q1 of 2024 at the Illinois High School Association state final events. I anticipate that our key audience of high school students will find the materials created by Chelsie to be appealing and relevant, especially the "Say Yes" and "I said Yes" stickers and buttons.
Giveaway item design - stickers and buttons
Printed giveaway items
Why do you think non-profits should invest in quality branding for their own campaigns?
Branding should reflect purpose. In order to have the public and your target audience understand your organization's purpose, strategic branding is needed. As with this project, most non-profits are striving for a "call-to-action" to be answered as part of their campaigns.
For more information about organ & tissue donation and to register to be a donor, visit: giftofhope.org.
This project is a direct result of Lettering Works’ Passion Project: Cool Beans (launched in 2020).
Chelsie has polycystic kidney disease and is passionate about working with causes related to kidney disease and organ transplantation.
