Montana Strategic and Successful Partnership with Office of Community Service

Montana Partnerships SightLife Office of the Governor - OCS –Linda Carlson, Office of Community Service Living Legacy Foundation –Maintain Registry –Established by OPO LifeCenter Northwest Northwest Tissue Center

Lessons Learned Tracking – –Not able to track how new online registrants “entered” the website as we thought we could. 5! –Attempted Give 5 – Save Lives with hospital WPFL partners through mailed brochures. – response rate is higher, cheaper and easier to implement!

“12 Weeks” Results Goal – 10,000 Total new registrants – 9,166 February Online registrants – % increased registry rate compared to same time frame last year

Why OCS? Organ and tissue donation is a very personal kind of volunteerism. “Neighbor to Neighbor” we are all Montanans here to help each other and build stronger communities. The Montana OCS was created by Legislature in 1993 in an effort to support community-based volunteer programs focused on addressing critical community needs. The vision of the Commission is to cultivate service as a lifelong "habit of the heart" for all citizens, and in particular, instill an ethic of community service in young Montanans.

Office of Community Service Volunteerism and civic engagement. Already have in place a great on line system for other state giving programs and need only to add this to give folks the ability to register. Volunteers – –Manages the state AmeriCorps programs. Recruit over 300 members, who in turn recruit another 5,000 individuals in communities all around the state in service projects. These individuals represent the Montana non- profit community, very much like a lot of small businesses.

Give 5 – Save Lives Governor sent personal letter by to all state employees on evening of Feb 12 –Did not use our template. Wrote his own letter highlighting Valentine’s Day and 3 state employees touched by donation Feb 12 we had 15 online sign ups for the month Feb 14 we had 318 online sign ups for the month

OCS Goals and Objectives Goal #1: Expand service opportunities for all Montanans. –The Living Legacy Organ Donor Program will increase enrollment of high school students by 100%. Goal #3: Maintain a solid portfolio of AmeriCorps programs to meet the needs of Montana communities and provide participants with financial resources to pursue higher education. –Engage more than 20,000 Montanans to become new organ or tissue donors for the Living Legacy Program

Moving Forward… High School Youth Education – –OCS mailed Educator Resource Guide, “It’s Your Choice” DVD and brochures to all high schools requesting presentation implemented in health classes with donor family/recipient speaker – 172 high schools reaching at least 3,000 high school students –Created “Living Legacy Youth Representative” high school AmeriCorp position –Governor sending follow-up letter to all health teachers encouraging them to participate in organ donation education program College Youth Engagement – –RFP sent to all Campus Compact member colleges –Proposals for program for organ donor registry drives for week of April 16, $300 grant to conduct program –Program participants required to attend 1 hour training on Organ and Tissue Donation and Living Legacy Registry prior to event –Amazing enthusiasm!

Moving Forward… Governor will send another letter to all state employees the week of May 12 (Mother’s Day) with a special note from mother of recent local heart recipient Donate Life at the Capitol! –Organ, tissue, cornea, and bone marrow donation registration event on May 16 September 24th-26th – Montana Governor’s Conference on Community Service in conjunction with Montana’s Non-Profit Association

BOLD Offer Linda will send letter to her OCS counterparts throughout the nation to encourage them to become involved in their state’s Organ and Tissue Donor Registry efforts Linda will provide Akoya with contact information for OCS office in each state so that you can connect with your state OCS after they receive Linda’s letter