Who We Are
Donor Alliance providing hope and healing
Organ and tissue donation has saved and healed millions of lives around the world. As the regional Organ Procurement Organization (OPO), Donor Alliance facilitates the process of organ and tissue donation for transplantation throughout Colorado and most of Wyoming. We are passionately focused on maximizing every opportunity and giving hope to those in urgent need throughout our communities.
We maintain the network that connects donors with transplant recipients
Donor Alliance is the federally designated OPO for Colorado and most of Wyoming, which means we are one of 56 unique organizations across the country responsible for the evaluation, recovery, preservation, and transportation of organs for transplantation. In addition to its responsibilities as an OPO, Donor Alliance also helps save and heal lives through tissue donation. Every year, tissue transplants provide lifesaving and healing hope to tens of thousands of people suffering from disease, injury, trauma, or blindness. Donor Alliance is also unique in that we promote local registration into the Donate Life Colorado and the Donate Life Wyoming donor registries.
Our Mission
Donor Alliance saves and heals lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
Our Vision
Maximizing all donation opportunities
Our Values
Integrity, Leadership, Excellence, Accountability, People First
Honoring donors and their families
The gift of donation is a beautiful act of generosity.
When Donor Alliance receives a referral , our team approaches its role with sensitivity, respect and gratitude. We are committed to honoring donors and their families for these precious gifts. Facilitating donation requires a comprehensive network of relationships and partnerships with more than 100 hospitals across the region to efficiently save and heal as many lives as possible. We are tremendously proud of the Donor Alliance network of medical professionals that works to ensure the legacy of the donor’s gift of life.
Donor Alliance is a Donate Life partner organization
Donor Alliance is also charged with inspiring the public to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors through community partnerships, public outreach and education campaigns throughout its service area. As a Donate Life America organization, Donor Alliance manages the Donate Life Colorado, Done Vida Colorado and the Donate Life Wyoming registries to inspire the community to sign up as a donor in our region.
We’re proud of our history and achievements
We are proud to have been recognized with these awards and achievements as we continue on our performance excellence journey.
Donor Alliance was formed in 1997 as the result of a merger between Colorado Organ Recovery Systems (CORS) and the Mile High Transplant Bank (MHTB). Today, we continue to build on our nearly 30-year legacy of saving and healing lives, as well as the history of organ and tissue donation for transplantation in our nation.
In 1984, legislation creating the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) for matching donor organs to waiting recipients was signed into law. The OPTN includes all OPOs and transplant centers and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). UNOS leads the network of transplant hospitals and OPOs to honor the gifts of life entrusted to us and to make lifesaving transplants possible for patients in need. The OPTN standardized the process through which organs are donated and shared across the country, as well as the system of OPOs—each of which is federally designated and serves communities in specific areas in the country.
Colorado and Wyoming have experienced significant milestones and have been impacted by many inspirational stories about organ and tissue donation over the past 25 years.
2022
- Top Workplace – Denver Post
- Donate Life America Pinnacle Award Winner
2021
- Top Workplace – Denver Post
- Donate Life America Pinnacle Award Winner
- AATB Distinguished Service Award
2020
- Denver Business Journal Best Places to Work
- Top Workplace – Denver Post
- Donate Life America Pinnacle Award – Platinum Overall
- Donate Life America Pinnacle Award – Innovation Award
2019
- Top Workplace – Denver Post
- Donate Life America Highest Donor Designation Rate Gold Award for 2018 – National & Region 2
2018
- Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Winner
- Top Workplace – Denver Post
2017
- Top 100 Workplaces 2017 – Denver Post
- Pinnacle Innovation Award 2017 – Donate Life America
2016
- Top 100 Workplaces 2016 – Denver Post
2015
- Peak Performance Award 2015 – Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence (RMPEx)
- Grand Gold Leaf Award 2015 – Colorado Healthcare Communicators
- Pinnacle Awards 2015 – Donate Life America
- Groundbreaker Award 2015 – American Association of Tissue Banks
- Telly Awards 2015
- Top Workplaces 2015 – Denver Post
Operational excellence to maximize every opportunity
As a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, we must operate as efficiently and effectively as possible to maximize our operating budget, so we can save and heal as many lives as possible. Our revenues are generated from reimbursement fees that cover the actual, direct, and indirect expenses incurred in the recovery of organs and tissues. These fees include expenses such as donor screening, hospital charges, surgeon fees, facility costs, transportation, staffing and medical supplies. These fees are paid to Donor Alliance upon the transplantation of recovered organs and tissues. Donor Alliance also receives cost reimbursement from Medicare to cover any costs in excess of fees collected for kidney recovery.
Because of the generosity of donors and their families, as well as strong collaborative relationships with our professional partners, Donor Alliance has been able to fulfill its mission to save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. We invite you to view our annual reports: