FAQ

NFT helps establish fundraising campaigns in patient communities. Our trained fundraising consultants work with each campaign to develop personalized fundraising goals and tailored methods to raise funds. NFT also writes personalized appeal letters and works with the media to raise awareness in the community about the patient's needs.

Funds raised are placed in a specified NFT state organ/tissue fund, and NFT tracks donations made in honor of specific patients. NFT then uses the funds to pay for transplant-related expenses. NFT's fundraising campaigns have generated more than $56 million to assist patients during their transplant journey, and NFT assists more than 1,000 patients.

To view our video, which explains more about how NFT helps patients, click here.

Who is eligible for NFT's services?

NFT provides services to transplant candidates awaiting organ and/or tissue transplants, as well as patients who have already received their transplants.
NFT patients must be U.S. citizens or legally documented residents. The transplant must take place in the U.S.
NFT assists patients who need help with out-of-pocket transplant expenses.

How do I get started?
It's easy to sign up for NFT's fundraising assistance program!

Just contact us at 800-489-3863 and ask to speak with a fundraising consultant, who will explain the process of fundraising through NFT. You may also contact us at info@transplants.org for this information. After your initial conversation with the consultant, NFT will send you a packet of information, including an application, policy agreement and other materials to begin the process.

When funds are raised in my community, how will that money be used?
Funds raised are placed in an NFT state organ fund in honor of the patient (i.e. NFT Tennessee Heart Fund in honor of Jane Doe). Ninety-five percent of all funds raised in the community will be used to pay for transplant-related expenses, such as hospital and doctors' bills, co-pays, medications, insurance premiums, and travel expenses. Only 5 percent is used for NFT administrative costs.

What expenses will NFT cover?
NFT can help with transplant costs; hospital bills and deposits; co-pays; doctors' appointments; medications; caregiver expenses; insurance premiums, temporary mortgage assistance following the transplant; travel, food and lodging expenses; and more.

How much does a transplant cost?
The costs will vary for each patient, based on insurance coverage, the type of transplant and the location of the transplant center. Patients will also incur lifetime medical expenses for follow-up care and prescriptions.

Below is a list of average costs for transplants and first-year expenses. The actual costs may be higher or lower than the figures listed here:

Bone Marrow (autologous): $300,000
Bone Marrow (allogeneic related): $475,000
Bone Marrow (allogeneic unrelated): $675,000

Cornea: $20,000

Heart: $780,000

Intestine: $1.1 million

Kidney: $260,000

Liver: $500,000

Lung: $450,000
Double Lung: $650,000

Pancreas: $275,000

Heart/Lung: $1.1 million
Kidney/Pancreas: $440,000
Kidney/Heart: $1 million
Liver/Kidney: $760,000

I'm very ill and don't have the time or energy to fundraise. What can I do?
Our patients' health is our main concern, and we don't want them to worry about fundraising. That's why we request a list of volunteers, and we work directly with the volunteers to plan fundraising activities. Patients are not expected to be involved in the fundraising process; we want them to focus on their health, but we welcome them to be as involved as they want to be.

NFT can also help discover additional volunteer resources in your area. While it's ideal to have many volunteers, NFT can offer assistance even if you only have a few people to help. We also have a Quick Start program for campaigns that don't have enough volunteers to conduct a full campaign.

My insurance company will cover the transplant. Do I need fundraising assistance?
The transplant itself may be covered; however, the high costs of daily post-transplant medications and unforeseen complications often become very overwhelming for patients. Some insurance policies won't cover bone marrow donor searches -- which can be very expensive -- and others have an inadequate lifetime maximum for coverage that will quickly be exhausted. Many patients must also travel far distances to their transplant centers, which can result in significant travel and lodging expenses.

Transplant recipients require a lifetime of follow-up care and daily anti-rejection medications, which can cost as much as $5,000 per month. Most patients require many prescriptions every day. Even with insurance, the co-pays for multiple medications will add up quickly. Some insurance policies won't cover anti-rejection prescriptions at all or will only cover them for a specified period of time.

Even with "good" insurance, many patients find the financial burdens to be devastating. Plus, insurance coverage could change, so it's important to plan ahead for the future.

It is difficult to think about long-term financial burdens, but we know how expensive it can be to maintain that gift of life. It's very important to prepare for a lifelong financial commitment to take care of your new organ(s).

How long will I be on the waiting list?
Unfortunately, there is no way to predict how long it will take to receive a transplant. There are currently more than 106,000 patients awaiting transplants in the United States. Factors that determine a patient's waiting time are the patient's medical status, availability of donors in the patient's area, and the level of match between the donor and recipient.

I already had my transplant. Can NFT help me?
Absolutely! While the best time to fundraise is before transplant, NFT can help patients at any stage. It's easier to communicate the need, gather momentum and maintain enthusiasm among volunteers and donors if fundraising activities begin prior to the transplant. However, many campaigns continue to fundraise post-transplant, and others don't begin fundraising until after transplant.

What are the benefits of fundraising with NFT?
NFT is a nonprofit organization, so direct donations to NFT are tax deductible. If people make a donation directly to a patient, that donation will not be tax deductible. Patients who receive direct donations may be subject to taxes for money raised, and could even lose their Medicaid benefit status.

When donors contribute to NFT in a patient's honor, they have the reassurance that the funds are used for the intended transplant-related expenses.

NFT's fundraising campaigns have generated more than $56 million to assist patients during their transplant journey.

What happens if I haven't raised enough money to cover my expenses? Can NFT help?
NFT may be able to offer a grant to help with your immediate costs. Please check with your fundraising consultant for more information.

Will NFT actually do the fundraising for me?
NFT provides fundraising assistance and guidance so you can effectively raise funds in your own community. You have a better idea of what events and activities will succeed in your community, and you probably already have connections with potential donors and volunteers. We will walk you through the process, providing ideas and suggestions along the way, but the patient's volunteers will implement the fundraising activities. NFT will assist with event ideas, suggestions for making an event run smoothly, and editing of marketing materials (brochures, flyers, tickets, etc.). We also write appeal letters for you to send to friends and family, and we work with the media to share patient stories and promote upcoming events. We post all patients on our Web site, with a direct link so donors can easily click to donate in a patient's honor.

NFT's fundraising campaigns have generated more than $56 million to assist patients during their transplant journey.

How does a gift to NFT, designated to a particular state fund, differ from a general gift to NFT or to Celebrate Life?
Gifts to NFT state funds are restricted for paying transplant-related costs for patients with specific kinds of transplants in that specific state. Checks for these donations should be made payable to National Foundation for Transplants, with the appropriate "State Organ/Tissue Fund" written on the memo line. Gifts to Celebrate Life, or gifts simply made out to NFT with no other notation are unrestricted gifts which enable us to provide support to patients where the need is greatest.

Are all donations to NFT tax deductible?
Yes, providing the donation is one where no service or product of value is expected or received in exchange for the contribution. When an individual makes a contribution in exchange for a product or service (such as dinner at a charitable fund raiser, or green fees at a charity golf event), only the portion of the contribution that exceeds the fair market value of the product or service received in exchange for the contribution is tax deductible.

If I choose to contribute to NFT, can I be assured that my information is secure?
National Foundation for Transplants uses a secured socket layer, which ensures information is safe from hackers.

Does NFT thank all contributors for their gifts?
NFT sends a personalized thank-you letter to all those who contribute (and who do not receive any product or service in exchange for their contribution.) The letter confirms that the donation is tax-deductible.