What is Kidney Transplant Thursdays?
Kidney Transplant Thursdays encourages those in the kidney transplant community, organizations and individuals, to use their social media outlets and traditional public relations to educate the public about living kidney donation on the second Thursday of every month.

Mission
To educate the public about living kidney donation and to help those in need receive more attention about their situation.

Why Does the Public Need to Be Educated About Living Kidney Donation?
The general public is not very knowledgeable about living kidney donation. Unlike deceased donation, (which has organizations funded by Federal, State and other governmental agencies that educates the public, e.g. UNOS, Donate Life America, State DMV’s and many non-profits,) there isn’t an organization whose sole purpose is to educate the public about living kidney donation.

Why Should Organizations Want to Participate in Kidney Transplant Thursdays?
Organizations will publicize their Mission while posting educational information about living kidney donation. Organizations are encouraged to share their postings on the Kidney Transplant Thursdays Facebook page so others can share their message, increasing the publicity they’ll receive.

Why Should Those in Need of a Kidney Transplant Want to Participate in Kidney Transplant Thursdays?
95% of living donors donate to someone they know or heard about their recipients need from someone else, often from a family member or friend who shared their story. For these individuals, Kidney Transplant Thursdays provides them with another outlet for their story while they help educate the public about living kidney donation. These individuals are also encouraged to share their postings on the Kidney Transplant Thursdays Facebook page so others can see and share their message, increasing the number of people who learn about their situation.

Who Will Participate with Kidney Transplant Thursdays?
The goal is to have the following groups and individuals participate in Kidney Transplant Thursdays:

• Any organization affiliated with the kidney transplant community:
  • Transplant Centers
  • Kidney related professional organizations
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Dialysis companies
  • UNOS and their affiliates
  • Pharmaceutical companies
  • OPOs (Organ Procurement Organizations)
  • ESRD Networks
  • ournalists who’ve previously written kidney transplant stories
• Those who need a kidney transplant
• Kidney transplant recipients
• Living kidney donors
• Those exploring being a living donor
• Family members and friends of the above and others who support the kidney transplant community

Those supporting Kidney Transplant Thursdays will use their social media and traditional public relations outlets to post information about living kidney donation while also promoting their mission or need for a transplant. They will do this on the 2nd Thursday of every month, post and share their posting on the Kidney Transplant Thursdays Facebook page. This page will be the primary aggregator of this information and will allow others to share these posting on their social media pages.

On the Monday before the 2nd Thursday of each month, Kidney Transplant Thursdays will post ideas on the Kidney Transplant Thursdays Facebook page that you can use on the upcoming Thursday. You can create your own posting too.

How to share your posts:

1. Join the Kidney Transplant Thursdays Facebook group.
2. Post on your social media page and use #kidneytransplantthursdays in your posting. Use the ideas provided or create your own.
3. Share this posting to the Kidney Transplant Thursdays Facebook group.

For those who would like to receive these ideas via email on the Monday before the 2nd Thursday, they can email: kidneytransplantthursdays@gmail.com and in the subject line write: “Please send Kidney Transplant Thursdays posting ideas.”

Questions? Email us at: kidneytransplantthursdays@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kidneytransplantthursdays

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