Be The Match Registry Recruitment and Availability

Developing a more effective registry for our transplant center partners 

We know that for our transplant center partners the effectiveness of Be The Match Registry® is just as important as its size and diversity. You don’t only need to find a match on the registry. You need to find a match who will say, “Yes,” when called.

That’s why we’re using innovative approaches to recruit not only younger and more ethnically diverse donors, but those who will step up and help your patient when you need them. We’re creating programs to build their commitment and keep them engaged as they wait for the call. We’re changing how we interact with donors when they do get the call.

We’re taking steps to build not just the most diverse registry in the world, but the most effective registry for you. It’s our commitment to you and your patients.

Explore how we’ve changed our approach to donor recruitment so the donor you need is available when you need them.

Donor Recruitment 

The Be The Match Registry is already the most diverse registry in the world. But we know that gaps still exist. Our donor recruitment teams are working to close those gaps so we can ensure all patients get the lifesaving transplant they need.

Focused effort to recruit more donors who are ethnically diverse

The diversity on the Be The Match Registry needs to reflect the diversity of your patients. We’ve changed our recruitment model to bring more people onto the registry with unique haplotypes.

31% more than 94,000 of the potential donors who joined the Be The Match Registry in 2021 were ethnically diverse. More diversity is still needed on the registry to help every patient find a match.

For example, we began a pilot project in 2020 around a focused city: Atlanta. We are building relationships with organizations and key influencers to:

  • Build and strengthen trust within communities that have historically been exploited within the medical field
  • Empower members of ethnic communities with the knowledge that joining the registry is a commitment to save the life of someone matching his/her ethnic background
  • Enlighten and educate through information and patient success stories

We’ll use the knowledge we gain from the pilot project in Atlanta to guide our efforts in additional focused cities in the coming years.

Our Be The Match Mexico team has made significant progress in recruitment. Since launching operations in Mexico in 2017, the team has recruited more than 55,800 new members to the Be The Match Registry through September 2020. Of those, 63% added new HLA types to the registry.

Recruiting younger donors to meet our transplant center partners’ needs

With research showing transplant patients have better outcomes with grafts from younger donors, our data indicates our transplant center partners request younger donors most often.2  Physicians request donors in the 18-35 age group for confirmatory typing (CT) nearly 74% of the time.2

Our recruitment strategy reflects the need to continue to add young, ethnically diverse donors to the Be The Match Registry to better meet your needs.

We have a robust college strategy that focuses on building relationships at key schools that have high concentrations of ethnically diverse students. This allows us to recruit donors who are both young and ethnically diverse.

In 2021, 51% of new registry members, age 18-35, added new HLA types to the Be The Match Registry

Donor Availability 

Donor availability is just as important to you as finding a match for your patient. We understand the critical importance of increasing the percentage of donors on the Be The Match Registry who are willing to donate.

We’ve implemented programs to improve donor availability so the best donor for your patient is ready to say yes when you need them.

All in Yes program drives donor commitment 

In 2020, our Member Engagement, Enrollment and Experience team launched a program called All in Yes. The goal: increase donor availability at CT by creating a personalized, targeted registry member experience.

Many registry members wait years before they get the call to donate. On average, our donors are on the Be the Match Registry for four to eight years before donating.

The All in Yes program starts the moment a person joins the registry. They’ll receive targeted, personalized communication to nurture the relationship as they wait.

We’ll build on the commitment that inspired them to join the registry and maintain that spark over the years so they’re ready to say, “Yes,” when you need them.

Donor Engagement Team aims to convert more members to donors 

When you request a donor from the Be The Match Registry, they’ll get a call from our Donor Engagement Team. Created in 2020, this group has been specially trained to have that first crucial conversation with a potential donor.

They’re developing tools and methodologies for the first contact to have better conversations and keep the interaction going. Through these personalized interactions, we aim to convert more registry members to donors, starting with the first call.

These programs are the first steps to obtaining a donor for your patient. Learn how our Donor Services team has changed their processes to meet your first requested collection date more often. 

References

  1. NMDP/Be The Match FY20 Annual Numbers, OBIEE/FPR
  2. Blood, 2016, http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/127/2/260
  3. NMDP/Be The Match FY2020 Annual Numbers, NMDP Data & Analytics QUER 1869