Donation & Family Advocate

Position Details

Seniority level:
Mid‑Senior level

Employment type:

Full‑time

Job function:
Other

Industries:
Hospitals and Health Care

Gift of Hope is a federally designated not‑for‑profit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates organ and tissue donation and provides compassionate service to families of donors in the northern three‑quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana. Since 1986, we have coordinated donations that have saved the lives of more than 23,000 organ transplant recipients, and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients.

We work with 183 hospitals in our donation service area. The Donation & Family Advocate position is a full‑time, 40‑hour, on‑call role that requires availability on nights, weekends, and holidays as agreed upon. The primary function is to present the donation option to families, answer questions, and inspire them to say yes in a manner that supports Gift of Hope’s mission.

Compensation range: $71,500 – $80,000 annually.

• Medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance options for full‑time employees
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) plan
• 403(b) retirement plan with company match
• Tuition reimbursement up to the IRS‑allowed maximum
• Personalized learning and educational development opportunities
• Monthly cell phone and internet stipends
• Paid parental leave
• Annual employer‑funded lifestyle spending accounts to support wellness needs
• Support and counseling for personal, work, financial, or family needs through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and partnership with Critical Incident Stress Consultants (CISC)

• Advance Gift of Hope’s mission, vision, and core values; adhere to all policies and procedures.
• Referral on‑sites: respond to active organ referrals at hospitals within established timeframe; review and document patient information; coordinate testing and services; conduct patient care conferences; facilitate donor assessments; collaborate with Clinical Administrator‑on‑Call.
• Approaches / authorization: provide families with accurate, timely information; maintain communication with hospital staff and physicians; advocate with the healthcare team; ensure collaborative approach; determine family understanding; advocate for donation; educate next‑of‑kin; properly use forms to capture authorization.
• Family support: provide compassionate care for donor families; supply clinical support before and during donation process; give timely follow‑up information on outcomes in collaboration with Donor Family Services.
• Hospital development: establish and maintain professional relationships with hospital staff; educate healthcare teams; conduct rounding; attend debriefs; provide education on authorization, family care, and donation process.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in an allied healthcare field, business administration, education, advocacy, or related field; or equivalent work experience.

• 3–5 years of healthcare experience, counseling, case management, advocacy, or child welfare with focus on outcome‑driven conversations, strategic planning, and high‑stress environments.
• Comfortable handling emotional distress, dying, and death.
• Ability to interpret verbal and non‑verbal communication; situational awareness, compassion, and empathetic listening.
• Experience advocating, collaborating, and negotiating with healthcare professionals.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to connect and influence others.
• Assertive responsiveness to changing clinical and social/emotional dynamics.
• Prioritization and constructive communication during stress.
• High accountability with internal and external partners.
• Experience working in hospital environments, particularly emergency, critical care, and intensive care units.
• Effective communication of information to co‑workers, hospital staff, and families.
• Basic computer skills.
• Bilingual fluency in English & Spanish is a plus.

• Travel to hospitals across service area and to Itasca office for meetings and trainings.
• Work outside normal business hours to respond to cases.
• Review…