Financial Support

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To make a one-time or recurring financial donation to the Cheekswab BeTheMatch Foundation page, please click here.

All donations to this page will be used exclusively to cover drive costs in the Northern VA/MD/Washington DC region.

To make a one-time or recurring financial donation to the National Marrow Donor Program, please click here.

All donations to this page will be used exclusively to cover costs for the NMDP as a whole.

How to Donate

Cheekswab is not currently a non-profit organization and as a result does not accept tax-deductible donations directly. Our operation is small so our expenses are covered out of pocket. If growth ever necessitates further financing, we will evaluate that decision accordingly and let you know.

However, we do have a donation page at the BeTheMatch Foundation that is used for donor registration costs at drives throughout Northern VA/MD/Washington DC. If you feel so inclined, you may also donate to the NMDP organization directly. As the NMDP is registered under IRS tax code Section 501(c)(3) as a non-profit charitable organization, both options of financial donations are tax-deductible.

The challenge of asking for money

The drive is going great; people are coming to the table, asking questions, and willing to take the time to complete the forms for joining the registry. I know that I have to ask the question eventually, but I try to put it off as long as possible because everything is going smoothly. I don't want to ask it as much as the other person doesn't want to hear it, but there's no real alternative. So finally, because I know it's necessary, I go ahead and ask:

"Are you able to donate financially to the registry today?"

People don't like to talk about this, but asking for money is awkward. And on the flip-side, being asked for a donation is awkward. It's almost as if an act of goodwill and sacrifice becomes suddenly tainted with ulterior motives, even though that is by no means the case. The request for financial donations on our part is a response to the financial reality of the administrative and operational expenses of registering donors. From kits, drive materials, HLA-typing and even the salaries of those working full-time for the NMDP, there are a number of costs that go into addressing the need of bone marrow donors. Financial donations from outside parties are one of the main means by which those costs are met.

Everything will be running smoothly at a drive until the moment you ask for money. We understand completely and believe this is for a couple of reasons:

  • People are skeptical that the money they donate is going to be used to make a real difference.
    There are a ton of stories out there about the misallocation of financial donations within both private and public organizations. It's important for organizations that expect outside financial support to be intentional, transparent and diligent about what initiatives those finances will go towards so as to not violate the public's trust.
  • People work hard for their money and don't want to throw it away.
    This ties very closely to the first reason above. Especially in today's economy, donating to a cause you believe in is more of a practical sacrifice than ever before.

Given these reasons, we want you to know exactly what your financial donation is going towards and why ask for financial donations is so important. There are two avenues by which interested parties can donate: to the Cheekswab BeTheMatch Foundation page for local drive costs and to the NMDP as a whole.

How your financial donation is used (Locally)

One option for making a financial contribution is to donate money to the Cheekswab BeTheMatch Foundation Donation Page.

All financial donations made through this page will go exclusively towards donor registration costs at drives throughout Northern VA/MD/Washington DC.

It costs roughly $100 to add a single donor into the marrow registry. While there are organizational funds set aside to cover registrations, these funds are an exhaustible resource and donations are requested at drives to help offset these costs.

How your financial donation is used (Nationally)

On a larger scale, funds provided to the National Marrow Donor Program go towards three main causes:

  • Providing financial assistance to those needing a transplant
    Many patients discover that their insurance does not cover the full cost of receiving a transplant, including the costs necessary to cover the procedures undertaken by their donor. If you are ever matched on the registry, the NMDP pays in full for all the medical and travel expenses that are necessary to complete your donation.
  • Adding new members to the registry by processing swab kits
    The DNA-typing process that is used to process every single donor into the bone marrow registry costs about $100 per donor. While there is an amount of funds set aside every year to cover these processing costs, they are exhausted very quickly. While we don't expect to receive full $100 coverage donations at drives, we accept donations of any size in hopes of offsetting some of these costs. When the pre-allocated funds are depleted new donors can no longer be entered into the registry without outside financial assistance.
  • Funding transplant research
    Progress in transplant research has led to developments like the ability to type donors with swab kits (versus blood draws) and the growing utilization of PBSC donations over marrow donations. Research funded by the NMDP is continually looking for more efficient and effective means of matching patients to donors.

For a more in-depth presentation about the barriers removed by financial donations, please view this slideshow.