A Year in Review: YCOD's 2023 Milestones and 2024 Goals
January 1, 2024 · News & Updates
Every year at YCOD, we take a moment to look back at what we've accomplished — not to pat ourselves on the back, but to take stock honestly and set our sights higher. 2023 was a defining year for our organization. We grew, we learned, and we pushed the conversation about organ donation reform further than ever. Here's the honest accounting of where we've been and where we're headed.
2023 Milestones
Legislative Progress
Our flagship advocacy effort — support for New York's Bill A07954, which would establish an opt-out organ donation system in the state — gained significant momentum in 2023. YCOD members testified before the New York State Assembly Health Committee, presenting data on opt-out systems worldwide and sharing personal stories of families affected by the organ shortage. We organized letter-writing campaigns that generated hundreds of constituent letters to state legislators. While the bill has not yet passed, it has more co-sponsors than ever, and we believe we are building the coalition necessary for eventual passage.
Membership Growth
YCOD's membership grew substantially in 2023. We launched new chapters at high schools and colleges across New York, bringing our total to over a dozen active chapters. Each chapter operates semi-independently, organizing local events and outreach while coordinating with our central team on legislative advocacy. The energy of our new members — their creativity, their passion, their refusal to accept the status quo — has been the highlight of my year.
Education and Outreach
- School presentations: We delivered organ donation education presentations at over 20 schools, reaching thousands of students with information about the waitlist crisis, how donation works, and how they can get involved
- Donor registration drives: In partnership with Donate Life, we organized registration events at schools and community centers, helping hundreds of people sign up as organ donors
- Social media reach: Our social media presence grew significantly, with our content reaching tens of thousands of people across Instagram, TikTok, and X. Our most-shared post — a comparison of U.S. opt-in rates vs. Spanish opt-out rates — was viewed over 50,000 times
Community Partnerships
We deepened our partnerships with organizations including Donate Life America, the National Kidney Foundation, and local transplant centers. These collaborations have strengthened our credibility, expanded our reach, and given our members access to expertise and resources that amplify our impact.
Honest Reflections
Not everything went perfectly. We struggled with volunteer retention — the reality of student-led organizations is that members graduate, move, and get busy. We need better systems for onboarding new members and maintaining institutional knowledge. We also learned that legislative advocacy is a marathon, not a sprint. There were moments of frustration when progress felt slow. But every conversation with a legislator, every presentation to a classroom, every person who registered as a donor because of YCOD reminded us why we do this work.
2024 Goals
- Pass Bill A07954: Our top priority remains the passage of opt-out organ donation legislation in New York. In 2024, we will intensify our lobbying efforts, organize a lobby day in Albany, and build broader coalitions with healthcare organizations, faith communities, and civic groups
- Expand chapters: We aim to double our number of active chapters, extending beyond New York into neighboring states
- Deepen community outreach: We will prioritize outreach to minority communities, which face the greatest disparities in organ donation and transplantation
- Launch a podcast: We are developing a podcast series featuring transplant recipients, donor families, medical professionals, and policymakers to bring the organ donation conversation to a wider audience
- Strengthen digital advocacy: We will invest in higher-quality content creation, including video production and interactive educational materials
2023 proved that young people can drive real change in organ donation policy. 2024 is the year we turn momentum into results. If you believe that no one should die waiting for an organ, join us. The best is ahead.