“[SODA's Donation Education Course] is a great supplement to get students to start on their own and then work with us to review and learn about their local OPO."

- London Hunter, LifeLink of Florida

What is SODA's Donation Education Course?

Our organ, eye, and tissue Donation Education Course (DEC) is a ready-made tool you can offer your chapters to supplement your own training and prepare students to have confident conversations about donation and transplantation.

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It introduces students to the basics of organ, eye, and tissue donation while helping them feel more confident facilitating conversations about donation and donor registration with their peers. Through modules, storytelling, and interactive activities, students will:
 

• Learn how the donation and transplantation process works 💡

• ​Clear up common myths and misconceptions 💭

• Explore ways to advocate with SODA in their school and community 💪
   

Chapters can complete the course on their own, with their leadership team, or together with their OPO partner. It takes about one hour and is self-paced; students' progress saves automatically as they move through the modules.

Why is SODA's DEC Worth Sharing?
Our DEC is intentionally designed for a student audience, featuring real stories from young advocates across our network, engaging graphics, and a familiar Google Forms platform. You can supplement your donation expertise with strategically designed content that meets students where they are!

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How Do I Support Chapters Through the Course?

​Whether you join a chapter's session live or check in afterward, here are a few ways to make our DEC even more valuable for your students:

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• Be the Donation Expert in the Room: Sit in on a chapter's course completion and be ready to answer questions the modules don't fully cover, especially ones specific to your service area.

• Share Local Stories: If the course's real stories resonate with students, offer to connect them with a donor family, living donor, or recipient from your community for a deeper conversation.

• Point to What's Next: Once a chapter finishes the course, help them turn that knowledge into action, whether that's a volunteer outing, registration drive, or campus event.

• Celebrate Completion: Let students know their hard work is seen. A quick congratulations, whether in person, by email, or on social media, goes a long way.​

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​Email Template for Offering SODA's DEC to a Chapter:

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"Hi [Student Name/s],

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My name is [First Name], and I'm the [Position Title] at [Organization Name], your local organ procurement organization (OPO). As your chapter gets started this semester, we'd like your team to complete SODA's Donation Education Course, a free resource for student advocates.

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The course takes about an hour and will help you feel more confident talking about donation and donor registration with your peers. Through real stories and interactive activities, you'll learn how the donation and transplantation process works, clear up common myths and misconceptions, and explore ways to advocate with SODA on your campus.

 

Your leaders should plan to work through it as a team, and I'm happy to join and answer questions along the way.

 

Let me know when you're available to go through it together, or if you have any questions as you complete it with your chapter."

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Staying In Touch

​Check in with chapters who complete the DEC at least once more before the semester ends; students are encouraged to do the same. This keeps the course from feeling like a one-time requirement and instead turns it into the start of an ongoing partnership!

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“Overall, I really enjoyed the course and thought it was very engaging. It provided a perfect mix of information and personal storytelling to help SODA members feel deeply connected and drawn to SODA's mission while feeling prepared to go out and advocate on their own!”

- Ishani, a student from SODA at Stevenson High School in Illinois

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