Written by Sara Miller, SODA President and Founder
At SODA, we believe that student organ donation advocates can save lives through their on-campus advocacy. Whether this advocacy occurs on Zoom or in-person, it is effective, impactful, and lifesaving. We are so proud to now support 31 chapters nationwide and the volunteer leaders who make organ donation advocacy possible on campuses nationwide.
Since the beginning of the calendar year, we have experienced tremendous growth, launched a diversity initiative, engaged with new partners, and strengthened our leadership team. With this growth and expanded impact, it has become increasingly important and necessary to ensure our organization can continue to multiply our impact while providing outstanding support to our chapter leaders, partners, and the community.
I am delighted to share that Nicole Nidea will serve as SODA’s first paid employee in the role of Program Manager!
(Nicole Nidea, Program Manager)
Nicole brings unique experience to SODA. Here’s a few highlights:
Nicole was part of the SODA at Washington University in St. Louis chapter when she was in college. She served as Marketing Manager and President for the chapter, supporting on campus registration and education initiatives.
Nicole has developed strong marketing and development skills as the Development and Marketing Coordinator at Girls in the Know, a St. Louis nonprofit that empowers pre-teen girls.
Prior to working with SODA full-time, Nicole served as the Director of Development on SODA’s National Leadership Team and has been leading our organization’s partnerships and fundraising efforts since June of this past year.
You might be wondering, what does this mean for you?
Chapter members on high school and college campuses will continue to receive support from our Student Outreach Team. Make sure to reference sodanational.org/resources for tons of resources for your chapter and contact chapters@sodanational.org with any questions.
Organ Procurement Organizations and Donate Life State Teams will continue to receive support from SODA’s National Team, now led by Nicole. Make sure to reference sodanational.org/opos for comprehensive resources and contact opos@sodanational.org with any questions.
Supporters will continue to receive communication from Nicole and our team. We are so grateful for your support in making student advocacy possible and we can’t wait to keep you posted on our progress.
Community Members will continue to hear updates from our team, including new chapter announcements, organ donation facts, programming ideas, and more. We are excited to enter this new chapter together and appreciate all you do to support and engage with us.
I want to express special thanks to Leslie Bacardi and the Contigo Foundation for your generous support and belief in our mission. Without your support and the generous support from our community, we wouldn't be at this exciting junction.
Over the coming weeks and months, you can expect to hear more from Nicole about her passion, vision, and plans for reducing the organ shortage through student advocacy. Please join me in congratulating Nicole in her new role.
Please feel free to send Nicole an email at nicole@sodanational.org to welcome her to this new role!