Gift of Hope

Gift of Hope

Coordinates organ and tissue donation

Community Outreach Specialist

Full-TimeDeadline 9/4/27
$64.3k - $72.3k/yr
Mid
Bachelor's
Peoria, IL, USA
In Person

Extensive off-site community and hospital travel is required, including work outside normal business hours.

About the job

Requirements
  • Bachelor’s degree in community relations, business, marketing, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
  • Three years of experience in community relations or not-for-profit public relations, preferably in a healthcare environment.
  • Experience coordinating events and programs with community partners.
  • Experience developing and executing community-based programs and events.
  • Ability to cultivate and maintain community-based partnerships.
  • Ability to work effectively with a wide variety of audiences.
  • Ability to influence support for organ and tissue donation.
  • Intermediate skills in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
  • Ability to lift and move a minimum of 30 pounds.
  • Manual dexterity and visual acuity to input data.
  • Ability to hear, speak, and convey information to a variety of audiences.
  • Access to reliable transportation for travel to offsite locations.
  • Availability to work outside normal business hours, including weekends, evenings, and holidays.
  • Ability to carry a personal cell phone and remain accessible outside regular business hours.
Responsibilities
  • Advance Gift of Hope’s mission, vision, and core values while adhering to applicable policies and procedures.
  • Identify, develop, and maintain partnerships with community, educational, religious, hospital, civic, and social service organizations to increase awareness of and support for organ and tissue donation and increase registration.
  • Develop and implement programs, projects, and special events to increase public awareness and donation registration rates in the communities served.
  • Complete a minimum of ten community engagements per month.
  • Develop one signature event per year.
  • Lead a volunteer chapter within assigned targeted communities and coordinate volunteer efforts to promote organ and tissue donation.
  • Encourage attendance and support of community-based programs and Gift of Hope-sponsored programs.
  • Support marketing and communication opportunities.
  • Work with Donation Coordinators and Donation Liaisons to develop hospital community outreach programs for signature events and participate in donation committees.
  • Contribute to monthly newsletters, social media platforms, and website content related to the area of expertise.
  • Assist in maintaining information on Gift of Hope websites.
  • Use the Salesforce platform to enter all community outreach activities.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.
Desired Qualifications
  • Bilingual fluency in Spanish and English.
  • Experience in community relations or not-for-profit public relations in a healthcare environment.

About the company

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network coordinates organ and tissue donation in Illinois and northwest Indiana as a not-for-profit organization. It works with 180 hospitals across a 12 million people service area to recover organs for transplant and tissues for transplant and research, while also educating the public about donation. It is one of 58 national organ procurement organizations, serving since 1987 and saving over 24,000 lives through organ transplants and improving thousands of tissue transplants. Its goal is to increase donation and transplantation by coordinating recovery, educating communities, and supporting donor families.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Itasca, Illinois

Founded

1986

Get referred to Gift of Hope

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • January 2026 delivered fourth straight record year, signaling operational momentum.
  • June 2026 WGN-TV partnership reaches 3.75 million households and boosts donor registrations.
  • AOPO leadership strengthens national influence and hiring appeal for mission-driven clinicians.

What critics are saying

  • Federal scrutiny of OPOs intensified after HHS moved against Kentucky's Network for Hope.
  • Record growth still depends on hospital referrals and family consent across a geographically concentrated region.
  • A CMS decertification or losing hospital trust would cripple donation volumes within one year.

What makes Gift of Hope unique

  • Illinois's dominant OPO, serving 180 hospitals and 12 million people.
  • Harry Wilkins, MD leads Gift of Hope and now serves as AOPO president-elect.
  • Clinical and laboratory execution produced 2025 records: 1,529 transplants and 2,267 tissue donors.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Disability Insurance

Life Insurance

Paid Vacation

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Tuition Reimbursement

Professional Development Budget

Phone/Internet Stipend

Parental Leave

Company News

WAND TV
Apr 3rd, 2024
Donor stories honored at Carle Foundation Hospital Donate Life event

All eight Carle Health hospitals work with Gift of Hope to facilitate organ and tissue donation, transition patients who registered their intent to be organ donors and provide support to their loved ones through the experience.