End The Wait and NKDO Announce Strategic Partnership to Expand Living Kidney Donation Awareness

Two organizations unite to help more people discover, understand and navigate the life-saving opportunity of living kidney donation

CARROLLTON, GA, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — CARROLLTON, Ga. and STRATFORD, Conn.: End The Wait Foundation (ETW) and the National Kidney Donation Organization (NKDO) are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership aimed at increasing awareness of living kidney donation and creating stronger pathways of education, mentorship and support for people considering becoming living donors.

The partnership brings together two organizations with complementary strengths and a shared belief that increasing living kidney donation requires both reaching people who may never have considered donation and supporting them with trusted information and experienced guidance. The need is urgent: more than 100,000 people in the United States are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, and most of them are waiting for a kidney.

End The Wait has built a growing movement around increasing public awareness of living kidney donation while mobilizing churches, communities, volunteers and local chapters to support people affected by kidney disease. Through personal storytelling, community engagement and the upcoming feature film End The Wait, ETW introduces living kidney donation to audiences far beyond the traditional transplant community.

The National Kidney Donation Organization has established a national network supporting living kidney donors and those considering donation through mentorship, education, community building and advocacy. Its experienced living-donor mentors let prospective donors speak with someone who has personally navigated evaluation, surgery, recovery and life after donation.

Together, ETW and NKDO envision a more connected pathway:

Awareness → Interest → Education → Mentorship → Evaluation → Donation → Advocacy

Under the partnership, the organizations will explore opportunities to connect individuals reached through End The Wait’s awareness initiatives with NKDO’s donor education and mentorship resources, and to connect living donors with meaningful ways to remain involved through advocacy and community engagement.

“This partnership represents exactly what I believe is needed if we’re going to fundamentally change the landscape of living kidney donation,” said Randy Simpkins, Founder of End The Wait Foundation and a living kidney donor. “End The Wait doesn’t need to recreate what NKDO already does exceptionally well. Our strength is reaching people who may have never considered living donation and helping them realize, ‘I can do that.’ NKDO has tremendous experience helping people understand what comes next. By connecting those strengths, we can create a much clearer pathway from awareness to informed action.”

“Living kidney donation begins with people having access to accurate information, meaningful support and the opportunity to talk with someone who has already walked this path,” said Emily Polet-Monterosso, Executive Director of the National Kidney Donation Organization. “End The Wait is bringing the message of living kidney donation to new audiences and communities, while NKDO has developed a strong network of experienced donors who can educate and mentor those considering donation. Working together gives us an opportunity to reach more people, support them earlier in their journey and ultimately help more patients receive life-saving kidney transplants.”

The collaboration comes at a time of significant growth for both organizations. NKDO was recently selected as one of nine recipients of the 2026 KidneyX EMPOWER: Living Link Prize Challenge, supporting its Living Link Network, which connects prospective donors and patients with experienced living-donor mentors.

End The Wait, meanwhile, continues to expand its network of local chapters and partnerships while preparing for the release of the feature film End The Wait, which tells the story behind the movement and seeks to introduce millions of people to the possibility and impact of living kidney donation. As new audiences encounter living kidney donation through the film, community events, churches, media and ETW chapters, NKDO’s educational and mentorship resources can provide an important next step for individuals who want to learn more.

“This isn’t about one organization owning the solution,” Simpkins said. “It’s about building an ecosystem where organizations do what they do best and work together. If we can help someone move from ‘I never knew this was possible’ to ‘I want to learn more,’ and then surround that person with trustworthy education, mentorship and support, we have an opportunity to change lives on both sides of transplantation.”

Both organizations share a larger vision: a future in which living kidney donation is better understood, prospective donors are fully informed and supported, and fewer patients spend years waiting for a life-saving kidney.

About End The Wait Foundation

End The Wait Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of living kidney donation and supporting individuals and families affected by kidney disease. End The Wait works through public awareness, storytelling, community partnerships, local service chapters, faith communities and the upcoming feature film End The Wait. Its local chapters also serve people facing kidney disease through practical acts of compassion, including transportation assistance, meals, encouragement, prayer and community support. Its vision is simple but ambitious: a future where every person who needs a kidney can receive one every time, on time.

About the National Kidney Donation Organization

The National Kidney Donation Organization (NKDO) supports living kidney donors and people who want to learn more about living donation through mentoring, education, community building and advocacy. NKDO’s donor mentors draw from their own living-donation experiences to help prospective donors understand the process, ask informed questions and connect with appropriate resources. Its growing national initiatives include its Living Link Network, which connects prospective donors with people who understand the donation journey firsthand.

Because when more people know living kidney donation is possible, and have trusted people to walk beside them, more lives can be changed.

To learn more about End The Wait and the upcoming film, visit endthewait.net. To learn more about living kidney donation or connect with an NKDO living donor mentor, visit NKDO.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS

End The Wait Foundation
Kellie DeBellis
National Marketing Director
kellie@debellismedia.com
(614) 361-9622
endthewait.net

National Kidney Donation Organization
Emily Polet-Monterosso
Executive Director
e.polet-monterosso@nkdo.org
248-824-0495
NKDO.org

Kellie DeBellis
The End the Wait Foundation
+1 614-361-9622

Media gallery