Fundraising

Blood stem cell transplant can have many costs that aren’t covered by insurance. These can include lost wages, copays for prescriptions and office visits, or travel and housing costs if the transplant takes place far from home. Many patients raise support to help cover these costs.

Remember, it’s OK to ask for help. Friends, family members, co-workers or others may want to help fundraise so you can focus your time and energy on treatment and recovery.

If you fundraise, there are a few things that you should consider:

• Before you start, make sure fundraising won’t make you lose benefits from other programs, such as Medicaid.
• Fundraising works best when it’s done earlier in the transplant process. Ask for someone to help you with fundraising as early as possible.
• Keep detailed records of money raised.
• Keep the money in a separate account from any other personal funds.
• Find out the tax laws for donated funds.
• Look into working with a fundraising organization. If you want donations to be tax deductible, you must work with a tax-exempt organization.

Fundraising doesn’t have to be something that you do alone. There are many organizations that can help you plan your fundraising campaign. Here are a few to get you started:

• The Bone Marrow Foundation
• Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA)
• HelpHOPELive

You can also find information about fundraising at your transplant center or hospital or by contacting the NMDP^SM Patient Support Center.