LifeSource: At the Heart of Organ Donation
Donate Life is the national brand championing the lifesaving and healing cause of organ, eye, and tissue donation, with LifeSource (our client) leading the effort in the Upper Midwest. For over four years, I shaped the “Check the Box” awareness campaign—first as lead designer and later as creative director—guiding initiatives across digital, print, out-of-home, and experiential activations. The challenge was to grow donor registrations in the midwest while addressing stigma and widespread misconceptions. By sparking conversation, dispelling myths, and sharing authentic stories from donors, recipients, and their families, the campaign reframed donation as a simple, human choice—one that begins with checking a box.
MY ROLE
Lead Designer (Years 1–2)
Creative Director (Years 3–4)
Multi-Year Integrated Campaign
Skills employed
End-to-End Campaign Design
Campaign Management & Optimization
Creative Direction
Messaging Oversight
Our Approach
The general campaign set the foundation for Donate Life Midwest’s outreach with a focus on personal stories to make organ, eye, and tissue donation feel impactful and relevant. Featuring photos of real donor families and transplant recipients, alongside DMV-inspired messaging, these ads created a strong emotional and practical connection for audiences across the region
Campaign Years 1 & 2
Results: Years 1 & 2
Bringing authenticity to the campaign meant working directly with donor families and transplant recipients. I led photoshoots, prioritizing compassion to create an environment where participants could share their stories openly and feel at ease in front of the camera. I also oversaw production to ensure the final visuals honored each individual while aligning seamlessly with the broader creative direction of the campaign.
Campaign Refresh
As I transitioned into the creative director role, LifeSource was also shifting its strategy to elevate its own brand as the region’s OPO and authority on donation. While the mission to increase registrations stayed the same, the campaign evolved from relying primarily on emotional storytelling to incorporating a stronger educational voice. We refreshed the visuals to feel more colorful and full of life, while introducing the orange heart—echoing the heart on state IDs—as a repeated motif to reinforce the act of registering. By addressing myths with statistics and FAQs, refining visuals through A/B testing, and tying messaging to the familiar DMV experience, we relaunched the campaign under LifeSource’s brand—balancing empathy with credibility to build trust and drive action.
Sub-Campaigns
As the campaign evolved and audience data became more precise, we developed sub-campaigns tailored to specific communities, affinity groups, and demographics. These initiatives allowed us to reach people where they were and speak directly to their values, interests, and identities.
Bringing authenticity to the campaign meant working directly with donor families and transplant recipients. I led photoshoots, prioritizing compassion to create an environment where participants could share their stories openly and feel at ease in front of the camera. I also oversaw production to ensure the final visuals honored each individual while aligning seamlessly with the broader creative direction of the campaign.
Photo Shoot Direction
National Donate Life Month
Donor Registry Drives
Multicultural Communities
Pride Month
Fishing + Outdoors
Sports Enthusiasts
Minnesota State Fairgoers
Partnerships (Mayo Clinic & M Health)
Youth Audiences
INITIATIVES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Sports Enthusiasts
Leveraging insights on men’s lower donor registration rates and their strong connection to sports, we created playful, sports-inspired messaging that highlighted how donation can help repair common injuries—encouraging male fans to step up and “get in the game” as registered donors.
Fishing License / Outdoors
During fishing season, we created a fun, lighthearted subcampaign encouraging Minnesotans to register as organ donors when applying for their fishing licenses online—tapping into a male-dominated audience (65% of license holders) and meeting them in a space already connected to their interests.
National Donate Life Month
To build urgency beyond general awareness, we launched seasonal donor drives with clear numeric goals—challenging people to match one new donor for every person on the transplant waiting list—an approach that consistently drove strong engagement and became one of the campaign’s top performers.
Results: Years 3 & 4
Despite changes in client leadership and significant budget cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Check the Box” campaign continued to thrive. By streamlining production, maximizing existing assets, and focusing on high-performing channels, we maintained strong engagement and visibility even with reduced resources.
