“Any time you can tell somebody how peoples’ lives are changed by the gift of a cornea, I hope they listen to you and take it seriously, because it’s truly amazing. It is life changing… I get up every morning and I look out the window and it is absolutely a beautiful thing to be able to see. To me, it’s a miracle.” ~ Joe, Cornea Recipient
Contribute
Your support will help VisionGift continue our 49-year history of restoring eyesight and will fuel innovative research that benefits the world.
Corneal blindness is the third most common cause of blindness worldwide. In the United States, more than 60,000 people require cornea or other eye tissue transplants annually.
Your generosity helps ensure VisionGift can continue to drive innovation in ocular research. Thanks to your support in 2023, our impact was remarkable:
- 1,826 donors provided tissue transplants, research, and education.
- 5,069 tissues were made available for sight-restoring transplants.
- 1,322 tissues were used to advance research and clinical knowledge.
Thank you for honoring eye donors by advancing sight for all humankind.
Make an impact. A gift of …
$50
buys storage solution to preserve eye tissue
$100
can provide one surgical simulation training
$500
Can cover the cost of two recovery kits, allowing donor families to give the precious gift of sight to up to four people
“Anytime you can tell somebody how peoples’ lives are changed by the gift of a cornea, I hope they listen to you and take it seriously because it’s truly amazing. I get up every morning and it is a beautiful thing to be able to see. It is life changing.”
Joe, Cornea recipient
“The partnership between VisionGift and surgeons is vital for restoring sight for thousands of people and for fostering important research. We are most grateful for the quality of VisonGift’s work. We can always count on their team to be responsive and compassionate.”
Winston D. Chamberlain, MD, PhD, VisionGift Co-Medical Director
“When my husband, Jack, died, one of his corneas went to a man in El Salvador. The other became halo tissue. It is a lovely thing that part of him is still in this world.”
Susan Meikle Stoops, wife of a cornea donor, Jack (pictured above)
Corporate Partnerships
Join community-minded businesses by advancing sight for all humankind.
Connect with other engaged and loyal VisionGift community members, receive multifaceted recognition and marketing opportunities, and offer your employees fun and meaningful ways to engage.
Special Event Sponsorship
Special events celebrate the life-changing gift of sight and gather together diverse community members, eye donor families and transplant recipients, and health professionals. Through pre-event and day-of promotions, corporate sponsors have multiple opportunities to connect with a broad audience.
Workplace Giving & Matching
Workplace giving is an easy and efficient way for your employees to make tax-deductible donations to VisionGift through payroll contributions or other payment options. Check with your employer to see if they will match your contributions.
Grants and Program Support
VisionGift welcomes grant opportunities and corporate contributions to fund programs and special projects that allow us to have an impact today, tomorrow and long into the future. You can restore lives and promote healing with a gift to support the mission of VisionGift.
Gifts of Goods and Services
In-kind contributions can also help connect your organization to VisionGift’s vibrant work and bring hope to thousands of area children and adults in need of corneal transplants.
Leave a Legacy
Beyond your one-time gift, you can make an impact in these important ways:
- Make a monthly or multi-year pledge
- Donate appreciated stocks
- Give through a donor-advised fund (DAF)
- Make a tax and penalty-free contribution via a qualified distribution through your IRA, subject to IRS requirements.
Make a planned gift
Planned Giving Guide
Your legacy gift to VisionGift will bring the world into focus for millions of patients suffering from eye disease and will help propel our research, improving transplant and eye banking practices around the world.
Here are a few simple ways you can include VisionGift in your estate plan.
Bequest
If you believe everyone has the fundamental right to see, consider including VisionGift in your will or estate plan. Giving via your estate can be as simple as including bequest language like this in your will or trust:
“I give, devise, and bequeath to VisionGift, ___ percent of
my estate or the sum of $___ (or stocks, bonds, property, or other assets) to support the organization’s mission.
Insurance policies and IRAs
You can support our work by giving via an insurance policy or Individual Retirement Account.
You can make VisionGift a beneficiary (or partial beneficiary) of your IRA or an insurance policy by contacting your insurance or IRA administrator.
You can also donate directly from your retirement account’s required minimum distributions.
Donor-advised funds
Donor-advised funds are a tax-advantageous way to support charitable organizations you believe in. Talk to your local community foundation or give us a call if you’d like to explore
giving via a donor-advised fund.
Other ways to give
We’re happy to discuss other charitable giving options, such as gifts of stock and appreciated assets and Charitable Gift Annuities. To learn more and discuss your options for supporting the life-changing work of VisionGift, please contact Chris Stoeger at Chris@visiongift.org or (503) 808-7002
Become a Monthly Supporter
Providing an automatic monthly contribution is easy for you while providing reliable funding for VisionGift. You will be welcomed to our 20/20 Giving Club as a result of making this commitment with special communications and gratitude. We are happy to talk with you about setting up an automatic deduction from your checking account.
VisionGift is a 501(c)(3) charity, IRS EIN 26-3035522
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