Council of Professional Living Donor Advocates (CPLDA)

Mission Statement

The National Kidney Foundation's Council of Professional Living Donor Advocates (CPLDA) functions as a professional membership council within the framework of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). The CPLDA exists to protect the rights and promote the best interests of living donors and potential donors by characterizing the roles, responsibilities, qualifications and training needs of the profession of Living Donor Advocate (LDA) and serving as the voice for LDAs. In addition, the Council serves as a liaison between hospital-based Living Donor Advocates and other organizations, individuals and professional groups and seeks to advocate on behalf of living and potential donors in the political, regulatory and policy development processes.

The goals of the Council are to:

• Advocate for living donors and the living donor community, which includes potential, past and future donors
• Define the roles, responsibilities and qualifications of hospital-based Living Donor Advocates
• Develop best practices for Living Donor Advocates, including necessary professional support and freedom to exercise independent professional judgment
• Improve communication among Living Donor Advocates and provide venues for continuing education
• Collaborate with other stakeholders in the development of policies for living donation
• Assess the needs of living donors and potential donors and recommend strategies to meet those needs