TNet vs. Postal Mail (Donor Families)

Using TNet vs. Using Postal Mail

There are two different ways to contact your loved one’s transplant recipient(s): through TransplantNet (TNet) and through regular mail.

Please note that you will not be able to use TNet if your OPO does not have a TNet account. Click here for a list of participating OPOs; we plan for this list to expand gradually. If your OPO is not on the list, please encourage them to join TNet!

TNet was created to streamline safe correspondence between donor families and transplant recipients. We work to make the process more convenient and clear for all those involved — recipients, donor families, and coordinators. Below we summarize the benefits of using TNet instead of regular mail.

• Letters are never lost during the review and forwarding process.
• Length of letter review and handling are shortened significantly.
• Users have peace of mind, as they receive immediate updates on the status of their letters in the forwarding process.
• Guidelines and suggestions for writing letters are available on the platform as transplant recipients and donor families compose their letters.
• TNet is easier for OPOs and transplant centers to handle, as they can approve or send back letters with the click of a button and forward letters directly through the system.
• Users can get their questions answered quickly through TNet support.

The basics of the TNet and traditional correspondence processes are the same. First, you write your letter intended for the transplant recipient(s). If there is more than one recipient of your loved one’s gift of life, you may choose to write individual letters to each or to write one letter that will be forwarded to all recipients. Then, your OPO verifies your identity and reviews your letter for appropriateness. If no changes are indicated, your OPO forwards your letter onto the transplant center of the recipient(s). The transplant center then reviews your letter once more and checks in with the recipient(s) to ensure that they are willing and ready to receive correspondence from their donor family. Finally, if there are no concerns about your letter, the transplant center sends it to your loved one’s recipients.

The key differences between using TNet and using the traditional hard-copy mail process to contact the transplant recipient(s) are the medium, waiting time, and automation.

• Medium: Letters sent via TNet are written and forwarded electronically on our user portal. Participating transplant centers and OPOs review and direct letters on their TNet accounts. Intended recipients will receive letters for them in an email from TransplantNet unless they do not have a known email address, in which case the final reviewers will print and mail the letters to them. Meanwhile, the traditional correspondence method involves hard-copy letters and U.S. postal mail.
• Automation: Upon registration, you indicate the OPO that worked with you during the time of your loved one’s donation, so our system automatically forwards the letters you write to the TNet inbox of your OPO. The coordinator from your OPO can review and then pass on or return your letter (with an explanatory note) directly from his or her account. At each review step that your letter undergoes, you receive automatic status update emails from our system so that you know how close your letter is to reaching the intended recipient(s). In postal mail correspondence, your letter will be manually addressed and forwarded at each step.
• Time: The TNet system delivers electronic letters almost instantaneously as they are directed to different people throughout the process, eliminating the mail time that hard-copy correspondence requires.