Donating a kidney to someone you don't know

Over 1,000 people in the UK have donated a kidney to someone they don’t know who needs a transplant. This is known as non-directed altruistic living kidney donation. 

Any adult over 18 years of age (over 16 in Scotland) can volunteer to donate a kidney to someone they don’t know as a non-directed altruistic donor.

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Can you choose who to donate your kidney to?

As a non-directed donor, you cannot choose who will receive your kidney. Kidneys are offered to both children and adults using national offering schemes which have been carefully designed to ensure that they are fair to everyone.

What happens to your donated kidney?

As a non directed altruistic donor your kidney may be offered to someone who is a high priority on the transplant waiting list first.

Alternatively, you may be able to join the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme to initiate a chain of up to 3 transplants

See how the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme works

Donating a kidney to a specific person you don't know

If you want to volunteer to donate to a specific person in need of a kidney transplant, but you don't know or have never met the person, this is known as directed altruistic donation. For example, you may have heard about someone in need of a transplant who has put out an appeal through the media and want to help.

When people appeal for a donor through the media, it may be because the person has waited a long time for a kidney. Some people wait longer than others because it is difficult to find a compatible donor.

A media appeal can generate a lot of interest from a number of people. If find you are not a suitable donor for the person making the appeal, or they find a different donor, you could still volunteer to donate. You could be matched to a person in need of a transplant and might even be able to help more people by making a chain of transplants possible from your single donation.

How will you know if you are suitable to donate?

To make sure you're healthy enough to donate and your kidneys are working properly you will need to go through a series of tests.

Become a living kidney donor

More information