“How long will it take for me to get matched?” This is one of the MOST common questions BHED gets from donors. The truth is, there’s really just no way to predict how quickly you’ll be matched. We’ve seen donors matched within hours, and some are on our database for 2-3 months (up to a year or more) before they start a cycle. Understandably, the biggest factor in how quickly a donor gets picked is her resemblance to the intended mother. BHED has many recipients looking for their “perfect match” at any given time, and chances are good that a donor will get chosen much sooner if she happens to look physically similar to one of them. That said, some recipients care more about an impressive educational record, or a donor with common interests, than physical similarity, and still others only want to work with donors who have donated before, have children of their own, or have a particular blood type. Finding the right donor is such a personal (and big) decision, and every recipient goes about it in his or her own way.
Even though physical resemblance is completely out of the donor’s control, there are a number of things you can do to help increase your chances of getting matched more quickly…
1. Make sure your profile is filled out completely, and is kept up-to-date. Our staff will contact you every few months to go over your information and make sure it’s still accurate, but be sure to send along updates as they come along. Also, if you recently added volunteer work to your resume, graduated from school, ran in a triathlon, or increased your GPA – let us know about it!
2. Pictures, pictures, pictures. Upload great photos to your gallery (casual, friendly shots taken in natural light that look like YOU!). Besides current photos, we need pictures of you growing up (at various stages in life – baby through adult), pictures of your immediate family members, and (most importantly) a nice, clear headshot, which is the first thing recipients see when your profile comes up. Making sure your photo gallery is in good shape is one of the biggest things you can do to help yourself get matched. BHED holds photoshoots every 6-8 weeks where donors can get (free!) professional photographs taken for their profiles. You can contact Alexa Abrams, our donor coordinator, at alexa@bhed.com for details.
3. Return calls and emails from our office promptly. When a recipient narrows their list down to one or two favorite donors, they generally have additional questions, want to confirm dates and/or request to see more pictures. If you see a phone call or message from our office, make sure to get back to us as quickly as you can. We can’t match you if we can’t get in touch with you, and most recipients want to be sure their favorite donor is communicative and responsible before moving forward.
Again, how quickly a donor gets matched is often completely out of her control, BUT, in our experience, donors who keep the above tips in mind are far more successful in finding a match. Our donor team is always happy to review your profile with you and suggest changes to better showcase yourself. Be patient, be communicative, and know that sometimes getting chosen by a recipient is just a matter of time. We look forward to seeing you matched!
