About The DSR

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other wings." - Hodding Carter

our history and mission

The Donor Sibling Registry (DSR) was founded in 2000 to assist individuals conceived as a result of sperm, egg or embryo donation that are seeking to make mutually desired contact with others with whom they share genetic ties.  Without any outside support, the DSR has single-handedly pioneered a national discussion about the donor conception industry and families, with it's many media appearances and interviews. DSR advocates for the right to honesty and transparency for donor kids, and for social acceptance, legal rights and valuing the diversity of all families.

The DSR's core value is honesty, with the conviction that people have the fundamental right to information about their biological origins and identities. The donor conception industry is largely a for-profit enterprise, and after the “product” has been purchased, most doctors, clinics and cryobanks have not engaged in discussions and activities acknowledging the humanity and rights of the donor-conceived. It is our mission to bring these concepts to the attention of the public arena for discussion, as has been done in many European countries.

Since 2000, we have provided support and connections to families which have been developed with the aid of the donor conception industry, using a sophisticated matching technology on the website and personalized service on listservs; to nationally advocate for the rights of donor-conceived children; and to educate the general public through national media interviews and appearances about the issues, challenges and rights of the donor-conceived community.

Many parents who have used donor conception are not prepared for their kids’ curiosity and desire to know more about their genetic background. In hopes of moving out of the secrecy and shame that has for so long shrouded the donor conception industry, we will continue to educate parents and the general public on the importance of honoring and supporting children’s natural drives to know more about their identity.

The DSR also ensures that donor kids have a safe place to search for their biological identities and to make these connections with their half-siblings and in some cases, their donors.

Our goals for 2010 are to further expand media coverage of the donor-conceived community’s issues; to initiate academic partnerships for research and outreach; to continue outreach to cryobanks to encourage self-regulation of the fertility industry and to continue facilitating family connections.

who we are

Board of Directors

Dr. Kirk Maxey (Chair)  President, Cayman Chemical.  Director, Donor Semen Archive

Eugene D'Alessandro, CPA, Accounting Specialists 

Ann Dixon, MSE, CIO, Bolderwomen.  Co-Founder, Serendip

Naomi Cahn,  John Theodore Fey Research Professor of Law,  GWU Law School

Wendy Kramer Executive Director and Founder

 Liz Margolies, LCSW Psychotherapist, Instructor, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service.  Executive Director and Founder,  the National LGBT Cancer Network

Ryan Kramer, Co-Founder, 2009 Graduate - Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder.  2010 Graduate student- University of Southern California, Engineering Management.

  Most Recent form 990

 2006  DSR Form 990

 2007 DSR Form 990

 2008 DSR Form 990

  Membership: $50/Per Year or $150 Permanent

To support ongoing activities, we charge a $50/year membership fee to post or edit a listing and to see contact information. When you login to the site, it will tell you if your membership is due and provide a form to pay via check or credit card. You can also choose to pay a one time fee of $150, which will grant you membership privileges permanently. If you have already paid your membership, thank you!

If you are wondering why the membership fee:

We are not just a simple website....we are a worldwide organization and have become the "voice" of donor families around the world- speaking at medical symposiums and conferences, researching and publishing in medical journals and many media outlets. We are the "go-to" organization, when the media needs information or guidance in regards to donor conception. Wendystarted and ran the DSR with her own funds for the first 5 years, until we got so big that it was impossible to keep growing without the help of the members (we receive no outside funding).   We currently serve more than 26,000 parents, donor conceived and donors from many countries around the world. Most of these members are children....and most do not renew yearly. Our 990 tax returns are posted above.

DSR Costs: Database manager,  mental health counselors, graphic design, copywriters, office support, office supplies and equipment, software, attorney fees, DSR Connection Opportunity, CPA fees, advertsing, research, licenses and dues, printing, mileage to and from various meetings, postage, travel (speaking, etc), rent, non-profit D & O business insurance, telephone, internet fees, DSR Board meetings, web hosting and management, etc.

Website management and updates. Maintain contact and plan/manage upgrades with database developer and internet hosting firm. Business management. Accounting, over see grant writing, writing and editing of educational materials, brochures, white papers.  Business to business relations, infertility organizations, sperm banks, clinics, etc. Speaking engagements and related prep and travel. Outreach programs, phone calls and mailings. Oversee intern. GLBT and industry outreach projects. Dialoging with mental health professionals and attorneys.  Speaking with authors.  Work on changing infertility/donor conception legislation-meetings, phone calls, letters, drafting regulation. Advising legislators. Dealing with requests from and working with researchers. Monitoring two DSR Yahoo discussion groups. Counseling and phone calls with members. Watching all new members and new posts. Contacting members when posts need to be adjusted or posting needs to occur.

Interviews: All PR and media relations, dealing with all television, radio, print, documentary and film inquiries.  Helping to produce these pieces by providing all background information, families to interview and include and advise of pertinent issues to be researched and included.

Fielding calls and inquiries from different infertility organizations -both domestic and overseas.

That said, no one is turned away for financial hardship.

 Donor Sibling Registry Publications

Offsprings' experiences of searching for and contacting their donor siblings and donor.  Vasanti Jadva, Tabitha Freeman, Wendy Kramer, and Susan Golombok (2009)  RBM (Reproductive Bio Medicine) online, in Press.

The experiences of adolescents and adults conceived by sperm donation: comparisons by age of disclosure and family type. Vasanti Jadva. Tabitha Freeman, Wendy Kramer, and Susan Golombok (2009) Human Reproduction  doi:10.1093/humrep/dep110.

Gamete donation: parents' experiences of searching for their child's donor siblings and donor. Tabitha Freeman, Vasanti Jadva, Wendy Kramer and Susan Golombok. (2009) Human Reproduction, volume 24, issue 3, pages 505-516;doi:10.1093/humrep/den469

US oocyte donors: a retrospective study of medical and psychosocial issues Wendy Kramer; Jennifer Schneider and Natalie Schultz. (2009)  Human Reproduction; doi: 10.1093/humrep/dep309

 In Progress:

Sperm and Egg Donors' Experiences of Donating and of Being Contacted by Their Donor Offspring.  Tabitha Freeman, Vasanti Jadva, Wendy Kramer and Susan Golombok

 Current Research Surveys

Donor Sibling Registry Survey for Recipients of Donor Sperm

Donor Sibling Registry Survey for Non-Biological Parents of Sperm Donor Children Donor Sibling Registry Survey for Parents of Egg Donor Children

Donor Sibling Registry Survey for Children of Heterosexual Moms (and Dads)

Donor Sibling Registry Survey for Children of GLBTQ Parents

Donor Sibling Registry Survey for Sperm Donors

 Speaking Engagements 

Prior speaking engagements:

10/05          Infertility Network Symposium on Donor Conception, Toronto, Canada

7/06           Association of Managers of Gynecology & Obstetrics, Denver, CO

3/07           Association of Health Care Journalists, L.A., CA

3/08           DePaul University College of Law, Symposium: Tracking Change,  Chicago, IL

10/08           Infertility Network, Toronto, Canada, Ethics and Gamete Donation

1/09          British Fertility Society, Edinburgh, Scotland: US oocyte donors: a retrospective study of medical and psychosocial issues

6/09          European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Meeting, Amsterdam: US oocyte donors: a retrospective study of medical and psychosocial issues

1/10          British Fertility Society, Bristol, UK: The Case for Comprehensive Medical and Genetic Testing of Gamete Donors

 Upcoming speaking engagements:

 2/10           L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, L.A. California

3/10           University of Denver, Sturm College of Law Motherhood Conference, Denver, CO

4/10          Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) Meeting, Bangkok Thailand. Two presentations:  A Survey of 160 Sperm Donors and The Case for Comprehensive Medical and Genetic Testing of Gamete Donors

7/10         Genetics and Society Meeting, Tarrytown, NY

11/10       National Council on Family Relations, Minneapolis, MN

DSR/Cambridge Collaboration presentations

10/07          American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Meeting, Wash. DC

6/08            ESHRE Meeting Barcelona, Spain

10/08          Fertility Society of Australia (FSA) Meeting, Brisbane, AUS

copyright

Copyright ® 2000- 2010 Donor Sibling Registry.  All graphics, photographs, and text found on the Donor Sibling Registry home page and all connected pages displaying the Donor Sibling Registry logotype are copyrighted and/or trademarked by the Donor Sibling Registry. Redistribution or commercial use is prohibited without express written permission.

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