--- title: "Tuesday Buzz: Become an Organ Donor, With Apple’s Help" id: "34006" type: "post" slug: "tuesday-buzz-become-an-organ-donor-with-apples-help" published_at: "2016-07-05T20:58:56+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:47:08+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/07/05/tuesday-buzz-become-an-organ-donor-with-apples-help/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/07/05/tuesday-buzz-become-an-organ-donor-with-apples-help.md" excerpt: "The iPhone maker, inspired by its late co-founder’s own high-profile struggles, works with a nonprofit to make it easy for people to sign up as organ donors. Also: BlackBerry reveals that a classic phone is leaving production." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Apple" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "donation" - "health app" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Tuesday Buzz: Become an Organ Donor, With Apple’s Help Becoming an organ donor may soon be as easy as signing up on your iPhone. On Tuesday, Apple announced a plan that will allow owners of its popular smartphones to register as organ donors with their devices. The company is working with a nonprofit national registry, Donate Life America, to make the offering possible. The effort is of particular interest to Apple, whose cofounder and longtime chief executive, Steve Jobs, endured a long wait to receive a liver transplant. He eventually signed up for the donor list in Tennessee after failing to receive a liver in California, receiving a liver in 2009. (He died of complications associated with pancreatic cancer in 2011.) “Watching and seeing him every day, waiting and not knowing—it stuck with me and left an impression that I’ll never forget,” [Apple CEO Tim Cook told The Associated Press (AP) (opens in a new tab)](http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/apple-urges-organ-donation-iphone-software-40341478) . Part of the problem, says Donate Life America CEO David Fleming, is a change in young adults’ mindset about organ donation. “Younger Americans are not registering at the same rate as they have in the past,” Fleming told the AP. In the past, Fleming’s organization has teamed with Facebook, and similar offerings are available on Android, but he added that the benefit of Apple’s solution is “you don’t have to download something or do something additional to get access to it.” The feature will be baked into Health app in the next major update of iOS, coming out in the fall. ### The Value of Thinking Differently > Here are some examples of how exceptional event planners think differently [https://t.co/2xA4BbWptN (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/2xA4BbWptN) > [#eventprofs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/eventprofs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/v99GSnsBe5 (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/v99GSnsBe5) > > — Skift Meetings (@SkiftMeetings) [July 5, 2016 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/SkiftMeetings/status/750332264853147648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Speaking of Apple, its 1990s-era slogan,** famously, is “Think Different.” But it doesn’t have a monopoly on that mindset, and you can definitely take that approach to your own job as an event planner. [The Event Manager Blog breaks down (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/event-planner-mindset) what makes a good event-planner mindset. “This post isn’t about how meticulously you can plan your events; this goes much deeper than that,” Becki Cross, managing director of Events Northern Ltd., writes. “This is about the way you think, and whether this perspective sets you apart.” ### Other Links of Note **Last week, [we noted that](http://associationsnow.com/2016/07/friday-buzz-blackberry-loses-stronghold/)** BlackBerry appeared to have cut off its supply of devices to the U.S. Senate. [Now, TechCrunch reports (opens in a new tab)](https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/05/blackberry-confirms-it-will-can-its-classic-smartphone/) that the company has officially stopped producing its Classic line of key-based smartphones. The company emphasized that it would, however, still sell models with keyboards. ***“Contrary to popular belief,** making an online community successful will not occur organically; you cannot simply provide the platform and then wait for activity to stir.”*Arianna Rehak, a community engagement coordinator at Monomyth Collaborative, [discusses the actions you need to take (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.monomythcollab.com/launching-an-online-community) to build up your community. **Drawing people into your social feeds** requires that you occasionally jump on social trends, such as hashtags and weekly Instagram phenomena. [Incline Marketing has some tips (opens in a new tab)](https://inclinemarketingservices.com/2016/07/04/3-examples-of-how-associations-can-tap-into-popular-topics-on-social-media/) on how to make it valuable for your association. (Handout photo) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Apple](https://associationsnow.com/tag/apple/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#donation](https://associationsnow.com/tag/donation/) [#health app](https://associationsnow.com/tag/health-app/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los AngelesOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-building-owners-and-managers-association-of-greater-los-angeles/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) - [VideoCharlene Lopez Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/charlene-lopez-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoBrien Arone Shares His Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/brien-arone-shares-his-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F07%2F05%2Ftuesday-buzz-become-an-organ-donor-with-apples-help%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !