The goal of clinical donor management is to optimize and maintain organ function. For donation following brain death determination, donor management begins when brain death has been determined and authorization or donor designation for organ donation has been obtained. For donation after circulatory death, following authorization, donor management is led by the health care team.

Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) has created both Adult Donor Management Goals and Pediatric Donor Management Goals card to serve as a guide.

For those patients who have not been declared brain dead, Catastrophic Brain Injury Guidelines may be a helpful tool that may minimize instability of patients prior to and following brain death and to preserve the opportunity for donation and successful organ transplants.