Kidney transplantation is safe, cost-effective, and beneficial for patients with end-stage renal disease. The number of patients who can receive transplants is severely limited by the availability of donor organs. Because most patients do not have a suitable living, related donor, transplant programs now rely on the use of cadaveric kidneys. Proper selection and management of cadaveric donors, coupled with the legal recognition of brain death, has now given this source of organs primary importance in the treatment of end-stage renal disease. To balance the number of transplants done and the number of patients maintained on dialysis, increased recognition and participation by both physicians and the public are needed to maximize cadaveric organ procurement.