The main problem for the procedure of gamete donation at present is that the abolition of the donor anonymity rule has destroyed coherence among the guidelines. To restore coherence, a new unified picture of the role of the gamete donor should be constructed. It is doubtful that payment will increase the number of candidates in a system with identifiable donors. Nevertheless, if non-financial rewards of donors do not suffice to motivate candidates, an 'all-inclusive' financial allowance analogous to volunteers in medical trials could be considered to prevent a complete collapse of the system.