Every single day, The Red Cross and various local hospitals need to supply 32,000 pints of blood to patients across the US. From people who suffered tragedies like car crashes or shootings to those with chronic diseases like sickle cell anemia, the blood collected from donors at blood drives helps save lives every single day.
Organizations like The Red Cross rely heavily on blood donations from large-scale events rather than individual donors dropping by hospitals. From college organizations to corporations, big blood drives that draw in lots of people tend to do much more good for the blood banks and rally public support for helping treat illnesses and injuries. On average, only about 3% of Americans donate blood, but the need for blood is much much higher.
Synter decided to host a blood drive on June 6 and pledge to secure 20 pints of blood, meaning that at least 30 people need to volunteer to donate blood. If you’re interested in also hosting a blood drive at your company, here are some ways you can make the event as attractive and successful as possible!
Play up Community | Usually, blood donations go to help the very local surrounding hospitals. Whereas some donations and drives benefit people who are thousands of miles or oceans away, blood donations could help your neighbor, your friends’ children, or even you someday should something happen. Pitch the blood drive as a volunteer or community service activity to help drum up excitement and support.
Make it a Challenge | Synter Resource Group independently decided to commit to the Red Cross to donating 20 pints of blood, so now, we’re in a bit of a race to get other employees to donate, too! You can playfully pit departments against each other to see which can rally more team members to donate blood during the drive. You can also offer a company-wide prize if you make the goal of a certain number of pints. It’s amazing what people will when a pizza party is on the line!
Offer Nice Snacks | While donating blood is a very safe procedure, it can still cause some people to become lightheaded or faint. As a part of the incentives to get people to donate, you can offer cookies, crackers, pretzels, juices, and more for those who donate blood.
Tell Personal Stories | Nothing drives people to action quite like a personal connection to the cause. The Red Cross website has a number of videos showing kids whose lives were saved because of blood donations. You can also talk to your local Red Cross or Hospital and see if they have any compelling stories you can use to convince your employees to come out and donate.