How to organize a blood drive?

Blood donation drives/camps are a way of facilitating blood collection from society. Donors voluntarily come to donate in camps. With the help of camp organizer you can workout a small campaign plan to motivate people for blood

donation. Express your gratitude to donors’ for making it possible to organize a blood donation drive and 'giving the gift of life’. Thank the premise owner or head of the organisation for sharing the place, giving opportunity to meet his/her colleagues, neighbors and friends, to make the blood donation camps a success. It's a lot of planning, creativity, hard work. Many first time donors shall be curious about blood donation. Educate them about the whole process.

Start Organizing - Step I

Make a list of potential donors to be solicited and estimate the participation level. Identify exact potential donors from a population-based on their health status (recent disease/epidemic victims), high-risk people, and younger population below the eligible age to donate, women and elderly. This will give you an idea about possible donations. This is the most critical part of a 'drive plan’ as you have to work out logistics based on this plan. If you have done a blood drive in past, obtain donors list, mobile and residence phone numbers. You can call them and leave blood drive message. Call in advance and give them sufficient time to make an appointment. Send a reminder message or call on drive date again. Tour the site to check traffic flow, space requirement, restroom access and ventilation. Talk to concerned personnel on the site about specific arrangements for the drive: i.e. special parking requirements and building access permission, publicity material display norms etc.

Develop appropriate campaign material as per the permission access you get from the premise owner. Use posters, flyers, bulletin inserts, pledge cards, news releases, display stands, and needed supplies from Studio/campaign office of blood centre. You can also use email and SMS service to motivate donors through message broadcast.The donor consultants will help you to get this material. Arrange for audio system. Good music will please the donors and also they get relaxed while donating

Get a Team Together - Step II

Contact your organization members with goals and plans for their required support.

Notify organization members and donors of the upcoming drive and ask for their support.

Recruit coordinators/ volunteers to publicize the drive and recruit donors. There should be one coordinator/volunteer for every 25 donors. You can do pre-drive registration where the donors are given the registration forms to fill in advance and walk in to donate. Decorate the site well in advance. Donors get attracted to well decorated site. It gives them pleasure to donate at a well decked up drive site as it is a moment of joy for a donor. The joy of saving someone’s life. Hence the site should be well light up and encouraging. Dull sites put of the donors and he/she may postpone donation. During the drive volunteers could take up responsibility of donor motivation, refreshment, donor registration, etc. Call a small meeting of all volunteers and assign individual tasks before the drive. Volunteers can also do spot campaign to motivate donors around the drive premise.

Coach volunteers -Step III

Hold team kick off meeting. Establish specific goals for each coordinator. This will help each coordinator/volunteer to be more focused and clear about their role. Hand out list of potential donors to each coordinator. They would ensure the donor turnout at donation site. Keep enough sign posts directing the donor to donation site. Many times the drive site could be remotely located. In such case, there should be enough display material to direct the donor to drive site.

Start Scheduling Appointments -Step IV

As with every major event, take it granted for a 30% cancellation rate and 30% deferral rate. Theory says, if you plan having 100 donors, contact 220 people. Out of that160 could turnout and 100 shall actually able to donate. Workout your target based on potential donors in that area as discussed above.

Make arrangements - Step V

Reconfirm site reservation for the drive. Remind security personnel that the blood drive staff will be entering the building the day of the drive. Some material need to be displayed 2-3 days in advance. I such case take permission. Some organizations may not allow you to stick the material on walls. Check the building norms. Last minute details - Step VI Coordinators should remind donors of their appointments. This is the last reminder to the members and donors. Provide 5-6 tables and 30 chairs. Check the working condition for the Blood Center equipments and other equipments before drive time.

Day of the Drive - Step VI

The coordinators should be at the site about 60 minutes before the first donor walks in for donation and to handle any last-minute enquiries. Assign someone to make reminder calls to donors who are not present at their scheduled time. Notify building management when the last appointment is finished and your plan to pack up. If the organizer request to wait for some more time, respect his request.

Where To Organize A Blood Drive

Where to organise a blood drive: Organising a blood donoation drive is the most desirable social service. You can save so many lives by organising a blood drive. But you may be wondering where to organise and who will donate blood voluntarily. We have listed few segments where you can organise blood drive. You may be having a friend, relative, family member associated with any of the following segments. Approach them and request them to help you organise a blood drive.

1. Corporate Office
2. Educational Institutes
3. Housing Societies
4. Friend's group
5. Government offices
6. Social groups
7. Villages.
8. Reglious groups
In addition to above, you can organise blood drives through out the year on various occassions.

Special Blood Drives: 

   
 
If you are a corporate employee, your organisation can anounce "BLOOD DONOR DAY" in you organisation on a particular day every year. On this day every employee will come forward to motivate or donate blood voluntarily. Blood donors are recognised by the management for their voluntary effort and honor them in a get together. Decorating the entire office and distributing sweets is good idea. You can contact Prathama Donor Consultant to assist you in planning and organising a drive.
 
In case you want to know more contact  Donor Care Coordinator at Prathama. You will get complete help in planning and organising a blood drive.
 
The blood mobile van chart opens slowly. It should be little faster. Some places have no clear land mark and some with spelling mistakes. pls incorporate the following.
 
HATKESHWAR (Hatkeshwar circle, opp. Police Chowki)
 
VASANA (In-House, Prathama Blood Centre)

Additional Tips

Personally ask people to donate. Inform them how important it is to donate. Many donors hesitate to donate. Such donors readily agree to donate if your request them.
You may get as creative as you like. Some offer mementos for the team that has put the best show. Some companies have prizes for the employee who encouraged and convinced most people to donate.
Remember that you can only request - the rest is up to the individual. There will always be those who do not wish to commit and will choose to donate when it suits best for them personally. Some donors get upset when they deferred. Spend some time with them and boost their self-esteem.

Summary of important points: