How to Sponsor a Blood Drive

Hosting a blood drive is great publicity for your company, school or other organization and it provides essential help to your local community. When you sponsor a blood drive you make it convenient for members of your community to donate blood and help save lives.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Location for drive
• Volunteers
• Blood donors

Organize and Host a Blood Drive

1. Contact your local blood collection organization, such as the American Red Cross, to become a sponsor. You and the Red Cross representative will set up a date, the hours that are convenient for your employees or members and a goal of blood units to be donated. It helps to have one person or a small committee in charge of the drive, depending on your organization's size.

2. Choose a location for the blood drive such as a large room in your building. The blood collection agency can also provide a bloodmobile, a renovated RV with the space and supplies needed to sponsor a blood drive.

3. Work with the blood organization to promote your blood drive to your employees and your community. Contact local media, hang posters, call and email potential donors and post the dates in your newsletter. Ask local stores and restaurants if you can hang posters and leave promotional materials there.

4. Set appointments for donors to give blood. This will help them to stay committed to the cause. Also solicit volunteers for the day of the drive to register donors, direct traffic and serve refreshments at the drive.

5. Make sure that the location for the drive has supplies the blood collectors need, such as wastebaskets and electrical outlets. On the day of the drive be sure the blood collection staff has parking and room to load and unload their vehicles. Give your appointment schedule to the staff.

6. Allow the organization you are working with to collect blood donations safely and confidentially. They will break down and pack up their supplies at the end of the day: You provide the space and the people and they will collect the blood.

Tips & Warnings

• Recruit more donors by inviting your neighbors to the drive. Ask other local organizations if you may contact their members by phone or through the mail.
• Ask each donor to recruit someone else to donate blood. If everyone brings somebody from outside your organization, this could potentially double the number of people who give blood at your drive.