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Who
does what? |
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The
mobile blood drive coordinator develops the strategy, makes the
assignments and guides the process along. BCP will be happy to
assist in a variety of ways including: helping establish
appointments, developing publicity materials, arranging for
refreshments, etc. Many successful mobile blood drive coordinators
form a committee of their peers to assist them. The committee
members help in recruiting donors, distributing publicity materials,
making reminder calls, etc. |
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How
many sign ups should I try to get for my blood drive? |
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Your
BCP representative will meet with you and set realistic, reachable
goals based on factors such as the company's employee base, the
working environment, recruitment strategies and past history. |
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What
is the average number of sign ups for most blood drives? |
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The
number of sign-ups vary from drive to drive but on average, you
should look to get a minimum of 10 percent of your group to sign up.
With an active recruitment team, this is definitely achievable! |
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Ten
percent doesn't sound like a lot, will it really make a difference? |
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Yes!
If you work at a company with 500 employees, that's 50 people
donating blood and that translates to 150 patients who'll be helped
by those donations! |
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Does
that mean each donation of blood helps three patients? |
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Exactly.
After a unit (about a pint) of whole blood is donated, we separate
the blood into its components (red cells, platelets and plasma) and
each component can go to a different patient. |
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What
is the best way to recruit donors? |
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The
best way to recruit blood donors is to have a recruitment committee
working together to gather sign-ups. Many organizations have created
Blood Drive teams, existing Safety/Disaster committees, Community
Service committees, Youth groups, etc, that are an excellent resource to
tap into.
Remember,
the key is one-on-one recruitment. Email, newsletters, voicemail and
flyers are good reminders but can't provide the kind of motivations
that face-to-face recruitment has.
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Where
can I get informational materials to give donors? |
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Several
key materials can be found under "Downloading
Information". Please feel free to share information with donors
so they will know what to expect. |
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What
if people say they’ll donate, but don’t want to sign up? |
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It
is very important to get sign-ups so your coworkers won't have to
wait to donate. Obtaining sign-ups will help us better determine how
many nurses and supplies we will need in order to ensure your blood
drive runs smoothly. Also, a scheduled donor is more likely to
remember to donate. Be sure to convey this to your co-workers so
they realize the importance of signing up. |
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After
I've turned in my sign up sheets, should I still continue to
encourage people to participate and to sign up? |
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Yes.
Let your BCP representative know when you've achieved your sign-up
goal. If necessary, he/she will request additional staff to
accommodate additional people. Keeping in contact with your
representative will guarantee a smooth operation. |
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What
kind of services should I expect to get from my BCP representative? |
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Your
BCP representative will help you develop a recruitment strategy and
review essential details and important deadlines. He/she will also
provide you with promotional material for help in recruitment. In
addition, your representative will make himself/herself available
for educational and kick-off presentations to recruitment committees
or staff as needed. Be sure to include your representative as much as possible
in your plans, as he/she is there to help make your blood drive a
success. Again, communication is very important from beginning to
end. |
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Is
it up to me to find out if potential donors are eligible to donate? |
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No,
but you should be familiar with the basic eligibility criteria
(minimum age, minimum weight, etc.), so that people can have an idea
of whether they can donate. |
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Is
it okay if I get a little creative in coordinating my blood drive
(i.e. coming up with contests, decorating the room, etc.)? |
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Absolutely!
We encourage you to be as creative as possible and to have fun with
this! If it's fun for you, it'll likely be fun for your co-workers
to participate! |
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What
if people are afraid that giving blood will be painful? |
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Just
assure them that it is not painful. At most, they may experience a
slight pinch when the needle is first inserted. |
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What
if people are concerned about the safety of giving blood. |
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Assure
them that giving blood is ABSOLUTELY safe! It is impossible to
contract a disease from donating blood. A brand new, disposable
needle is used for each donor. In fact, it is impossible to reuse
our needles because they are broken off after each donation. |
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What
if something goes wrong? |
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Occasionally,
unforeseen circumstances arise which are beyond the control of the
Blood Drive Coordinator. In those rare cases, notify your BCP field
representative immediately. She/he may be able to make helpful
suggestions or, as a last resort, reschedule your drive. |
