College Blood
Collections
Ways to make your job easier and
your program more successful!
The good and bad
about college blood
collection programs
Donors for life
•Community responsibility
program
•First time donor fears
The Virtual World
Everyone is online especially college communities!
College website - what can you find there?
email addresses
college calendar
contacts for clubs and orgs.
Online Scheduling of donors and volunteers
eDonor
www.volunteer.psu.edu/redcross
Information Technology
Donor Scheduling
e-Donor Scheduling System
www.givelife.org or www.psuredcross.org
 Every blood drive on
campus is online
 Over 20,000 appointments
since September 2005
 66% fill rate
 Automatic confirmation and
reminder
 MUST have a system to
honor appointments
Information Technology
Penn State
Student Red Cross Club Website
www.psuredcross.org





All campus blood drive info there
Donors go to this site to schedule
Link to e-Donor scheduling system
Eligibility info and links found there
Club happenings and events
Information Technology
Volunteer Scheduling
www.volunteer.psu.edu/redcross
 Developed by SRCC member.
 Now is Penn State’s volunteer
scheduling system for for all PSU
service organizations.
 All volunteers schedule their own
shifts.
 Automatic confirmation and
reminder email.
 Sponsor groups can enter
volunteers, look at their drive list,
print the volunteer schedule, or
track attendance after the drive
Donations are Cyclic
Fiscal Year 2007-2008 at PSU; Goal – 7004, Collected - 7865
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Jul
A
S
O
N
D
Goal 2007-2008
J
F
M
Collected 07-08
A
M
J
Events – Early Year Drives
Build donor base for the year
• Why not in September?
• Get them ready to donate all
year - get them to come back
• First drive of the year - no real
student donor base-you’ll have
to build it
• Have FOOD and giveaways!
Events – Challenges and Competitions
Penn State – Michigan State
Blood Donor Challenge
•15th year –
PSU 10, MSU 5
•2008 PSU –
2199, MSU 1861
•Over 4,000
units collected
in about 2.5
weeks
Blood Drive as an Event
Know what is happening on
campus – partner with it.
THON: Penn State Dance Marathon
Partnership with THON. All blood drives during
December, January and February are THONsanctioned events. In return, $2 to THON for every
presenting donor
• Pre-THON: 1352 units,
50 first timers
• 2009: 2889 units with
906 first timers!
Other Blood Drive Events
Theme Blood Drives-the sky’s the limit
• Luau
• Carnival
• Beach Party
•
•
•
•
Games
Prizes
Food
Everyone wins!
In Between Drives
Know your
schools
calendar
of events.
Plan
around an
event.
Tuesday, October 18th
10am-4pm
HUB-Heritage Hall
Sponsored by the Penn State Homecoming
Committee: homecoming.psu.edu
Appointments are recommended. Visit psuredcross.org.
Revolving door of
sponsor contacts
 New
sponsors each year,
sometimes each semester
 Have to start over all the time
Campus Sponsoring Groups
Community service aspect in
charter.
Don’t count out the faculty and
staff
The more the merrier
Campus Sponsoring Groups
Responsibilities of a sponsor
Publicity
Volunteering
at the drive
 Including day of recruitment
DONOR RECRUITMENT
 Recruitment team or committee
Campus Sponsoring Groups
 Planning Meeting
 Verify place, time, and date
 Give the goal and overall picture
 Number needed in the door –
deferral rate
 Number of sign ups needed
 Expectations
 How to recruit
Recruiting Outside the Box
Who will do it and how?
RA Packets
Mailbox inserts
Post cards through campus mail
Class announcements
Sign up tables
Calling
Facebook events, Twitter etc
Interns
 “Free labor” in exchange for
experience and a
recommendation!
 Orientation
 What they can do
 Majors – Communications, Public
Relations, Journalism, Health
Planning Admin., Human
Services, Events Management
Student Red Cross Club
 Co-sponsor of every blood drive
on campus
 Reason we can do what we do
on campus – underlying
organization for all blood
drives.
 SRCC does primarily Blood
Services but does other RC
area.
Student Red Cross Club
Student Red Cross Club
Student Red Cross Club
Unique SRCC Programs
 On-Site Coordinators
 VIP Program
 Freshmen Seminar
Program
Conclusion





Your job is to make them donors for life
Use information technology – don’t be
afraid of it.
Create campaigns/events around cyclic
collections
Find good sponsor groups and give
them the tools to do a good job
Find creative recruitment techniques
that will work for your campus
This presentation is in memory of Taunia Oechslin who whole-heartedly
supported Penn State’s program both financially and in allowing us to
function non-traditionally.