The Blood Center of Iowa » Sponsor a Blood Drive
Sponsor a College Blood Drive
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Schedule your blood drive today with The Blood Center of Iowa and receive a packet of information to turn your drive into a success.
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Get the Word Out!
Spreading the word about your blood drive is a critical element to the success of the event. Be creative and have fun when promoting the blood drive!
Consider the following:
- Talk it up! Personally ask people to give blood. Getting a personal invitation to donate blood is the number one reason why people donate!
- Email, text or call students and faculty ask them to give blood.
- Ask instructors to allow you to give brief, five-minute speeches during class time to promote the blood drive.
- Get the school newspaper, radio station and/or television station involved by giving them story ideas and ask them to cover the blood drive on the day of the event.
- Have a representative of the blood drive team available to answer questions about blood donation.
Make the Blood Drive Memorable
For many students, the college blood drive will be their first blood donation experience. Make the drive fun and memorable so donors will feel relaxed and encouraged to donate again in the future.
- Create a theme for the blood drive.
- Compete against rival colleges to see who can recruit the most blood donors and collect the highest number of donations.
- Contact local businesses and ask them to provide gift certificates or other items for a drawing at the blood drive.
- Be enthusiastic! A face-to-face invitation to donate is the best way to get a positive response from donors.
Tips for Recruiting Blood Donors
- Find out if any students have used blood and ask them to share their story.
- Talk to students, instructors and staff who donate blood regularly and ask them to share their past donation experience(s).
- Create a committee to contact past donors and ask them to sign up to donate. If your blood drive includes the community, consider contacting alumni and local civic groups.
- Do something special to reward students for signing up ahead of time. You can offer candy or other special treats, or see if the student bookstore would be willing to offer discount coupons.