Blood drive FAQ

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• Who can host a blood drive?

  Any business, community organization, civic group, high school or college, or place of worship is encouraged to contact us about hosting a blood drive. A minimum of 20 potential donors is required to schedule a community-sponsored blood drive at a designated location within our service area—a business, community center, church or synagogue, student campus center, etc. For groups of less than 20 blood donors, a donor recruitment representative can work with you to schedule a special Donor Day event at one of our 11 Donor Centers where you can bring together 5 to 15 members of your small office, book club, or other social group to donate together and celebrate the opportunity to give the gift of life.

• Who do I contact if I am interested in hosting a blood drive?

  To learn more about why Memorial Blood Centers is the right partner for your organization, Contact Donor Recruitment.

• What's involved in hosting a blood drive?

  There are 7 Easy Steps to Host a Blood Drive.  Your Donor Recruitment representative will help every step of the way to ensure a successful blood drive. While every organization is different, an important element of success is early planning. Our dedicated team will work with you to help establish a blood drive strategy that is customized to fit your needs.

• Are there resources and marketing support available?

  Yes. Every blood drive coordinator is supported throughout the planning and implementation process with personal attention, excellent planning advice, and the experience and knowledge of a designated Memorial Blood Centers representative. In addition, a comprehensive Blood Drive Coordinator Toolkit is provided to each coordinator—and also is available online—that includes a variety of promotional materials, flyers, checklists, and recommend tips for hosting a successful blood drive.

• Can I see the impact from the blood drives I host?

  Yes. Within a week following the conclusion of your blood drive, your Donor Recruitment representative will follow up with you to share results (e.g., number of blood donors and collected units). When every unit of blood donated through Memorial Blood Centers reaches a person in need within about 10 days, the impact is immediate and significant—whether your drive collected 20 units or 500. The lives of our friends, neighbors, family members, and others in our community have been saved thanks to your support.

• If I do not have enough people to fill appointments, what should I do?

  Contact your Donor Recruitment representative for suggestions and advice on ways to recruit more donors. Many organizations host a sign-up event a few weeks prior to the blood drive date. This includes setting up a table in a high traffic area and directly asking people to schedule a specific appointment time to make a donation. Your Memorial Blood Centers team member can explore other ideas and recommendations with you as well.

• Is there a cost to hosting a blood drive?

  There are no out-of-pocket or direct line-item costs to hosting a blood drive with Memorial Blood Centers. We provide all staff, equipment, and supplies required. We also provide refreshments to donors after they have made their blood donation. When necessary, your organization may need to provide some equipment (chairs, tables, etc.) and an appropriate conference room or open space when the blood drive is held inside your facility or office. In other instances, you will simply need to provide outdoor space to park the bloodmobile.