American Red Cross Nashville Coordinator Chapter 4

Getting the word out (4 to 3 weeks in advance)

Start asking for donors face-to-face.
No matter how much effort you and your recruiters put into your blood drive, success will be measured by whether you reach your goal. The key is having as much personal contact as possible with prospective donors. Stress to your recruiters how important it is to ask face-to-face. Most people who haven't given blood say they haven't for one reason - nobody asked. Asking face-to-face also provides an opportunity to deal with specific questions. Also, take the time to inform potential donors that by giving blood they are eligible to become members of the American Red Cross.

Obtain materials from the Red Cross.
Posters and other materials will help give the drive immediate exposure. Your Red Cross representative will help you determine how many posters, banners, and other materials you'll need.

Implement a communications plan.
Be sure that publicity material is distributed throughout your organization. Discuss both the obvious and not so obvious places to put promotional materials. For example, if your group has a central meeting room, that's a good place to put a poster. But another place where just as many people will see a poster is the restroom. Just remember to be creative. You want to reach as many people as possible.

As you publicize the drive, keep senior leadership involved. They may be able to do their own promotion and serve as a strong reminder that reaching the goal is important to your organization. Ideally, this means a letter, memo, e-mail, or announcement at a meeting from senior leadership to support the drive and encourage involvement. See Chapter 9 for a sample that you can use as a model when drafting your own.

In addition to face-to-face contact and publicity materials, you can also get the word out through an article in your organization's newsletter, or even the local paper. If you're looking for additional ways to publicize your blood drive, your Red Cross representative can suggest other options.

Remember, this blood drive is important. You're saving lives, so publicize.