American Red Cross Nashville Coordinator Chapter 5

Turning peers
into heroes (3 weeks to 1 day in advance)

Schedule specific appointments.
As donor commitments are obtained, remind your recruiters to follow the master appointment schedule. We've found that people who have pledged to give blood are more likely to donate if they have a specific appointment time. This is important because a scheduled appointment limits the amount of time people must take from their busy day, making return donors at your next drive more likely. A schedule also makes the most efficient use of limited Red Cross staff.

Target donors with the most-needed blood types first (e.g., type O).
Every potential donor is important. However, depending upon patient usage, there may be a pressing need for a particular blood type. Your Red Cross representative can help identify type-specific blood needs and can provide a list of past donors with these types if your group has held a blood drive before.
Explain the 48-hour cancellation policy.
Once one of your peers pledges to donate, stress the importance of keeping the appointment. Remind them that their contribution goes toward reaching the group's goal. More important, hospital patients are relying on their donation. If someone can't keep an appointment, he/she should call you at least 48 hours in advance. That will give you an opportunity to schedule someone else in that slot.

Remind donors personally.
Try to send everybody at least one reminder as the drive nears. Ideally, this is done in person, but short of that, an e-mail, postcard, or self-stick note on a desk can serve as a reminder.

Confirm appointments during the week before.
One to two days before the drive, make sure you call people to confirm appointments. Remind them to bring some form of ID to the drive.
Those who can't give can still help.
Some people aren't permitted to give blood. Let these people know they can still help by volunteering during the drive. Also, certain people will be unavailable the day of the drive. Ask those individuals to sign a pledge form (See Chapter 9 for sample) to give blood within the next 30 days at another drive or donor center whenever possible. After the blood drive, give the pledge form to your Red Cross representative to follow up.