1. Bring the Family: Evaluation Of A Donors
Recruit Donors Blood Donation Strategy
Geoff Smith and Dan Waller
Donor and Community Research
Australian Red Cross Blood Service
We would like to acknowledge the Australian governments that fully fund the
Blood Service for the provision of blood products and services to the Australian
community

2. Donor Recruitment
 North, Central and South America
 Africa
 Acquisition of new donors
 Conversion of Family replacement Donors to Voluntary
donors
 Emerging theme: importance of family and friends in
communicating donation messages and passing on
information and experience

3. Australian Context
 1 in 3 will need blood or blood products in their life
 1 in 30 donate blood
 Population is growing, ageing and becoming more
culturally and ethnically diverse
 Important to engage and retain new donors, particularly
younger ones who may be with us long term

4. Background
 Our own research and focus groups highlight the
importance of family and friends experiences and actions
in a person’s decision to donate blood
 This could provide a cost-effective method of recruiting
new blood donors
 Prior research from the Netherlands showed that, 57% of a
sample of donors were willing to recruit new donors from
their family and friends (Lemmens et al., 2008)

5. Background
 Lemmens found 734 participants reported that they
recruited 984 new blood donors
 Unable to follow up and see how many of these resulted in
donations

6. Methods (quick version)
 Donors were invited to take part via email, and register to
receive their own unique ID number
 190 active blood donors registered as a ‘recruiter’
 Mean age 44.14 (SD =14.14)
 Female = 107 (56%), Male = 83 (44%)
 Mean number donations = 29.25 (SD = 42.27)
 They received study instructions, motivational support
materials
 Three reminders over a 10 week period

7. Motivational Story
Geoff’s Story
Brought being a blood donor to the attention as voluntary work
“At a party of a good friend we were talking about voluntary work.
Most of my friends want to do something, but don’t have enough
time. I told them about my way of making a contribution: donating
blood. A few people immediately dropped out, but others wanted to
know more. I told them how I registered and how my first donation
was. I still had the donor-recruits-donor cards in my bag, so they
proved useful. Yesterday I received emails from two friends saying
that they registered. Not bad.”

8. Outcomes (so far)
 The current cost of recruiting one new blood donor is
about $46.23 (excluding salaries)
 So far our 200 participants have cost $170 in materials
 Leading to 65 (kept) appointments
 Or 65 donations for $2.62 each
 Careers to be followed – some may donate plasma

9. Conclusion and next steps
 Successful strategy – cost effective
 Builds on emerging theme from donor recruitment
agencies word-wide
 Long term follow up – donor careers or “one and done”
 Can these recruits become recruiters?

10. Donor comments on success
 “I will try to help. I know I can get one additional donor
immediately.”
 I have found a few people who will be coming with me next
time
 Yes, I'd love to help recruit more donors and do this
among friends and colleagues

11. Target population?
 Just wondering if you could send out another 34 cards so
that I could hand them out to staff at the school I teach at.
 I have already given out the cards you sent me in the
package. I would be happy to distribute some more at my
church.