.png?lang=en-US&ext=.png)
If you’re reading this article, you probably know the number of people donating blood with Vitalant has dropped 20% since 2019, and new blood donors are needed to help reverse that trend. But new blood donors aren’t giving blood at the pace they’re needed to maintain an ample supply of blood. If your blood drives aren’t engaging at least a few first-time donors each time Vitalant visits, here are four ways you can recruit new donors and help reverse the decline.
- Encourage previously deferred donors to check their eligibility at vitalant.org/eligibility. People who have been deferred because of tattoos, piercings, overseas travel, or sexual orientation may be eligible. We recommend checking blood donor eligibility on a regular basis, and you should too!
- Ensure your community knows about recent changes to blood donor eligibility.
- Learn about the FDA’s new individual donor assessment, which evaluates blood donor eligibility regardless of gender or sex while maintaining the safety of the blood supply.
- Learn about the FDA’s deferral change for individuals who spent time in the United Kingdom or Europe and potential transmission of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), known as mad cow disease.
- Educate your community about why new blood donors are needed. Use the information on our first-time donor web page to share the lifesaving impact people in your community will have – and the benefits they will receive – by becoming a blood donor with Vitalant.
- Encourage people you know to become a blood drive coordinator and refer them to Vitalant. New blood drive host organizations are in high demand as we rebound from the pandemic, and new blood drives engage A LOT of new blood donors.
By taking steps to educate your community about eligibility changes and the need for more blood donors, you will have a lasting impact on patients nationwide.