Without donors, Vitalant wouldn’t be able to fulfill our lifesaving mission. Building successful relationships and converting them to repeat donors requires an investment of time, resources and a specific skill set. Our Donor Recruitment teams serve on the front line of attracting and retaining donors.
The Association of Donor Recruitment Professionals has declared Sept. 15 as International Donor Recruitment Professionals Day.
We’re proud of all the donor recruitment professionals who have dedicated themselves to maintaining and growing our donor base to ensure the needs of healthcare partners and patients are met. Among them are:
Laura Alvarado, Account Manager
A close-up of a person smilingDescription automatically generated with medium confidenceA 15-year Vitalant veteran, Laura makes connections with organizations and individuals to help support Vitalant’s lifesaving mission. She supports volunteer blood drive coordinators with hosting drives, educates their teams and helps promote their drives. She helps ensure FDA guidelines are followed to ensure safety of donors, colleagues and the blood supply.
“Seeing the impact of a platelet infusion given to my mother in 2000 truly made an impression on me about the power life that blood has on an individual and their family,” Laura said. “I love hearing donors and coordinators’ stories on their own personal reason for giving blood and getting involved. I take pride in knowing that, with my work with Vitalant, I can be a link in the lifesaving chain of life for patients in my community.
Amy Fitzgerald, Account Manager
Amy joined Vitalant in 2021 and manages relationships and logistics for blood drives and coordinators in five counties in Northern California. She is responsible for growing her account base by adding new blood drives and growing existing ones to help reach overall blood collection goals.
“My role is complex and rewarding,” Amy said. “I love the diversity of people I get to work with on a daily basis and the challenge of juggling multiple projects with many moving pieces.”
Sarah Miller, Account Manager
Sarah has served Vitalant donors and patients since 2011, She enjoys working with the community and her colleagues to organize and execute blood drives. Her efforts are motivated by the words of a coworker: “No matter the devastation around us, we never have to feel powerless. We get to have a positive impact every day.
Once, Sarah connected with a donor who was a descendant of an Indian chief from her home state of Oklahoma. They were able to share family stories of interactions with him, as well as a picture of the great-great-great grandfathers together.
“My favorite thing about working here are the people,” she said. “I work with the best team, best coordinators and the best donors. Knowing that, together, we save lives leaves me humbled.”
Melinda Murphree, Senior Account Manager
Melinda, who joined Vitalant in 2004, helps coordinators facilitate their drives and assists donors, so Vitalant can continue providing products to patients in need.
“The best part of working at Vitalant is knowing we make a difference by providing patients the opportunity to have more time with their loved ones,” she said.
Joining Vitalant in 2021, Adella’s role is multi-faceted. She plans and executes blood drives, recruits donors to help procure blood for area hospitals, designs marketing campaigns to increase awareness and participation, performs site compliance inspections and cultivates partnerships with businesses, educational institutions, government agencies and community-based organizations.
“The best part of working at Vitalant? Knowing what I do saves lives,” Adella said. “It’s a very rewarding profession.”