Hosting a Blood Drive Information and Common Questions

Why Host a Blood Drive?

Blood drives are an excellent way to be recognized as a leader in your community, business, educational institution or place of worship. They are rewarding to host, and provide leadership and project management opportunities for employees. Your blood drive helps maintain a safe, stable blood supply, as patients rely on your donations for life-saving blood products.

Marqus Valentine, sickle cell survivor and blood donation recipient

Patients are the Reason for All Seasons

Hosting a blood drive and/or donating blood in every season can help local patients four times more!

Who Can Host Blood Drives?

Businesses
Many businesses hold regular blood drives that range from a commitment of 20-200+ donors. They are held on-site at your place of business, usually in a conference room, lunch room or other open space. If you don’t have space, we also have mobile buses that can be parked outside of your organization. We take donations right on the vehicle!

Schools
High schools and colleges host regular blood drives and represent more than 20% of all blood drives. Hosting a drive at your school instills a legacy that will be passed along to future classes. And, they’re a lot of fun!

Community and Civic Organizations
Donors are more likely to donate blood when they feel comfortable and are with people they know, which is why many community and civic organizations host blood drives. Different types of groups include:

Community or city-wide drives
Civic organizations, such as Lions or Elks clubs
Faith-based organizations
Moms’ groups or other special-interest groups that host drives to honor or commemorate an individual

Basic Requirements

In order to host a blood drive, we ask groups to have a minimum of 30 donors committed to participate in the blood drive.
The group must offer a location for the drive that meets our requirements.
Drives are organized when it’s most convenient for your donors to give blood, often during evenings and weekends.

FAQ

Hosting a Blood Drive

Do I need to have the drive at my organization’s offices? We don’t have the space.

Generally, as a blood drive coordinator, it is up to you to find an appropriate location for your blood drive. However, our teams in Wisconsin and Illinois also have the ability to host a drive on a bus, which just needs ample parking space outside of your building.
How far in advance should I schedule a blood drive?

Ideally, planning 8 to 12 weeks before the actual date works best. This gives you time to organize and recruit, helping to ensure a successful drive. Smaller windows of time can be accommodated. Again, this is something you can discuss with our staff.
How many donors do I need to have a blood drive?

A minimum of 20 donors is needed to host a blood drive. Our largest drives host over 200 donors. Most smaller drives are held over a 4-hour period; larger drives can stretch over a longer time.
How much time should donors set aside to donate blood?

It takes about 60 minutes from registration to refreshments in the café. The actual blood donation time is approximately 10 minutes.
What are the steps in hosting a blood drive?
Our blood drive planning timeline checklist offers a checklist of what you should do and when, but here’s an overview to ensure that your blood drive will go as smoothly as possible:
1. First, contact Versiti in your preferred region (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana or Michigan) or complete a blood drive interest form and discuss possible dates and the size of your group. If you plan to host the drive at your facility, our staff will stop by to look at the room you have selected to ensure there is adequate space, lighting, outlets, etc.
2. Then, we recommend forming a committee to divide duties such as logistics, recruiting and decorating. Versiti staff will provide drive materials and will remain in contact with you to answer any questions.
3. On the day of the drive, Versiti's mobile crew will arrive before the start of your drive to set up all equipment. After your drive has ended, our crew will break down all equipment and transport it away.
What’s the most important thing in ensuring a successful drive?

Getting donors committed to giving is absolutely critical. Studies have shown that the main reason people haven’t donated blood is that no one asked them. Forming a committee and personally asking people — even signing them up for donation times — is the best way to ensure that you’ll achieve your goal. If there is someone from the organization with a personal story about needing blood, ask if they are willing to share their story. Real stories can create a personal connection and provide further motivation for blood donation.
Why should my organization host a blood drive?
Hosting a blood drive has several direct benefits:
- Your donations are of crucial importance for local hospitals. Everyone in your group – from organizers to donors – can feel good about helping patients who depend on receiving that blood.
- Hosting a blood drive can be a very visible extension of your organization’s values because it shows that you are working together for the good of the community.
- Individuals who work together to plan the drive can benefit from the leadership experience it provides.
- Some organizations find that hosting a blood drive brings their entire group together because there is an opportunity to rally around a very real and important community cause.