How Can Blood Centers Attract More Gen Z Donors?

Blood donations compete with so many other ways to give back to the community, and is one of very few ways to literally save a life (or even up to three). We also know that Gen Z is a generation that values purpose and social causes. So why is it so difficult to get Gen Z donors to donate blood? In this blog we’ll talk about the different types of donors and what your blood center can do to relate to and encourage more Gen Zers to donate blood. 

Today’s society groups charity donors into one or more of three groups:

Altruistic Donors

These donors give for the good of giving. In the blood donation world, this is what we would like all donors to be. Gen Z can lean towards this group in some of their charitable acts. They are more socially conscious and place high values on making positive impacts in the world. Gen Z is highly likely to support organizations that align with their own values and beliefs. According to this study, almost half of Gen Z donors (47%) gave all of their donations to disaster relief. This can include times of tragedy that necessitate blood donations or even critical appeals. 

Convenience Donors 

Gen Z is very on-the-go, so if the opportunity presents itself, and it’s convenient for them, they would donate blood. 

A few ways you can encourage the convenience donors to donate blood

1. Mobiles. Mobiles. Mobiles. We talk all the time about meeting your donors where they are online - that goes the same for in person too! Make donating blood so convenient they can’t say no. Schedule drives at local high schools and colleges to get them in the door and play into the satisfaction game in the next point.

2. Satisfaction – Engage and wow them with convenience and a pleasant experience. Offer a mobile check in and registration option. Free wifi, streaming services use, music, pub trivia or other games would be interesting options to make them pause and consider their options. You only have one shot at making a truly memorable first impression, so make it count to ensure they come back to the next drive or stop into your donor center!

Finally, The WIFM (What’s in it for Me?) Donors

These are the donors who give because there’s a physical item they want from donating blood. While easy to overlook these donors and resign them to the plasma center donor base, these donors are extremely crucial in closing the voids between your targeted collection levels and what you achieve through your altruistic and convenience donors.

How to engage the WIFM blood donors: 

1. Strategic initiatives with organizations that can provide incentives work great for these donors. For example, partnerships with grocery stores or casual dining places for gift cards are a fantastic giveaway at college campuses. 

2. Seasonal promos – Halloween themed t-shirts during late September and October work well for getting people to come donate on a seasonal or annual basis. Beach towels or grilling accessories are great in the summer too!

3. Giveaways – We’ve seen successes with the opportunities to win a grand prize (large screen TV before Super Bowl Sunday, concert tickets, holiday packages to resorts, etc). 

These donors have the option to donate to plasma centers as mentioned. However, the experience of donating at a plasma center is far different than what can be offered at a blood center. Plasma center donations are purely transactional. They give and they get. You can actually convert a Gen Z WIFM donor by providing them with a sense of value at a human level by donating blood. 

So, what’s the challenge? You need to get the 3 pillars of donor commitment down:

1. GAINING TRUST

In today’s digital and information-driven world, we are bombarded with “experts” and “insiders” spreading their knowledge. Unfortunately, not all of this information is accurate, much of it can be maliciously false, and the court of public opinion is harsh and does not practice due process. 

So, it is up to the blood centers to build the rapport and trust of their target audiences. How? Transparency. Be honest about the experience for the donor, provide plenty of fact based information, and then be truthful about how the donations help the community. Provide options for donors who are deferred and clarity as to what contributes to low iron levels. 

If battling against misinformation about the sale of the blood units, provide proper insight into the cost of collecting, manufacturing, testing, and distributing the end product. Build partnerships with other trusted people and institutions in the area to help spread the message. Offer regular open house style tours of your facilities so the curious can see first hand what happens behind the scenes. 

2. SATISFY

Satisfying your target begins before they step foot into a donor center or a mobile operations unit. Approaching them where they are (most likely online) pays huge returns. Make the content engaging and fun; everyone loves a good story. Who are the patients who have survived and thrived because of people’s selfless acts? 

Then, wow them at the time of donation, especially the first time donors. Take a moment to thank them for being there. The first time doing anything is scary! Walk them through the process and let them know what they can expect during and after. If they’re nervous, recline the donor chair and prepare an ice pack. There are thousands of other things they can be doing, but they chose to dedicate at least thirty minutes to helping your organization achieve its goal. 

3. IDENTIFICATION

When you nail the first two, chances are this pillar will naturally follow. You will have a person who then becomes a committed member of your tribe. They will recruit new donors for you. They will routinely donate. They will spread the appropriate message. This person adds more goodwill value to your organization with each passing day.

If the first two pillars of donor commitment are satisfied but the third is not, these donors are still valuable! Not every donor needs to (or will) become a recruiter for your blood center and that’s okay!

Conclusion

We hope this helped shift your perspective on Gen Z donors and realize getting them to regularly donate blood is doable. At first glance, they seem like a challenging demographic, but at the heart, they really are just like other donor demographic groups! If you have any questions or want more advice specifically for your blood center, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re always happy to help.