Santa Susana High School

Organization and Advertisement of a Successful Blood Drive

Senior Project Research Paper

Tracy Lam
English 12AP
Ms. Pamela Bradley
20 November 2015

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During my research of finding different topics for my senior project, I tried to explore
many of my different interests but no matter how much i diverged, it always seemed like i would
circle back to the same topic that i always had. That topic is related to the passion that i want to
pursue in life and that passion is medicine. I would like to pursue a career among the lines of
surgeon or a doctor in the future. My senior project itself would be a blood drive set at a local
theater that i will be advertising among my friends and peers while my research would be on the
process of a blood drive and the difficulties that come along with it. Currently, i know about the
process of volunteering at a blood drive and the process of donating blood as well. My learning
stretch that would arise from this project would be the actual setup of the blood drive and the
advertising that comes along with it. I am currently the President of Health Occupation Students
of America Club and were a medical club that competes in medical challenges and participates in
medical events as well. I am sure that we were bound to participate and volunteer in a blood
drive at any rate. Yet at that rate, there would have never been a chance that i would have wanted
to take on the position of hosting one as i realize the difficulties and challenges that arises in the
organization of a blood drive. The more i realize the challenges that may arise in a blood drive, i
was also able to realize the benefits that everyone gains for participating in one as well. Whether
the participator is the host, the donor, or the patient, we all benefit from participating in blood
drives. Challenges that i know i must overcome is advertising for the blood drive as I have heard
that it is quite difficult getting people to sign up for one. Another difficulty that i may encounter
would be reaching my blood donation goal as i learned that not all those who sign up for blood
donation will be able to make their appointment or be able to donate at all. It is difficult to get
sign ups in the first place so it is then expected that i get plenty more sign ups that my donation
goal as not everyone will be able to go through with their agreement. Another difficulty that i

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saw during my volunteer at a blood drive is that many people who walk into a blood drive will
not be able to donate as they do not meet the criterias. These criterias that i've encountered
included donors that had too high of a blood pressure or even their veins not being visible
enough. These factors will also affect the expected outcome of the blood drive as well.
A blood drive is beneficial in every way and to everyone that participates in it. The host
of a blood drive is able to successfully gain leadership and communication skills through the
experience of setting up a blood drive and as well as helping hospitals get the amount of blood
they need for their patients, Participators of the blood drive known as the donor are crucial to the
success of a blood drive as they are the whole purpose of this process. It is difficult to donate
blood but for those who do, they are able to not only benefit themselves but help those who are
in need as well. They are able to give blood to those who are in need and in the process, learn
about their own blood type and health at the same time. People don't realize how crucial it is for
everyone to know what they're blood type is. It a time of emergency, ones blood type will come
in need whether they are the one that needs the blood or their loved ones are in that position.
People who donate blood are also able to benefit from gaining information about their health as
the blood goes through a process to make sure that the blood doesnt contain any viruses or
diseases that may harm the patients. In return, the donor is able to learn about their own health
and take into account any diseases or illnesses that may have gone unnoticed by the donor. The
receivers of this blood are the last participator and reason for the organization of a blood drive,
They are the ones who are able to receive the blood in the operating room and successfully go on
in life with that support of the donors.
Many complications will arise in the process of organizing a blood drive as there is a
whole process and many people to account for in the organization of a blood drive.

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Communication must be made in any event. In the event of a blood drive, the host must be able
to communicate with the organization, the manager of the location, their team members, the
volunteers, and the donors as well (American Red Cross). Communication is key to the success
of a blood drive as confusion between this large amount of people may lead to many problems
and issues that will prevent the drive from running smoothly in the process (American Red
Cross).
Advertisement of a blood drive is another crucial key to holding a successful blood drive
as this will determine the turnout rate of a blood drive. If the members of a community do not
know about the blood drive, how will they know to come to donate to the drive? The host of the
drive must be able to take part in advertising for the drive before hand as well as on the day of
the drive as well. Taking signups for a blood drive guarantees at least a certain amount of people
to come to the drive. These signups serve as a baseline to a successful turnout rate and to save
time on the day of the drive as well. The host or members of the drive must be sure to give the
donors who signup to donate a reminder call and email days prior and day of the drive. Signups
may be taken at any local organization such as a food market or a public library. Advertisement
of a blood drive cannot be made at an organization without proper communication with the
owner in order to have permission to advertise on the site of the location.
Choosing a date and location of the drive is crucial in order to make the blood drive have
a successful outcome. Must research and know the guidelines that would be specific to the
different locations of a blood drive. Whether the drive would be at a school, theater, company,
etc., the host must follow the guideline to how the blood drive would perform among the
different types of organizations. The location of the drive must provide a room that is most
suitable for a blood drive. This room must have the most optimal conditions for the donors of the

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drive. The room must be closed off from any loud noises, be able to be temperature controlled
and spacious enough for the equipment and team members to work. The date of the drive must
also be taken into consideration for the blood drive as it should be made on an appropriate day
with the account of the location. When handling a school or business location, the drive should
be made on a weekday where the students or workers will be able to donate at their own
convenience. When handling a church or public location such as a theater, the blood drive is
more likely to be successful on weekends where people are more likely to be available and go
out rather than be working.
A set donation goal is made for every blood drive as a goal for the drive to achieve at the
end of the day. The goal is relative to the setting and date of the drive. It is crucial that the blood
donation goals is met in order for the hospitals to get the amount of blood that they need from the
blood organizations. In order to reach the set blood count, sign-ups must be made in order to
ensure that a minimum amount of donors will be coming. The sign-up list should not be relied on
as there will be chances of those who will not be able to make their appointments. It is also more
likely that there would be a large amount of walk-ins with advertisement that day. This will make
up for the amount of donors that do not make it or the amount of blood donations required if
sign-ups do not reach the amount of blood count. Many donors may sign up to donate but this
does not hold them responsible if they are unable to make it to their appointed time. They are not
held to any consequences and therefore it is possible that not everyone on the signup list will be
able to come to the drive. Advertisement, if done properly, on the day of the drive will make up
for any amount that is lacked in when it comes to signups. Many people will be making walk-ins
to donate. The signups and walk-ins should not be relied on as well as there is a probability that
many of the donors will not be able to donate.

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In order to be eligible to donate, a donor must meet certain requirements that will make
sure that they are healthy enough to donate and that their blood is healthy enough to be received
as well. Donors must reach the criteria in their sexual history as they must not have come in
sexual contact with one who had STD. The must not have come in contact with anyone that had
any sexual disease which also includes them not having any sexual diseases as well. Donors who
have high blood pressure or even low blood pressure are also not guaranteed to be able to donate
as there is a chance that they will faint in the process of the donation and other difficulties may
arise in the process as well, Donors who have high or low blood pressure may be told to
reschedule a date to donate their blood at a center rather than on the spot at the drive.
Donors must not have traveled to certain countries in the past year that may have brought
them in contact with illnesses that may have affected their health condition or blood. Caution
must be taken into account for donors who travel a lot or in the recent past. In these cases, it is
the job of the host or team to find out if the donor has been in any of the listed areas in their
recent travels, If there is a case where the donor has traveled to a certain country, it is the job of
the host or team member to inform the practitioners who are performing the blood process on the
donors.
Blood donors may also be unable to donate with the simple fact that their blood vessels
arent prominent enough for blood to be taken properly. There are many factors or requirements
that may prevent one from donating blood. Reasons like this should be taken into account that
not all who walks in or sign ups to donate will have the ability to actually donate their blood.
There are also age and weight requirements that should be taken into account for younger
adults who want to donate. Donors must have reached 16 years of age in order to be able to
donate their blood . and be in healthy condition. There is no upper limit to the criteria of being a

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blood donor as long as the donor is in proper health conditions. For male and female donors who
are 18 and under, they must weigh a certain amount that is relative to their height in order to be a
healthy enough state to donate (Am I Eligible?). In the case of a double red- blood donation,
donors, female and male, must meet a certain height requirement along with a certain weight
requirement in order to donate two pints of blood. When donating two pints of blood, donors
must be of a larger build in order to actually donate two pints rather than one pint of blood (Am I
Eligible?).
Donors may be recruited through several ways that may include advertising on campus
among students and using support of ptsa to gain blood donors or advertising at locations such as
the library or supermarkets to get donors from the community to join in. Having a theme relating
to the time of year or the location of the drive in order to add creativity and make the drive more
visible may increase the turnout of the drive. Making posters to advertise around the community
and giving treats to blood donors can distinguish blood drives from others in order to gain more
blood donors.
Creating a recruitment team may be more beneficial to the host and to make the drive run
more smoothly. Have an assistance that can help set up the drive and cooperate with the rest of
the team in order to bring better communication. Have volunteers that can be able to assist in
guiding donors in and out of the building during the drive and help out at different stations.
Create an advertising team that can help make posters and get sign-ups for the drive. These are
all the positions that can be given to members of the community that want to participate in
helping out at the blood drive. A recruitment team can build leadership and communication skills
that allow for the team to thrive in the process of making sure the drive is properly organized
(Keys to Planning a Successful Church Blood Drive).

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There are many reasons that people dont want to donate blood and of these reasons, it is
the job of the host to give future donors reasons why they should be able to donate blood. In
order to make a blood drive more successful, research about the audience must be done. There
are several myths that many people believe for why they shouldn't donate blood. Convincing
people otherwise and making them realize the benefits of donating blood will allow for an
increase of blood donors as well. Things that should explain to people that shouldn't prevent
them from donating their blood may include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, flu shots, and
even the fear of needles (Reasons People Dont Give Blood).
With the research i have made, i would be able to use this information into successfully
planning and organizing my blood drive. I have taken into consideration that my blood drive is
organized at a theater and the day of my drive respective to my location. My research enables
me to learn about what types of team members i need to assist me in the process of this
organization and allows me to plan out who will be doing what during the drive. I have also
gained a bountiful amount of knowledge on who is able to donate and what types of donation
each person is able to make. In saying so, i will be able to put this knowledge to use when it
comes to my drive as it will allow me to be able to communicate with the community when
advertising and obtaining sign ups as well as communicating with donors on the day of the blood
drive. My research allowed me to learn of the complications that may arise on the day of the
blood drive and prepares me to make sure that i will be able to take charge of the problem. I will
put the research that i have done into advertising for the blood drive, creating a recruitment team
and making sure the drive runs smoothly through communication with everyone that will be
present during the blood drive.

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Work Cited
American Red Cross. redcrossblood.The American Red Cross, 2015. Web. 17
September 2015.
Am I Eligible? bloodcenter. Version number. Blood Center of the Pacific, 2015. Web.
17 September 2015.
Keys to Planning a Successful Church Blood Drive. lifeservebloodcenter. Life Serve
Blood Center, n.d. Web. 17 September 2015.
Reasons People Dont Give Blood. umm.edu. University of Maryland Medical Center,
2015. Web. 18 September 2015.

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Bibliography
American Red Cross. redcrossblood.The American Red Cross, 2015. Web. 17
September 2015.
This website will be a primary source to my senior project as this is the
organization that i will be hosting my blood drive through. The American Red Cross is a
large biomedical organization that is a supplier of about 40 percent of the worlds blood
supply. There goal is to raise enough blood supply for research and testing of infectious
diseases and to provide blood in times of disasters and for patients that require blood. The
information from this site that would be of assistance to me during my research include
information about hosting a blood drive, eligibility of blood donors, and ways to
advertise for a blood drive.
This website seems credible because it is made by the American Red Cross
Organization and they are a known as a national humanitarian organization and are a
major supplier of blood to people around the world. This website is bias in the area where
they are trying to convince people to donate blood but it is a useful website in my
research because it gives a lot of information on the process of hosting and organizing
blood drives.
Am I Eligible? bloodcenter. Version number. Blood Center of the Pacific, 2015. Web.
17 September 2015.
This website presents the general requirements and eligibility for those who want
to donate blood. It presents all the information and guideline on who is able to donate
blood depending on their health, age, travel history and sexual history as well. It also

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gives information on the period of time a donor must wait after donating depending on
what type of donation they have recently made.
Blood Centers of the Pacific is a reliable source and organization because it is a
large organization throughout north america and is a non-profit communal foundation.
This source would assist me in my informing donors when advertising and my research
of who can and cannot donate blood as well.
CHC exceeds goal in blood drive. The Daily Reporter.The Community Health Center
of Branch County, 23 April 2012. Web. 18 September 2015.
This article describes the success of the Community Health Center reaching its
blood unit goal during a past blood drive. Of the 37 expected blood units that they would
receive, they were able to obtain 44 blood units as a result. This article is important to me
because it gives me an example to for my audience to put into perspective the difficulties
of achieving a blood unit goal.
The Daily Reporter is an online newspaper that discusses the daily news in
Coldwater, MI. This article is a bias article that supports and encourages blood donations
among its audience. This article is of use to me because it explains the benefits of
donating blood as well as the importance of blood to those who need it.
Donate bloodsource. BloodSource , 2015. Web. 17 September 2015.
This website shows the different types of blood donation available to a blood
drive. This page explains the difference between donating whole blood and donating red
blood cells that is taken through automated donation. This was of assistance to my
research because it allowed me to gain more knowledge of the different types of

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donations available to my blood drive. I would be able to use this information to explain
and recommend which type of blood donation they are eligible for if they were interested.
This website by BloodSource is credible because they are a business organization
that has been a leading blood banking industry since 1948. They provide plenty of contact
information and are a nonprofit organization. This website is to date to the topic i will be
researching as it thoroughly explains the different processes and procedures that comes
with each type of blood donation.
Donating Blood emedicinehealth.emedicinehealth, 2015. Web. 17 September 2015.
This website gives information that will mainly benefit the donors that include
what they should do or will experience before, during and after the procedure is
performed. It also warns the donors the risks that they may experience after donating
blood. This website assists me in my research of the complications and worries that
donors fear when giving blood away.
This source appears to be well research as it provides many solutions to the
complications that may exist in a blood drive and explains to the audience the many side
effects they will experience from the blood donation. This website would be of use to me
in my research because it will be able to provide me with the information i need to make
brochures or flyers to those who are worried about first time donations. This website is
sponsored by many medical sites such as Help for Alzheimer's or Frequent Constipation?
Keys to Planning a Successful Church Blood Drive. lifeservebloodcenter. Life Serve
Blood Center, n.d. Web. 17 September 2015.
This website explains how to get the word out to a community when hosting a
blood drive. It gives advice on how to act when speaking to donors or to increase amount

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of sign up by using creative ideas such as creating a theme or giving out candy to donors.
This site enables me to be more creative in my research when it comes to advertising the
blood drive to my peers and grabbing the attention of people to donate.
This guide seems to be credible as it was created by the Life Serve Blood Center
that is often used by the church with the goal of getting specific types of blood donation
for the current blood needs of those in their community. Although i am not planning on
doing a church blood drive, the guide is still able to provide information and ideas that
can be used in a high school setting as well.
High School Blood Drive Planning Guide savealifenow.Community Blood Center,
2014 Web. 17 September 2015.
This pdf file provides a guide to hosting a blood drive at a high school which
relates to my case where i am trying to host a blood drive at my school. It gives samples
of publicity ideas such as flyers and free t-shirts and gives guidelines of week by week
expectation of what should be completed before the date of the the blood drive. The guide
explains to me what i must complete whether its 5 weeks before the drive to the day of
the drive and the process after the drive as well.
This Pdf is a reliable source as it is provided by the Community Blood Center of
Kansas that is collects blood units for hospitals in the Kansas and Missouri states. This
website is sponsored by large corporate companies such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter
and Linked In. This website is a useful source to my research as it thoroughly explains
the step by step, day by day process of organizing a blood drive on a high school campus.
High School Blood Drives Pose Extra Risks blogs.nytimes.The New York Times,21
May 2008. Web. 17 September 2015.

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This article explains the risks of having blood drives in a high school setting and
the possible complications to one as well. It gives statistical information of complications
present in teens compared to complications in adults when it comes to donating blood.
This article is bias as it only explains the complications of high school blood drives and
how the students are being put in a dangerous position and are less likely to donate again
if they were to be harmed.
I do not consider this article as reliable as my other sources as it is a blogpost by a
columnist for The New York Times. Although the author Tara-Parker Pope is an author
for health topics, she is known for books that go against statements such as the Untangle
the Controversy. Even though this is a bias source, it is still beneficial to me because it
explains the possible complications that i may experience because it is true that students
are more likely at risks of bruising or fainting when it comes to donating blood. Yet this
should not discourage students from donating blood as for why blood drives have
requirements for those who can vote in order to prevent complications for those who may
be harmed if they were to donate.
Organize a Blood Drive. givingblood. Community Blood Center, 2015. Web. 17
September 2015.
This website gives advices on the basic knowledge of blood drives giving
information on criterias of a stable location for a blood drive. It also gives advices on
what to prepare for a more successful blood drives and the expected roles of all those
participating in the blood drive that include the donor, the blood drive organization and
the recruitment team of the host. This website would be beneficial to me because it gives

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me information on advertising for a blood drive and creating a personal team that will
assist me in the process of the drive.
Unlike the American Red Cross, the Community Blood Center works on a much
smaller ground compared to Red Cross but it gives me more information on how they
host blood drives on a more communal way. The website is credible because it is up-todate and has plenty of background information on the organization. This website is
beneficial to the topic i'm researching because it gives me a different view on the
organization of blood drives from a large corporate foundation to a smaller communal
blood center that serves 27 hospitals around its area. Not surprisingly, this website is bias
in the matter of blood donation as they are trying to convince the people in their
community to donate blood.
Reasons People Dont Give Blood. umm.edu. University of Maryland Medical Center,
2015. Web. 18 September 2015.
This site gives ten reasons why many people don't want to donate their blood to
blood drives. Although the page gives answers to the worries that people have about or
reasons against the persons idea that giving away their blood is a bad thing. These 10
excuses or myths are the majority of reasons why many sway away from donating blood.
Because of this, in my research, i must find a way to acknowledge these people that
believe in these reasons and explain to them the benefits of donating blood. This site is a
credible source by a university press and although bias to blood donations, reasons with
the doubts presented by those who fear donating blood.