The Community Blood bank in Erie is starting a new volunteer program in hopes of generating more follow up donations with the help their volunteers. After donating blood, the donors are sent to the refreshment area of the center or drive so that they can relax for 10 minutes and have a snack. Once the donor is done with their snacks, there are no other interactions with staff, and they leave. There is a very small chance they come back and donate again in 56 days which is the reason why the volunteer program was started. The community blood bank felt that the final step of the donation process was lacking and thought having volunteers greet donors in the refreshment area could greatly impact the donation process. The role of the volunteer will be to thank the donor for their donation, get feedback from the donor, and most important, ask the donor to schedule a follow up donation. A volunteer at the last part of the donation could make a huge difference in getting donors to return for another donation. Asking for a follow-up donation is the most crucial item, because more consistent donors mean a better blood supply.
Students will be able to sign up for shifts well in advance and will receive volunteer hours for their participation. Every hour spent volunteering will count towards one volunteer hour. Students will be required to wear masks while volunteering.