Blood Donor Canvassing Program

This summer the American Red Cross is working with Public Outreach, an agency specializing in face-to-face recruitment and fundraising programs, to reach new and prospective blood donors in a different way. The goal of this program is for the Red Cross to reach a segment of the public who may not be reached through other channels and may have never given blood before to the Red Cross.

Through the pilot, street canvassers will ask members of the public to sign up for blood donation appointments. They will use tablets with Public Outreach’s webform to assist prospective blood donors in making appointments to donate through RedCrossBlood.org.

The canvassers will be required to wear Red Cross-branded vests and ID badges during their activities and will be recruiting donors on behalf of the Red Cross. Canvassers will be conducting donor recruitment in public spaces, such as street corners, main streets, college and university campuses and commercial areas. The canvassers will be Public Outreach staff but will be recruiting donors on behalf of the Red Cross. Public Outreach will be responsible for their hiring, management, training, activity management, proper messaging to the public, respectful behavior in public and adequate performance within the canvassing efforts. 

The pilot will be conducted for a period of three months in each of two markets: Los Angeles and Boston, launching in Los Angeles on or around July 9 and in Boston about a month later. The plan includes 5-6 canvassers per market for the duration of the pilot.

If you have questions about the pilot, please contact Brian.Boyle@redcross.org