Gen Y Donation Habits

Marketing professionals at Donor Dialogue conducted a survey to get into the minds of the Gen Y crowd and understand their donation habits and see what really motivates them to donate. The survey was taken by students in class from Dakota High School (located in the Metro Detroit area) and students waiting to donate blood in New York at the New York Blood Center. Topics were broken down into three categories: Donor Rewards, Donation Habits, and Gen Y interests.

Of the students at the New York Blood Center, 55.3% have donated before while only 18% of students at Dakota High School have donated before. The top two motivations for both were the good cause and to get out of class while the top two deterrents were never being asked to donate and the fear of needles, followed by not knowing enough about donation. Based on the survey results, it can be estimated that most students in this segment aren't opposed to donating but have not been educated enough on the subject (approx. 50% DHS students, 25% NYBC students). If a blood drive were to be held at their school 70% of the Dakota High School students would donate and 96% of the NYBC students would donate.

In the generation of instant gratification, it should come as no surprise that the Gen Y crowd responded well to gifts & rewards as an added motivator to give blood. After showing both groups the Donor Dialogue Reward Store 78.1% of NYBC students said these gifts would motivate them to give blood at least 3 times, 61.8% of the DHS students said the same. The highest reward motivators are gift cards and a chance to win a trip.

Viral marketing can play a huge role in attracting this generation. This generation is known to look to friends and family for advice and spends an average of 55 minutes a day on social networking sites. 82% of NYBC students and 67% of DHS students say they can motivate at least 3 other friends to donate with them.

So what should blood centers do to attract this younger segment?

• Educate them first! Donor Dialogue ( in partnership with America's Blood Centers) has created a facebook application available to all blood centers that is designed to create donor awareness through videos, featured stories, FAQs, interaction with peers, and more.

• Go where they are. 8 out of 10 students are on Facebook, each spending an average of 55 minutes a day on the site (up 35 minutes from last year!). Approximately 97% own a computer and 94% own a cell phone.

• Offer convenience and rewards. Friendly competitions and intrinsic rewards are hugely popular in the social media world. It offers "bragging rights" and acknowledgement for the good cause while creating a viral buzz.

• Be viral. Word of mouth is huge with this generation. If you can create a buzz, your donors will spread the word and increase your donor base. Social media outlets offer instant viral spread and allow access to a continuous connection of people.

To learn more about blood donor specific social media technologies contact us at 1-800-516-1804 ext. 7361