The Canadian Red Cross first funded Canadian Blood services in the 1930s. Over the years, blood donation in Canada had always been an unpaid activity. The reasoning behind such a philosophy was to ensure that the donors are not motivated by the desire to get money. Such a situation would place the health of donors at risk. The work of the CBS is to ensure a safe, national supply blood as well as blood products.
For one to be an eligible donor an individual must be at least 17 years and weigh nothing less than 50 kilograms. Good health is a necessity as well as freedom from infections as HIV, malaria and others. The blood collected was used for many purposes (Moore et al, 1986). Annual demand for blood in Canada approximates to nearly a million units of whole blood.
The demand for blood and its product was affected by several factors ranging from the variations in the emergency surgery to research. The demand for the blood was variable, and there is no way they could be stored indefinitely. This means that the supply has to be managed according to demand. The summer and the winter holiday periods experienced the problems of supply.
CBS also worked with others firms in investigating donor motivation. They hired a research firm to help them define the donor segment. They measured donor’s commitment to donate, willingness to travel and other aspects such as self-efficiency.
CBS has gone a great deal to the extent of developing television, cinema, and radio advertisement to encourage donations. Like many consumer products, there is a direct relationship between advertising and the responses of the consumer. Data from the various reviews of statistics can be used to devise new strategies to increase donors.
References
Moore, B., Humphreys, P., & Lovett-Moseley, C. (1968). Serological and immunological methods. Toronto: Canadian Red Cross Society.
