Donor recruitment in the 21st century: Challenges and lessons learned in the first decade

The first decade of the millennium has seen a fundamental shift in global sufficiency. In many developing countries the major challenge remains the need to collect sufficient, safe blood from volunteer non-remunerated blood donors to support developing health care needs. However, in the developed world the current challenges faced by blood services are more complex and constantly changing. This article will explore the impact of these challenges and consider the implications for blood services in the next decade in donor management and recruitment.The authors discuss the major strategic challenges of:•maintaining an adequate donor base with the correct blood group mix;•intelligent inventory control;•improving efficiency in the face of the current global economic climate;•redesigning the donor experience;The paper discusses donor recruitment and retention strategies and provides case studies from the SNBTS marketing strategy. The paper discusses options to rethink the traditional supply and demand models.In conclusion, consider the potential challenges and opportunities of the next decade, considering:•demographic changes and influences;•impact of new technologies;•demand trends;•donor expectation;