Hoxworth Blood Donor Experience

How we helped Hoxworth bring more donors back to mobile blood drives.

Hoxworth Blood Center relies on mobile drives to connect with first-time donors, yet post-COVID participation has fallen from 50% to 35% of new donor acquisition. Rebuilding that pipeline required a deep look at every stage of the mobile drive experience, from how sites are recruited and staffed to how donors are engaged before, during, and after their visit. This project delivered targeted interventions across recruitment, donor education, and site coordinatator support to help Hoxworth restore and surpass its pre-COVID mobile drive performance.

The challenge

Hoxworth's mobile drives have long been a cornerstone of first-time donor acquisition, and there was a clear opportunity to rebuild momentum after COVID and reconnect with donors at every stage of the mobile experience.

The insight

The team delivered a full suite of practical assets, from branded marketing materials, email drip campaigns, donor education resources, and a site coordinator guide, giving Hoxworth the tools to improve recruitment, elevate the in-drive experience, and turn first-time donors into lifelong supporters.

The deliverable

Through interviews with recruiters and site coordinators, observations across eight mobile drives, and a review of donor motivation research, the team uncovered friction points at every stage of the donor journey, from unclear wayfinding for first-time visitors to a lack of post-donation follow-through that left repeat donor potential untapped.

Expertise.

Interviewing
Observational research
Journey mapping
Competitve benchmarking
Literature review
Concept development
Asset creation
Campaign strategy
Content design

"I wish that more people would donate before hearing personal stories or knowing someone in their own life who needs a blood transfusion. Too many people wait to donate until it seems real to them."

—

Hoxworth Mobile Blood Drive Recruiter

problem

Hoxworth saw an opportunity to strengthen the full mobile donor experience.

With mobile drives historically responsible for half of all first-time donors, restoring that performance required more than surface-level fixes. The team needed to understand the full ecosystem, from how recruiters operate to how donors experience the drive itself, in order to design interventions that could realistically be adopted and sustained by Hoxworth's team.

Approach

Understanding the mobile donor ecosystem.

The team conducted interviews with Hoxworth mobile blood drive recruiters and site coordinators, observed and participated in eight mobile drives across hospitals, schools, and community locations, and supplemented their findings with competitive benchmarking and a literature review on donor motivation. Research findings were synthesized to map the full donor journey and identify key friction points across both the organizational and donor-facing sides of the mobile drive experience.

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APPROAch

Designing for every stage of the donor journey.

With a clear picture of the pain points, the team moved into concept development, translating research insights into tangible solutions for each stage of the mobile drive experience. Donor journey storyboards, education materials, and recruitment campaigns were prototyped and refined to address gaps in wayfinding, engagement, and post-donation follow-through.

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OUTCOME

Better experiences build lifelong donors.

We delivered Hoxworth a practical, ready-to-use toolkit for transforming the mobile drive experience from end to end. From branded recruitment posters, social media templates, and email drip campaigns to donor education materials and a site coordinator guide, every asset was designed to address a specific gap in the donor journey. This makes it easier to attract, engage, and retain mobile blood donors.
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Beyond the individual assets, this project offers Hoxworth a renewed strategic foundation for mobile donor growth. By equipping recruiters and site coordinators with the right tools and support, and by giving donors a more menaningful and connected experience, Hoxworth is better positioned to rebuild its first-time donor pipeline and strengthen the community relationships that make mobile drives a lasting force for good.