From unfulfilled to exceptionally motivated: motivational types, change, and retention of blood and plasma donors.

Abstract

Objective: Blood donations are essential for many routine medical procedures, but donor retention poses a major challenge for blood collection organisations. We argue that insufficient knowledge about heterogeneity in blood donor motivation limits our understanding of donor behaviour and the effectiveness of retention strategies. This study aims to identify types of blood and plasma donors based on factors that have been identified as central drivers of repeated blood donation behaviour, including constructs from an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour, prosocial values, and social network characteristics.

Methods and measures: We apply latent transition analysis to a large sample of blood and plasma donors in the Netherlands (N = 22,128).

Results: We identify four classes of donors: the moderately motivated donors (33%), the exceptionally motivated donors (18%), the unfulfilled donors (23%), and the confident habitual donors (26%). We identify socio-demographic predictors of class membership, show that donors often transition between these types over time, and that class membership is predictive of long-term donor lapse.

Conclusion: Future research and blood bank marketeers would be advised to take donor heterogeneity into account when studying donors or designing campaigns for recruitment and retention of donors, as not all donors are alike.