Challenge: Every year, Singapore Red Cross faces the repeated challenge of raising the blood supply to meet the ever growing demand for all the different blood types.

Objectives: Increase new donor registration (by 1%) to meet the demand for specific blood types in a timely cost-effective way, and to raise youth participation for blood donation.

Insight: Research revealed that youths are active on social media, are smartphone users, and participate in activities and interest groups that help establish their identities. The Red Cross also identified youths as the next generation of blood donors.

Idea: Apart from the yearly awareness campaigns, the agency believed a longer-term solution was needed. A mobile app that worked as an always-on, cost-effective platform for the Red Cross to immediately reach out to users committed to help spread the word to find new donors on their personal social networks.

Outcome:

The Singapore Red Cross now have a self-sustaining vehicle that will not only drive blood donation for years to come, but also remind and reward - helping to keep the cycle of donation going. As proof, 18 calls for specific blood types have already gone out - and been answered.

Riding on Red Cross' annual awareness campaign, users were invited to join the Red Cross Connection by downloading the app and connecting to Facebook.

Once installed, the app lets Red Cross send blood alerts for specific blood types - virtual blood drives - to users who can then respond by finding a blood centre to donate or, sharing the alert to their friends online to search for more donors. The app keeps track of both your donations and your shares.

At the blood bank, scanning a QR code credits the user with another donation and rewards them by posting to their Facebook wall that they’ve just saved 3 lives. The app also allows merchant tie-ups to further reward active users for their participation.

18 blood alerts activated for different blood types to its network of over 41,500 volunteers and followers.

Increased new donor registration by 2% (double set target of 1% increase)

20,042 first-time (new) donors

21,999 youth donors participated (age 16-25)

121,360 blood donations (every blood donation can save up to 3 lives)