Overflowing with Passion for Organising Blood Drives

#WomenWhoGiveBlood - Ms Faye Ting

Ms Faye Ting, 44, Director of Operations of Gleneagles Hospital, used to be a registered Nurse and trained nurse as well. She has been in the healthcare sector for over 20 years and has been active in organising blood-donation drives within the hospital’s premise.

What motivated you to help organise a blood-drive at Gleneagles Hospital? We wanted to do more in corporate social responsibility activities. Part of it relates to how we can help with donations. More specifically, blood donation. To start off, we obtained some contacts from the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) and from there, we were able to kick-start discussions on how to go about organising a blood donation drive. When I was organising a blood donation drive for the first time, I thought it was going to be difficult in terms of getting the team to come down to help with the donation. At the same time, we had concerns about how to go about publicising the event to ensure that there will be people heading down to give blood. I could have a fancy-looking location for the drive, but if nobody came down to give blood, then the whole purpose of setting up the drive will be defeated as well.

There is a lot of planning involved in organising a blood donation drive. We also worked closely with the rest of the organising team along with members of the SRC. For instance, in an event when our donor-recruitment numbers were low, that was when we would work hand-in-hand with SRC to further enhance the publicity for our drive to entice more potential donors to give blood as well. Also, registration is another important consideration. We ensured that it was easy and accessible for potential donors to register and indicate their interests in donating blood. This would enable us to know the number of people coming and facilitates tracking of the registration numbers. What were some things that you did to prepare for the blood donation drive in advance before the actual day itself?

We conduct site visits in preparation for a blood drive. At the same time, we would ensure our logistics are well-prepared for the drive.

We mapped the area - identifying areas for the counters and registration, ensuring that there would be clear and sufficient directional signages in the premises to provide guidance to blood donors on the day itself. As there was a specific sequence to follow in a blood-donation drive from the point of registration to the blood donation station, we ensured that the flow of the drive was smooth.

What was a memorable experience you’ve had while organising a blood drive?

Initially, the blood drive was slated for February 2020. However, with social distancing requirements put in place that restricted the number of people gathered together, we were compelled to cancel the drive.

It was quite sad because we had publicised the event since 2019. Everyone was really looking forward to it as we ushered a new year with new beginnings on the lead up to the drive.

However we didn’t give up and reconnected with SRC once more. The blood donation drive was eventually carried out on 8 December 2020.

I was glad that along the way, we managed to convince some employees to step forward to donate blood upon learning more about blood donation processes and overcoming their hesitation to give.

What were some challenges faced in organising a blood drive and how did you overcome those challenges?

One challenge that comes with organizing a blood drive would be sourcing for space. Not every organisation or company had the luxury of having their own space to run such a donation drive. We sought advice from the SRC team on sourcing for the space and equipment to run a large-scale blood drive.

“If you can give back to the community as an organization, then why not?”

How did you feel about the overall experience?

The experience was very rewarding. Much effort was put in to ensure that operations were running smoothly and publicity efforts were carried out effectively. We were glad that we managed it in a way that we did not have any wastage; we even had the team coming forward to donate. This created a culture of giving within an organisation. While it is true that even if you don’t organize drives in your own premises and your team goes out to donate at external donation drives, it is still a form of giving, but when it happens in the company, in your own premise, you will influence others who may not donate now, but given the opportunity in the future, would give back eventually.

I think creating a culture takes time. It takes time to ensure that people are not just coming to work for the sake of just working. In healthcare, besides caring for the sick, you want to give back to the community in some way. People would always have this mindset of ‘oh, the nurses will do everything’, but if you can give back to the community as an organisation, then, why not?

“If you have like-minded teammates with the same enthusiasm, things will work miraculously.”

What are some pointers you would give to those who are keen to organize a blood donation drive, especially if they’re doing it for the first time?

The key point is getting the correct team to come together. If you have like-minded teammates with the same enthusiasm, things will work miraculously. People will come forward to give ideas and suggestions to make the drive better. It could turn out to be a success story.

You will have so many teams and volunteers involved in a blood drive. Members of the public will have a chance to give back. You want this to be a well-organised blood drive, and not something to showcase that you are organising a blood donation-drive.

What insights have you gained from organising a blood drive and what would you say to encourage people to organise a blood donation drive?

I hope that people will not think that organising blood drives is a hassle because there is much logistics and planning involved, all on top of your already hectic schedule.

I hope that people will step forward to volunteer as well. If you can’t organise a blood drive, you can still help by coming forward to volunteer in a community blood drive or blood bank.

That is something that I hope the organising committee, the facility or the company can influence the rest of the team to volunteer. What would you say to encourage others to donate blood?

Do your part, and create a better impact and give a better life by donating blood. As the slogan says, ‘Give blood, Save lives’.

Keen to donate blood or organise a blood drive? Click here.

By Shayene Gilflores Winfred, Volunteer

Click here to read the full interview article on the Singapore Red Cross website!