Voluntary blood donation programmes - recruitment and retention are about people and community, about understanding them, capturing their interest and influencing their behaviour. The main communicating task for both blood donor recruitment and retention should be geared towards getting public understanding about the importance and triggering a response for action.

Once a blood donor motivator raises awareness, he or she must motivate and persuade people to donate blood. One key secret of successful blood donor recruitment is to take the beds to the donors as close as possible on their convenient date and time rather than expecting the donors to come to the blood bank.

The closer the bed to the potential donor, the stronger is the likelihood of success. This is possible only through outdoor blood donation camps. If the camps are held in a relaxed manner, it can be an enjoyable pleasant experience for all concerned. All over the world, most blood from voluntary blood donors is collected from outdoor camps in rural and urban areas.