May 1 through May 3 you have the opportunity to save somebody̢۪s life.

That is the message that marketing students at Fresno State̢۪s Craig School of Business want to get across.

This is the fourth and final campus blood drive of the year and Fresno State marketing students, along with the Central California Blood Center, are in charge of the event.

Twice a year, students in Reza Motameni̢۪s Marketing 100 S class have the opportunity to help the blood bank out.
With the guidance of two Blood Bank veterans, Chris Sorensen and Laurie Tucker, the marketing students take on the task of planning how to market to potential donors.

The students in Motameni̢۪s class are required to plan and market a non-profit project as part of the curriculum.

“It helps them learn the marketing principles and apply it to something that really means something,� said Tucker.

Although donations have been flourishing Sorensen is quick to mention that abundance is no reason not to donate.

According to the CCBC, 250 donations are needed a day, in order to meet the needs of Valley residents.

“We always need donations, no matter what. We must collect blood every day. The banks are at an average of 80 percent full a day and some are even as low as 50 percent,� Sorensen said.

Sorensen goes on to explain that each day emergency rooms, and hospitals across the Valley exhaust the blood supply, and without a constant intake of donations, people that need blood would not get it.

If a family member were hurt and a relative wanted to donate blood right away they couldn̢۪t, the blood must go through testing for blood born pathogens like AIDS, Hepatitis and Syphilis, that takes at least two days, so the family member would have to rely on donations already available.

By donating right away, you are potentially saving someone you love, or even yourself, Sorensen said.

All blood types are needed, and people that want to donate are encouraged to eat a good breakfast and drink enough water that day before coming in to donate. Dehydration makes it hard to donate blood because of the lack of fluid in the veins.

Fresno marketing student Michelle Jensen had that problem when she first went in to donate blood.

“When I first went in, they couldn’t get enough blood because they thought I was dehydrated, it was just coming out too slow. I drank a lot of water, and came back a couple of days later and they still couldn’t get enough blood out. They said my veins were too small,� Jensen said. “That is partially the reason I wanted to do this project so bad. I couldn’t give blood, so this is the perfect way to help in another way.�

All the marketing students may not have as compelling reasons as Jensen, however many admit that the project is turning out well. Fresno State marketing senior Kaiser Hamdorf says he is pleased with how the project is turning out.

“I am actually pretty proud of it. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but its turning out real good, the only hard part is sometimes when you come up with an idea and you think its really good, and the group just kinda just shoots it down,� Hamdorf said.

That̢۪s part of the marketing aspect however, and exactly the process the students are expected to learn. Part of what they are required to do for this project is come up with a theme to market to draw potential donors in.

This year’s themes are “Got Blood – Give Blood,� and “Karma – a Donation Today May Save Your Life Tomorrow.� Both the themes were tweaked until they were just right, and will be featured on the shirts given to those who donate.

Blood donors, will actually have a choice between the two designs – a first in the blood drives history, but the students are quick to stress that the choice will be offered only while supplies last, as this year’s shirt designs are expected to be very popular.

“We don’t care if they walk out with backpacks full, and pockets stuffed with our Twinkies, as long as they donate,� Tucker said.

Though it is a class project, the Blood Bank welcomes the students help with open arms.

According to Sorensen, in the seven years she has helped coordinate drives at Fresno State, whenever the marketing students help plan it, donations soar. In fact, since the marketing students have gotten involved, the drive has flourished.

Where the first drives were four times a year in only one location, now, donations are taken at four locations around the campus four times a year.

Sorensen and Tucker are quick to credit the marketing students with helping the blood drives grow.

“The number one reason people say they don’t donate is that ‘no one ever asked me’ so now we have students out there asking,� said Sorensen.

Asking for donations is exactly what the students are doing. And with a goal of more than 800 donors this year, that is exactly what they need to do.