Facebook will notify you for upcoming events, charity fundraisers — and soon, blood centers in need of donations. On Wednesday, June 12, Facebooklaunched the Blood Donations tool in the U.S., allowing blood donation centers to reach out to registered users when supplies are low.
First launched in Bangladesh, Brazil, India, and Pakistan in 2017, the Blood Donations tool is designed to simplify the potentially life-saving process. The tool focuses on three things — notifying users when area blood banks need donations, listing nearby places for donations, and empowering users to invite friends to donate as well.
In the four countries where Facebook launched the feature two years ago, 35 million users have signed up to use the tool. Surveys at blood banks in Brazil and India suggest that 20 percent of those visiting the center were influenced by Facebook Blood Donations.
The feature will soon be rolling out throughout the U.S. over the next few months after first launching in major cities today, including Chicago, New York City, the San Fransisco Bay area, Baltimore and Washington D.C. Facebook’s current list of organizations that will use the tool includes America’s Blood Centers, the American Red Cross, Inova, New York Blood Center, Rock River Valley Blood Center, Stanford Blood Center, Versaiti, and Vitalant.
“Through our partnership with Facebook, individuals will be able to conveniently find and connect with their local blood center to help meet the ongoing need for a diverse pool of blood donors in the U.S. and share their experiences and the importance of blood donation,” Kate Fry, chief executive officer at America’s Blood Centers, said in a press release. “By encouraging blood donation as a way of life, each of us can assure that the more than 30,000 pints of blood used daily throughout the country is available.”
