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NHS BLOOD AND TRANSPLANT
23 MAY 2013
Title
Donor Loyalty Programme
Executive Summary
The current Donor Awards programme is no longer fit for
purpose and receives an increasing number of
complaints from donors.
This paper details a new Donor Loyalty programme that
has been based on a thorough internal review and donor
research. It removes the inconsistencies from the
existing scheme and provides a programme that
increases recognition through the donor journey to
promote retention and frequency, whilst increasing
efficiencies for the business.
Action requested
from Board
Approval of the outlined proposal to begin
implementation.
Strategic Priority,
Regulatory
Requirement or
Corporate Risk that this
item relates to
Improved donation frequency and donor retention linked
to:
Improved customer service;
Efficiency and effectiveness.
These initiatives are included in the five year strategic
plan.
Organisational forums
where the paper (or
equivalent paper) has
been considered
Blood Supply Change Programme Board
Consultation and
Review
Executive
Blood Supply Change Programme Board
Equality and Diversity
Impact Assessment
Sustainability Impact
Assessment
Is a Full assessment required: N
Is a Full assessment required: N
Author
Jon Latham
Responsible Director
Clive Ronaldson, Director of Blood Supply
NED Reviewers
Shaun Williams and Jeremy Monroe
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NHS BLOOD AND TRANSPLANT
23 MAY 2013
DONOR LOYALTY PROGRAMME
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Donor award programmes are widely adopted among blood services internationally
because thanking and recognising donors are found to create a sense of belonging
and fulfilment. The way in which NHSBT thanks its donors is part of the relationship
between the organisation and donors and thus important in reinforcing the
commitment they show. A well positioned awards programme has the capacity to
both recognise long-term commitment while encouraging the development of loyal
behaviours in newer donors, so prompting retention.
The current Donor Awards programme goes some way to achieve this but was last
reviewed in 2002. It needs modernising to maximise the potential of a loyalty
scheme. The major issues with the current policy are that it is ambiguous, not well
communicated, and there are problems caused by the complexity of the way it is
delivered and confusion around the differing schemes for whole blood and
component donors. These issues cause donor complaints and inefficient use of staff
time. A thorough review of the programme was initiated in April 2012 with the aim of
aligning the awards scheme with the five year strategic plan. Modernising the award
programme is part of the wider Blood Supply collections strategy.
The proposal is to switch to a new Donor Loyalty programme to address the
inconsistencies and issues with the current Donor Awards programme. The approach
that has been proposed was led by donors through research and feedback, and
designed to meet the needs of donors. Engagement with other blood services has
helped in the development of a programme that has clear objectives and defined
measures.
In contrast to the current awards programme it recognises every donation as an
achievement instead of focussing on top-end milestone awards. It combines whole
blood and component donors together in one programme that incorporates easily
delivered on-session recognition supported by efficient off-line fulfilment. It also
modernises our recognition approach to make it more attractive to younger donors by
bringing the gifts up to date and exploiting online opportunities using social media
and the donor portal. This will encourage donors to overcome any barriers
encountered during the early stages of their journey and help to build lifetime
relationships.
This change will focus on the principle that every donation matters whilst introducing
an efficient delivery process that will increase donor satisfaction with awards.
It is designed as a value-adding programme that will encourage ongoing loyal donor
behaviour and improved retention as well as delivering an enhanced service to
donors.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
This paper recommends that the current Donor Awards scheme is replaced with a
new Donor Loyalty programme to be introduced in July 2014.
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1. BACKGROUND
Award programmes help to build a loyal donor base by strengthening the relationship
between donor and blood service through appropriate thanks and recognition. The
current Donor Awards scheme was launched in 2002 and has had only minor
amendment since. The scheme focuses primarily on rewarding high end milestone
donors with relatively high cost gifts and ceremonies. By modernising this approach
to better suit the changing needs of donors the programme can work harder to
enhance the relationship. This will help improve retention of donors in a way that is
aligned with the new five year strategic plan.
1.1 THE EXISTING DONOR AWARDS PROGRAMME
The Donor Award programme mostly seeks to recognise donors who have
dedicated much of their lives to donation. It does little to recognise donors at
earlier stages in their donor journey, where drop-out is greatest, and thus wastes
an opportunity to promote the strategic focus on loyalty and retention.
The awards are made up of certificates, donor cards, a key fob, pin badges and
crystal gifts which are presented either in session or at more formal ceremonies.
This is both time consuming and inefficient.
To illustrate the top-end emphasis of the current programme:
-
-
-
It is only once a donor reaches their 50th donation that their certificates are
personalised, before this point non-personalised, generic A5 certificates are
given.
The donor receives a red donor card after their first donation and then
progresses through seven different coloured cards at intervals. The first two
cards they receive are lighter in gauge than the embossed credit-card style
versions which come once ten donations are made.
Whole-blood donors are invited to attend a donor award ceremony once
they have reached their 75th and 100th milestones, and component donors
when they reach their 500th milestone. At these points the donor can publicly
receive their crystal award gift. Around 45% of donors who are eligible to
attend the ceremony do so, otherwise the donor opts to receive their crystal
gift through the post or at a subsequent donation session.
The pin badges and a key-fob are given at earlier milestones, however these are
not the main focus of the current programme with the key fobs often being left on
the tea tables as a freebie rather than presented as a thank you to the donor.
The delivery of the programme is resource wasteful, with donors receiving bulky
on-session award packs followed by up-to three separate mailings to deliver all
elements of each milestone award. A recent review undertaken in the Blood
Donation Organisational Design programme (BDOD) showed the delivery of the
donor awards scheme takes the equivalent of 27 whole time equivalents (w.t.e.)
from donor relations and local marketing. Most of this time is spent packing and
posting bulky award items and does not include the time it takes for the collection
teams to manage and administer award packs for donors on session.
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Two separate schemes are run for whole blood and component donors. This is
confusing for staff and causes problems for donors switching between the two
modes of donation. Furthermore, the credit system for awarding component
donors causes complaints: currently a donor receives a fixed two credits per visit
irrespective of whether they make a double or triple dose platelet donation. Many
triple-dose donors complain that this is unfair.
In 2012 sourcing the crystal award gifts became a serious challenge due to
changes in the crystal manufacturing industry. This led to shortages, extensive
delays and increased donor complaints. There is now an interim award in place
until the proposed loyalty programme goes live in July 2014.
In the year to January 2013 there were over 300 complaints about awards, many
of which were escalated, requiring investigation by senior staff. These were
mostly about the crediting system and donors not receiving their award packs
either on session or, subsequently, in the post.
1.2 THE NEED FOR A REVEIW
The issues emerging from the current Donor Award programme resulted in the
requirement for a thorough review. The aim of the review was to improve the way
that NHSBT manages its relationship with donors; notably, to make our
recognition of donors stronger so that they feel appreciated for each donation, in
turn strengthening their loyalty to NHSBT. The resulting changes to the awards
programme should reduce associated complaints, improve donor commitment
and provide alignment with the Blood Supply strategy.
2. REVIEW AND REDESIGN
THE OBJECTIVES
In updating to the new Donor Loyalty programme the following objectives were set:1. The programme must continuously recognise donations and promote retention
throughout the donor journey instead of focussing mainly on rewarding high
end donors.
2. The programme must devise a fair and simple scheme for both whole blood
and component donors that overcomes the current inconsistencies and
reduces the number of complaints.
3. The programme must reduce the resource waste associated with the overcomplicated delivery process of the current Donor Awards programme.
4. The programme must modernise and update the current awards scheme and
introduce an online element to reflect the digital era .It should appeal to a
contemporary audience incorporating best practises in social media. The
delivery must also be compatible with the impending launch of the Donor
Portal.
5. The programme must put measures in place to monitor the success of the new
scheme.
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3. REVIEW AND REDESIGN
THE PROCESS
The design of the new programme was achieved through a combination of matching
best practise with stakeholder and donor engagement (see Appendix one for a
breakdown of the process). Initially an audit of the existing awards programme was
undertaken. This identified a number of key issues that became re-emerging themes
throughout the information gathering stage.
In parallel to this internal review, information was gathered from a range of external
sources to identify what is offered to donors by similar organisations, internationally,
and what academic research recommends for strengthening donor relationships to
promote loyalty (see Appendix two). This was followed by a research consultation
with a representative sample of donors and non-donors as well as collection staff, to
determine what NHSBT is doing right in the current programme, and how to make the
recognition scheme better for the future.
The information gathered at this stage formed the foundation of the recommended
options that were devised for a new awards programme in partnership with Tullow
Marshall Warren Limited (TMW), a creative communications agency with experience
in devising reward programmes.
A proposed loyalty programme based upon the initial review was discussed with a
broad cross section of donors. Based on donor feedback these options were then
refined to become the proposal outlined in this paper.
4. INFORMATION GATHERING STAGE
The Research Findings International and academic review
The ten international blood services approached all had recognition schemes in
place. Award gifts varied widely in type and value from certificates to iPads, however
the consistent theme was that donors were thanked from the beginning to end of their
donor journey and that award ceremonies were universal. This was in keeping with
the academic research review that highlighted how donors do expect to gain
something in recognition of their contribution. However, incentives appeal and
motivate people differently and must be carefully handled so as not to conflict with a
sense of personal integrity and so dissuade donors from donating. Furthermore,
NHSBT has a responsibility for the safety of the bloody supply that could be
jeopardised by introducing incentivisation.
The Research Findings Donor and Staff Consultation
Donor recognition is intended to influence the commitment and behaviour of donors,
therefore the importance of a donor-driven redesign was crucial.
A research agency, Optimisa, was used to conduct research on behalf of NHSBT.
They used a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods including; focus groups,
mini groups and online interviews with a mixture of whole blood and component
donors, as well as NHSBT front-line staff, to gain a thorough view of the situation.
The guiding values that emerged from the research were used to develop a new
loyalty programme. These values are as follows:
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Recognising NOT rewarding donors want to feel thanked and recognised and
they feel uncomfortable with extravagant attention and expensive gifts which create
concern about incentivisation. Donors react negatively towards anything that they
perceive as incentivisation and awards of this type are therefore counter-productive.
This is in keeping with evidence drawn from the academic literature review.
Donors have limited awareness of the current award programme more than
45% of donors who have made one to nine donations are not aware of the award
programme at all; and those who are aware have limited knowledge of the awards
they are yet to receive. Consequently donors have relatively few expectations in
relation to awards and so changes are unlikely to generate wide scale comment. This
finding is supported by the response to implementing the interim crystal award in
January 2013 which has been quietly accepted and generated virtually no feedback
from donors. It was, however, felt by donors that heavily publicising the new
programme could be deemed as inappropriate incentivisation.
Gifts need to be modernised and used to create a sense of belonging awards
that are considered opulent, such as crystal and pens, are rejected. Donors want
appropriately modest gifts that help promote NHSBT and harness a feeling of
belonging and progression.
Ceremonies should be a celebration of blood donation as a whole
many
donors feel uncomfortable with recognition that draws attention to them as individuals
they see themselves as part of a collective effort. One ceremony in a donor lifetime
is felt adequate and this should be about recognising all elements of blood supply.
Many donors need more information about what the ceremonies entail before
committing to attending one.
Virtual awards are encouraged digital awards are liked as an inexpensive method
for donors to promote NHSBT whilst enabling them to track their own progression.
This especially appeals to the younger donor audience who are increasingly utilising
social media.
(See Appendix three for the final research report from Optimisa.)
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5. THE NEW DONOR LOYALTY PROGRAMME
In partnership with a creative communications agency, TMW, NHSBT has worked to
establish a new Donor Loyalty programme that fulfils the objectives and suits both
donor and organisational needs.
The guiding values from the donors at the information gathering stage led to a set of
principles for change. The key changes are:
One simplified Loyalty Programme
The current Donor Awards programme has separate whole blood and component
donor schemes. The credit system is deemed unfair by some donors and the
delivery process is complicated with at least eight touch points. The new
programme will address these issues with one scheme for whole blood and
component donors, crediting donors for the number of units or doses they donate
and having streamlined delivery that incorporates on-session thanks via a simple
thank you card, alongside postal fulfilment of personalised items in one pack.
Continued Thanks at each stage
The current milestones will remain, however, instead of focussing only on
milestone achievements NHSBT will send a message via email or SMS after
every donation made. The messaging will guide nursery donors who are making
their first to fifth donations, through the beginning of their donor journey with
information, encouragement and thanks. As newer donors are typically young,
this element of the new scheme will help support the organisational drive to attract
and retain more young donors.
Personalised and Progressive Gifts
The research concluded that the crystal plate, tumbler and decanter awarded at
the 75th, 100th, and 500th milestones in the current programme are deemed
excessive. Donors desire lower-value gifts that harness a sense of belonging and
progression. As a result, the more lavish gifts will be removed and replaced with
personalised certificates, badges and commemorative medallions that recognise
advancing achievements in a way that is low-key but appropriate.
One Award Ceremony
Donors are happy to be invited to one instead of the current two formal Donor
Award ceremonies in their lifetime. They would like this to be a celebration of
blood donation as a whole and less individually focussed. There are also two new,
more targeted, types of public recognition: an annual national stakeholder event
and donor centre events for platelet donors outlined in section 5.1.
Online Recognition
There is no online activity in the current Donor Awards programme but the new
scheme utilises email and SMS to send the ongoing thank you messages and
uses social media to increase promotion and act as virtual thanks to donors; there
will also be links to the Donor Portal . There will be an opt out choice for all donors
who do not wish to receive this online recognition and any cross fertilisation with
facebook will be down to the Donor opting into the service. This ensures that only
those donors who wish to be recognised will receive the ongoing online
communications
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The table below shows what donors will receive irrespective of whether they are a
whole blood or component donor. The milestone figure will be determined by how
many units or doses in total the donor has given rather than the number of times they
have donated. In-between the milestones there will be a suite of Direct Marketing
communications (SMS, e mail and phone call) that will reinforce the values of the
donation.
Milestone On Session
1
Thank you card
5
Thank you card
10
Thank you card
25
Thank you card
50
Thank you card
75
Thank you card
100
Thank you card
150
Thank you card
250
Thank you card
500
Thank you card
750
Thank you card
1000
Thank you card
Postal Pack
Red plastic donor card
Key fob
Welcome booklet
Digital
Email thank you
Social media sharing
Portal
Email thank you
Bronze plastic donor
Social media sharing
card
Portal
Email thank you
Badge
Social media sharing
Personalised certificate Portal
Silver plastic donor
card
Email thank you
Badge
Social media sharing
Personalised certificate Portal
Gold plastic donor card Email thank you
Badge
Social media sharing
Personalised certificate Portal
Email thank you
Badge
Social media sharing
Personalised certificate Portal
Commemorative
Medallion
Email thank you
Framed personalised
Social media sharing
certificate
Portal
Email thank you
Framed personalised
Social media sharing
certificate
Portal
Commemorative
medallion
Email thank you
Framed personalised
Social media sharing
certificate
Portal
Email thank you
Special framed
Social media sharing
certificate
Portal
Email thank you
Special framed
Social media sharing
certificate
Portal
Email thank you
Special framed
Social media sharing
certificate
Portal
A schematic of the new Loyalty programme can be found in Appendix four.
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5.1 Ceremonies
The new loyalty programme incorporates three different types of public
recognition. This maximises NHSBT s opportunity for media coverage whilst
enabling us to thank a wider range of donors and stakeholders than the current
Award Ceremonies.
The proposed events are:
1. Donor Award ceremony for 100th and 250th milestone donors
2. Annual donor centre celebration events for component donors
3. National Supporter celebration event
5.1.1 Donor Award Ceremony
The donor award ceremony is in keeping with the current format but the
eligibility to be invited has shifted. Currently NHSBT invite donors at their
75th, 100th and 500th milestones, in the new loyalty programme donors who
make their 100th donation as a whole blood donor, or 250 donations as a
component donation donor will receive an invitation to attend an award
ceremony. This modified approach was supported by donors in the
research and testing phases.
5.1.2 Annual Donor Centre Event
Component donors donate more regularly and invest more time than whole
blood donors and as a consequence they tend to have stronger bonds with
the staff. These annual events will take place at each donor centre (or at a
local venue if space is restrictive) and current component donors will be
invited irrespective of how many times they have donated. This will allow
NHSBT to say a more personal thank you to these donors who go the
extra mile.
5.1.3 National Supporter Ceremony
This annual and national event will be an opportunity to bring different
stakeholders together including selected high-achievement donors,
recipients and NHSBT partners other supporters of blood donation. The
aim will be to introduce this new ceremony during the 2015 National Blood
Week. It will be a celebration of all that is good with Blood donation
bringing together the best donors (criteria to be determined) with
extraordinary members of staff (criteria to be determined) and recipients all
hosted by the Board and Senior Management team
5.2 Operational changes
There is an operational benefit to removing bulky award items from sessions
and fulfilling all elements of the new programme in a consolidated pack from a
centralised fulfilment house. The main changes will be in donor relations and
local marketing where they will no longer have any items to post and will have
significantly smaller numbers of donor award ceremonies to plan. These
changes have been taken into account within the BDOD project where an 18
w.t.e. saving has been identified.
Collection staff will have fewer awards stock-management responsibilities as
automated ordering of thank-you cards will take place. The thank-you cards will
be significantly less bulky and less easy to damage than the current award
packs and this will reduce wastage and simplify session set-up and pack-up.
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6. IMPLEMENTATION
This is a complex and cross-directorate development that requires thorough planning
and communication. The implementation of the new programme will be phased with a
completion deadline of July 2014.
A LEAN Process Preparation (2P) event took place in January 2013 where the
principles of delivering the loyalty programme were established. This involved staff,
who are integral to the existing awards delivery, mapping out the mechanisms to fulfil
the new programme.
The event split the implementation into four vital elements:
The impacts on IT and PULSE including: adaptations to the Donor Health
Check form; changing eligibility to accrue credits from donors who make a full
donation, have a low haemoglobin level or failed venepuncture, to donors who
make a donation only.
The management of gift fulfilment from one centralised location. It will include
automated stock management for collection teams and remove the need for
local marketing and donor relations to post any awards to donors.
The development of the materials (gifts, collateral, social media badges)
A scorecard for measuring the success of the new programme.
6.1 Measurement of Success
The primary focus of success will be a 50% reduction in complaints from
donors relating to receipt of awards.
A six month review following full implementation will include measurements
linked to:
Award ceremony attendance and satisfaction rate
Session staff satisfaction with the awards delivery process
Number of staff (w.t.e.) needed to fulfil the programme
Donor commitment score which measures the level of commitment to
donating felt by donors
Retention of donors
7. BENEFITS OF CHANGE
The overarching principle of the loyalty programme is that it has been designed by
donors for donors. The proposals made have stemmed from extensive donor
research and further engagement is planned within the implementation stage to
ensure this alignment continues and that the proposal fits well with the expectations
of donors and their emotional needs. This will increase their loyalty to NHSBT and
encourage donor retention.
The new programme offers NHSBT the chance to strip away the waste associated
with the current scheme and build the infrastructure to support a smarter, leaner and
more efficient process. This will increase the number of donors receiving their award
on time and therefore decrease associated donor complaints - target 50% reduction.
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A £200,000 annual cost-saving across the organisation is expected as a result of the
changes and a reduction of staff time will lead to further savings within the BDOD
project, currently projected at 18 w.t.e.
8. BUDGET
The new loyalty programme was not designed as a cost-saving exercise but to
improve the way NHSBT thank and recognise donors. An added benefit is that it will
lead to cost savings of £200,000 per annum on full rollout.
The outline figures below have been validated by finance, however everything within
the new loyalty programme table is based on estimated costs at this early stage.
FINANCIAL
YEAR
(A) Non
recurring costs
2013/14
NET REVENUE
IMPACT
2015/16
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19
(200,000)
B) New costs
incurred
(C) Existing
costs saved
2014/15
(200,000)
(679,000)
(679,000)
(679,000)
(679,000)
(679,000)
(3,395,000)
100,000
880,000
880,000
880,000
880,000
880,000
4,500,000
(100,000)
201,000
201,000
201,000
201,000
201,000
905,000
The full financial breakdown is at Appendix five.
8.1 Up-front cost of developing the new Loyalty Programme:
There will be set-up costs associated with implementing the new loyalty
programme. These are estimated below as:
Design of creative identity and collateral design and copy editing projected
at £23,000 using MOBAS, Strategic Marketing s preferred agency.
Set up of fulfilment house system if we stay with the existing fulfilment
house they predict the adaptation of their software and reporting to incur a one
off cost of up to £20,000.
PULSE changes
200 days x £500 per day = £100,000
Project Management - 0.5 WTE external project manager for 12 months £57,000
TOTAL set-up cost: £200,000 (taking the top end prediction from The
Fulfilment Store).
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8.2 Staff cost
A review has shown that the current staff resource to administer the Awards
Programme equates to approximately 27 w.t.e. This is distributed amongst a
much larger staff pool with responsibilities across the marketing and planning
areas. It is recognised that the current delivery system is inefficient and
impractical and a new fulfilment process has been proposed that will generate a
saving of approximately 18 w.t.e. which will be facilitated by the BDOD
programme. Therefore this saving, while realised by the adoption of the loyalty
programme, will be captured within the BDOD project.
9. RISK APPRAISAL
PULSE change requirements cannot be met or in the proposed timeframe
The IT developments are a time-intensive element to the implementation of the
loyalty programme. This development needs to be incorporated into PULSE version
release 20.3, due in May 2014, to meet the project deadline. This is dependent on
approval by the PULSE Business Change Board which should be secured shortly.
Once this is confirmed, slippage is unlikely; however a back up plan in which the
software is released outside of a version release may also be achievable.
Functionality of PULSE Donor communications
Donor communications functionality is scheduled to be implemented by July 2013.
This is a major new process that will automate communication sent to donors based
on preference. There is a dependence on this functionality for the loyalty programme
to work as outlined. However, as the loyalty programme is not due to be fully
implemented until summer 2014 there will be some time to adjust any donor
communications issues.
A cost cutting perception (internally and externally)
A thorough briefing strategy will help staff to understand that this programme has
been led by donor choice. The research has indicated that many donors know little
about the existing awards scheme and so it is unlikely that the changes will attract
significant attention unless we proactively promote the change. Furthermore, these
changes will be communicated in a sensitive manner and the National Contact
Centre and Customer Service will have prepared answers for anticipated frequently
asked questions.
The new Programme will need Efficiency Reform Group approval
All marketing spend has to be signed off by the Cabinet Office. The spend for the
changes to gifts NHSBT give donors in the new programme will need sign off early in
2014. Currently the, more expensive, crystal awards are approved so it is unlikely
that this will pose a problem, however, if the funding was denied NHSBT would still
be able to recognise every donation through the direct marketing and virtual
channels.
Change perception
The proposal outlined in this paper has been developed and tested by the donors.
Therefore, there can be some confidence that there will be little resistance to the
changes and that the justification for each change is sound.
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Donor complaints
The research drew attention to the fact donors know little about the current awards
programme and are therefore unlikely to complain about the changes. This has been
confirmed with the lack of any negative feedback from the implementation of the
interim crystal award.
Staff support
A thorough staff briefing process will be designed to inform all staff of these changes.
Where current practise is changing (collections, local marketing and donor relations)
there will be training provided. Ideally by peers from within their department.
Clive Ronaldson
Director of Blood Supply
Jon Latham
Assistant Director - Marketing and Donor Contact Service
May 2013
APPENDICIES
Appendix One
The Design of the Donor Loyalty Programme
Appendix Two
Information Gathering findings
Appendix Three
Optimisa Final Research Report
Appendix Four - Loyalty Programme Chart
Appendix Five - Budget
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Appendix One
The Design of the Donor Loyalty Programme
Stage
Information
Gathering
Action
1. Literature review of published academic
research into donor loyalty and
behaviour.
2. Interviews with international contacts
from Canadian Blood Service, Finnish
Red Cross Blood Services, America s
Blood Centres and seven others
coordinated through Alliance of Blood
Operations and European Blood
Alliance.
3. Internal consultation with senior
stakeholders; including Lynda Hamlyn,
Clive Ronaldson, Leonie Austin, Gerry
Gogarty and Jane Pearson.
4. Donor and staff consultation facilitated
by research agency Optimisa, using
qualitative and quantitative methods.
An overview of the findings from this stage can
be found in appendix two.
1. Development of options for a
Redesign and
redesigned Programme.
Sign-Off
2. Research Optimisa tested these
options with donors
3. Refinement of proposed approach
based on donor feedback
4. Internal Stakeholder review of proposal
by the Executive, and Blood Supply
SMT.
5. Process Planning event to define
implementation strategy
6. Secure project management support
1. Business plan and migration plan
Implementation
2. Devising a delivery process
3. PULSE/ IT change development
4. Procurement of new items
5. Implementation planning and execution
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Timeframe
April
September
2012
October
2012 May
2013
December
2012
onwards
Appendix Two
Information Gathering findings
Academic Literature Review
The purpose of conducting this literature review was to gain an understanding
of previous research relating to reward and recognition schemes that enabled
conclusions to be drawn and recommendations to be put forward for the new
loyalty programme development.
In the literature review the potential to improve donor loyalty by motivating
repeat behaviour was investigated, as well as the value of incentives and
reward and how they can alter donor perceptions and behaviour.
The research indicated that there are three key issues to consider when
embarking on the development of the loyalty programme, these are:
1. The act of giving blood is not purely altruistic, and the donor does gain
(and does expect to gain) something for their actions.
2. Donors at different stages in their donation life cycle are also
motivated differently, so tailoring a programme to accommodate these
different motivations would be appropriate.
3. Although incentives appeal to and motivate people differently, they
should be carefully considered as some incentives conflict with
personal integrity and dissuade donors from donating.
International Blood Service Interviews
The international blood service interviews allowed NHSBT to gain an
understanding of how donors are recognised and rewarded across
geographical boundaries, on a global scale.
This consultation revealed that there are a number of commonalities and key
themes shared across a number of international blood services, namely;
programmes for rewarding and recognising donors for their blood and blood
product donations are common place with the primary objective being to
increase donation frequency in most services.
The majority of services recognise earlier donations and all recognise lifetime
donors, and they award whole blood and component donors in the same way.
The gifts on offer are similar to NHSBT, for example; pin badges, certificates,
donor cards as well as low value items, such as key-rings, post-it notes and
pens. All services conducted annual celebrations such as award ceremonies,
where donors and key stakeholders were invited.
There were some alternative schemes that ranged from giving donors vehicle
licence plates to t-shirts, and having credit based systems that measured
gallons donated rather than units. These were not consistent with the majority
of the research but it provoked alternative avenues to be explored in the
internal stakeholder and donor interviews.
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Internal Stakeholder Interviews
The internal appraisal and stakeholder interviews were an opportunity to gather
information from the current process drivers alongside offering senior
management the opportunity to detail what they were seeking from a new
awards programme.
The interviews identified a number of issues with the current Donor Awards
Programme, these are:
The complex process for award delivery and lack of joined up working
across departments.
Over-investment of time and resources dedicated to delivering the Donor
Awards Programme.
Lack of clear objectives regarding what the Donor Awards Programme is
to achieve and how its success is measured.
Lack of understanding about what a donor would value/appreciate as an
award.
Extensive award stock supply problems. These problems resulted in the
withdrawal of the crystal plate and decanter award and the substitution of
an alternative crystal award.
Lack of alignment and confusion surrounding 1 credit for Whole Blood
and 2 credits for Component Donation system.
Differing interpretations of current policy resulting in inconsistent
delivery.
Varied approach to Donor Awards Ceremonies ranging from afternoon
teas to three course evening meals.
PULSE functionality does not fully support the administration of awards
or recording of activity.
Appendix Three
Optimisa Final Research Report (separate document)
18 of 20
Appendix Four - Loyalty Programme Schematic
NEW LOYALTY PROGRAMME
Credits
140,100
100,500
83,500
71,300
64,000
44,000
27,200
15,000
1
2
3
4
5
10
25
50
Personalised online packs break known
barriers to increase ret ention
Portal
sign-up
6,500
2,250
75
100
600
130
25
10
150
250
500
750
1
1000
Thank you text message / email
Update of online account (WB only)
to be discussed with project team
Virtual badges and social sharing
Donor card
(bronze)
New key fob
Redesigned
donor card
(red)
Badge
Badge
Donor card
(gold)
Badge
Badge
Commemorative
award
Personalised Personalised Personalised Personalised
certificate
certificate
certificate
certificate
Thank
you call
Thank you
Donor card
(silver)
In session
Thank you
card
Thank you
card
Thank you
card
Thank you
card
Commemorative
award
Framed
certificate
Framed
certificate
Framed
certificate
Thank you
card
Thank you
card
Thank you
card
Special
framed
certificate
Special
framed
certificate
Special
framed
certificate
Signed t hank Signed thank Signed thank
you card
you card
you card
Annual CD celebration event (donor centre based)
Blood Supply Award Ceremony (NBW) (all stakeholders)
WB
Ceremony
CD
Ceremony
Appendix Five
Budget forecast and savings
Existing recurring cost of the Donor Awards Programme:
Cost
(
Description of spend
£ s)
Gifts and fulfilment of
packs
514,000
Local Marketing postage
of gifts
21,000
Cards and postage of
cards
157,000
Ceremonies
188,000
880,000
Total recurring cost of the new Loyalty Programme:
Cost
Description of spend
(£ s)
Gifts
266,000
Postage of gifts
158,000
Cards and postage
Ceremony breakdown:
100th ceremony
81,000
250th ceremony
5,000
CD donor centre event
72,000
National ceremony
50,000
Email/SMS after every
donation
47,000
Staff resource
679,000