When learners finish matric, they leave behind more than their classrooms and school uniforms. They also leave behind the blood donation clinics where they began their donor journey. Without a clear connection to another blood donation clinic, many stop donating, not because they no longer want to, but because they don’t know where to go next.
The Matric Leaver Campaign, which runs from July to September each year, was introduced to bridge that gap. The campaign helps matric learners transfer from their school blood donation clinic to one that is convenient for where they will be living, studying or working after they leave school.
While learners are at school, they are linked to their school’s blood donation clinic. This means they receive reminders whenever a blood donation clinic is held at their school.
Once learners leave school, they no longer have access to school blood donation clinics. However, if they remain linked to their school clinic, they will continue receiving reminders for a clinic they can no longer attend. Without being transferred to a blood donation clinic closer to where they live, study, or work, many young donors gradually lose touch with the blood donation programme.
Retaining these young donors is just as important as recruiting them. A learner who starts donating at age 16 or 17 can remain a blood donor for decades. That represents hundreds of future donations and countless patients whose lives could be saved because one young person continued donating beyond their school years. Retaining young donors is therefore an investment in the future of the blood supply. Every matric learner who continues donating helps strengthen the donor base and ensures blood remains available for patients who need it every day.
How the campaign works
During the campaign, our Marketing team will visit schools on the day of their scheduled blood donation clinics to meet with matric learners before they leave school.
Learners will scan a QR code, that opens a WhatsApp conversation with the Customer Service team. They simply send their name and the name of their school, after which a dedicated Customer Service consultant assists them in transferring to the blood donation clinic that is most convenient for them after matric.
This could be a clinic on a university campus, near (or at) their workplace or in the community where they will be living. Once the transfer is completed, learners will begin receiving reminders for blood donation clinics in their new area, making it easier for them to continue donating blood wherever life takes them.
Learners who do not have access to a cellphone will still be able to be transferred. Our team will capture their details manually and complete the transfer on their behalf.
The first phase of the campaign focuses on schools with blood donation clinics scheduled between July and September. Schools that have not yet been visited, or whose clinics fall outside this period, will be included in a second phase of the campaign to ensure their matric learners also have the opportunity to transfer to a clinic that suits their future plans.
The end of the school year should not mean the end of a learner’s blood donation journey. By helping matric learners stay connected to a blood donation clinic that fits into the next chapter of their lives, we hope to see more young donors continue rolling up their sleeves long after they leave the classroom.
