eBay Drive helps hundreds to register
From Robert Chatwani…
This past week we held a bone marrow drive at eBay and PayPal – what a success! eBay and PayPal employees showed up in large numbers. Luckily, along with the Asian American Donor Program (AADP) there were plenty of volunteers on hand to manage the traffic. The result was a total of 181 registrants!
I’m continuously struck by the power of a personal story can have on motivating someone to register. Here’s an example of one person in particular. He arrived at the drive and was handed a registration form. After asking a few questions, he became very hesitant about registering and walked away. He said that he “wanted to think about it” and that he “needed to grab lunch”.
About 30 minutes later he returned, and I saw him reading a large color poster with Sameer’s story on it. He looked at the poster for at least 3 minutes (it takes less than a minute to read). He then walked over to the registration table, confidently asked a volunteer for a form and he started to fill it out. Even though he didn’t know Sameer, I think that reading Sameer’s story helped create an important personal, human connection.
I encourage all of you to consider setting up a drive where you work. Though it takes a little coordination, it’s worth it. Click here for an informal playbook on how to host a drive at work. I call it the “Dummies Guide” but don’t be offended! It includes step-by-step instructions and sample email messages that you can customize as needed for your workplace.
Thank you to Dolly, DJ, and all of the other energetic volunteers at eBay and PayPal who helped to make it happen. And most importantly, a huge thanks to all of the registrants!
