Where’s Your Heart?’s mission is to build community around “good stuff” so that we can magnify the good feelings we get when we do something good.

Bleed for Your Cause(tm) is our second event type¹ and rather interesting in how it turns a “solo” good deed into a shared community experience. It’s a virtual blood drive that connects sponsors to donors so that we can raise money for good causes at the same time as we give blood.

When I used to give blood² I’d hardly think about what I was doing. I knew it was an important thing to do, but if you asked me why my answer would simply have been “well, they’re always short of blood in the blood banks.”

You might notice, it wasn’t a very mindful experience for me. That’s key. And, something I’ve learned these last few years. Being present brings a greater sense of satisfaction and a lower stress level. I enjoy what I’m doing fully because I’m 100% focused on it. A simple google search on mindfulness turns up some interesting reading, but you might find this article particularly relevant, as it talks about cultivating mindfulness to enhance well being. Do the same thing… be mindful about it, and you have a better experience.

Let’s do that with our blood donations.

Did you know that there’s no synthetic substitute for blood? If someone needs blood, they can only get it from another person.

Did you know that each blood donation can be used for 2 people? More if they use your blood for infants. My blood is CMV-, which means I never had some virus. Most adults don’t even notice getting this virus, but because I’ve never had it, my blood can be used by babies when I donate.

Read this list of blood donor facts and statistics from the Red Cross before your next donation to understand what you’re an important part of when you give blood.

Along with being mindful, let me tell you how we nurture that good feeling you get when you donate blood. I just saw a great movie – Into the Wild. At the very end, the main character writes in his journal:

Happiness isn’t real unless it is shared.

Whether it’s real or not, it’s much better when it’s shared. That’s for sure! We’re going to share our blood drive activities so we feel even better than we do when donating “alone”.

Other than yourself, it’s immediately obvious that you gain the additional satisfaction of $15 sent to a cause of your choice. People get blood, and a good cause gets cash. What could be cooler?

Well, how about the number of people involved to make it happen? Let’s add it up:

1. Someone has donated money to sponsor your donation.
2. You donate blood.
3. Where’s Your Heart? Foundation connects the sponsor to the donor.
4. Your blood is used by at least 2 people.
5. The sponsorship is sent to a charitable cause to help with their charitable mission.

That’s a community of at least 6 people you’re now working with to accomplish this. It grows quite nicely, and connects us as we become a logical supply chain of good-doing. Over time we’re going to add some capabilities here on this site to highlight the connection of people participating together and turning a solo-event into a community one.

In the meantime, how about you sponsor a blood donor? Or donate blood?³ Even easier, why not share this post with some friends and ask them to sponsor/donate?

1. Our first was a global cleanse. We raised almost $10,000 for 13 causes in 16 different countries. You can see more on our Facebook page. [↩]
2. I can’t because I travel to parts of the world that makes the Red Cross not want my blood. [↩]
3. These two links take you to an external site where we host this event for now. [↩]