Abbott is again tapping into the competitive spirit of Big Ten universities to drive blood donations, pitting the schools against each other in pursuit of a $1 million prize amid a national supply crisis.
The healthcare company, which sells devices used to screen more than half of the world’s blood supply, will officially start its third “We Give Blood” drive on Aug. 26 but is urging people to start donating now. Donors from the 18 schools in the Big Ten, an intercollegiate sports organization, can log their donations to secure a point for their universities. The school with the most points wins.
Abbott will award $1 million to the school with the most donations to support student or community health. The second season of the competition ended in December, when the University of Wisconsin’s provision of 15,000 of the more than 80,000 donations made during the event was enough to secure the top spot.
Wisconsin used the money to start peer wellness coaching, create an on-campus course for experiential health and leadership development, and launch a mental health-focused concert series. The 2024 winner, the University of Nebraska, used the money to fund mental health support for veterans in the state, add a full-time financial coach for students and establish an on-campus produce garden.
Across the first two years of the initiative, Abbott logged more than 100,000 donations. A survey found an up to 88% increase in member centers reporting a three-day or more blood supply in the last week of the 2024 and 2025 competitions versus the same period in 2023.
By targeting students, the initiative could provide long-term support for U.S. blood supply. People aged 65 or older accounted for almost 23% of blood donations in 2023. The 19-to-24 age range accounted for 6% of donations. The gap left by an aging donor population will close if 1 in 15 eligible people commit to donating blood into the future, Abbott and Big Ten said.
A recent American Red Cross warning showed the importance of closing the gap. In July, the nonprofit humanitarian organization declared its second-ever national blood supply crisis after donations fell to a four-year summer low.