Building a Caring Culture, One Pint at a Time: Unum’s Commitment to Blood Drives

by Dan Dowling – regional communications manager 

“Once you see that interest and that connection of feeling good as a donor, that really lights up the light bulb for a lot of folks.” 

Anna Faucher, a director of Absence Operations at Unum, has been a dedicated blood drive organizer since 2021. As employees returned to the office post-COVID, Anna leveraged her high school experience in organizing blood drives to restart this vital activity at Unum. 

“Unum takes our corporate social responsibility very seriously and we encourage all of our employees to volunteer, track their time volunteering and Unum itself provides many volunteer opportunities,” she explains. 

Anna first learned about blood donation from her mother when she was in high school, “My mom is also a universal donor, and has been a lifelong donor herself. We have had family members in the past who have needed blood donations, and we always hear of shortages, so it was something she encouraged me to do.” 

Feeling a sense of obligation as a universal donor, Anna emphasizes the ease and importance of donating blood.  

“It’s something really easy that you can do to save someone’s life, to feel good about doing it, and get some free cookies,” she says. 

Most blood donations are made at blood drives organized by volunteer sponsor groups and coordinators. By hosting a blood drive, organizers, like Anna, and companies, like Unum, are directly helping supply patients in communities nationwide with a strong, robust blood supply. 

As a blood drive coordinator, Anna takes her role seriously and prides herself on making sure that every appointment is filled. 

“I have a list of frequent donors that I will send an email blast to about a couple weeks ahead of when the blood drive happens, and depending on how many appointments remain, I'll send out a second or a third email. I am excited to see how many more we can get.” 

Blood drive hosts also gain goodwill within their communities, build morale and team spirit by working together for a lifesaving cause, and put core values, like volunteerism and community service, into action in a very tangible way. 

Anna encourages everyone to consider donating blood, highlighting the personal benefits.  

“If you have ever thought of donating blood, you might learn more about yourself than you thought. Donating blood brings a benefit to the donor in the sense of knowing they potentially saved someone’s life.” 

To learn more about hosting a blood drive and to sign up, visit RedCrossBlood.org/HostADrive