You have nothing left to sell and you need to raise money
fast? Perhaps it's time to learn how to donate your blood for
money. You get to help people out and make a little extra cash
while you're at it - as long as you meet the requirements and
there is a paying donor center near you. So let's start with
a look at those two issues.
First, a look at the online criteria posted by donation centers
shows that requirements vary from place to place, despite the
fact that they are supposed to be somewhat uniform across the
country. In general you have to be healthy and at least 17-years-old.
Some places will allow younger donors with parental permission.
More specifically, you can't have had recent antibiotic use,
a blood transfusion in the past 12 months, mad cow disease, hepatitis,
or a tattoo in an unregulated facility within the last year.
These are just a few of the disqualifiers - you'll have a form
to fill out that will ask you about dozens of other possible
medical conditions. Most places also require that you weight
at least 110 pounds to be a donor.
As for finding a place where you can get paid to donate blood,
there are a few ways to do this. A phone book search is probably
enough if you live in a large city. Call and ask if they currently
need doors and what they pay. You can also search online for
the nearest facility. There is a website in the resource section
below that will get you started.
Here's a video that documents one
man's plasma donation process:
How often can you donate blood? Again, there are different
rules in different places, and it depends on what part of the
blood you're donating (more on that in a moment). For example,
I just looked at the information online for a donation facility
near Denver which allows you to donate plasma twice per week,
even though Red Cross guidelines allow just one donation monthly.
Here are the rules from the Red Cross website as of 2011:
Blood (whole blood) - Once every 8 weeks
Platelets - Once per week, up to 24 times annually
Plasma - Once every 28 days
Double red cells - Once every 16 weeks
How Much Can You Make?
The pay varies from region to region, but you can expect to
be paid around $25 to $35 in most places. For example, the facility
mentioned above (near Denver), says it pays $15 to $20 the first
time, but then pays up to $35 for each subsequent donation. I
assume this is because they have more paperwork and testing to
do the first time. If you went twice weekly (as they allow),
you would make all of $70 per week - not much, but then again
it may only take you an hour each time.
Ways to Make More | Related Opportunities
| Tips
If you really want to make the most when you donate your blood
for money, you probably need to do two things. First, find the
places that pay the most. Then talk to the people there to see
how much they pay for each type of donation and how you can best
schedule the various types to maximize your income from this
without taking any unnecessary risks.
Qualifications / Requirements
There are too many to list. Well, actually the basic qualifications
are that you are an adult and healthy, but the disqualifiers
are too numerous to list, and sometimes vary from place to place.
You'll find out what they are when you go to give blood for the
first time.
First Steps
Start calling to see who is paying and how much.
Resources
Blood Banker
- This website has a zip code search function to to help you
find places to donate blood.
Red
Cross - This the Red Cross blood donation page, if you prefer
to give blood without pay.
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