Canadian Blood Services launches Fall Get Together challenge - celebrating the power of giving together

November 4, 2025 (Toronto, ON) - This fall, Canadian Blood Services is celebrating the power of giving together and calling on Canadians to donate with their communities.

A group donation provides the opportunity to turn a routine gathering into a meaningful shared experience. The Fall Get Together campaign is a donor challenge specifically for groups — friends, families, colleagues, classmates, teammates — inviting them to book and donate together. Recent survey data has found that giving together makes donation more meaningful, memorable, and likely to stick, with over half (53 per cent) of Canadians saying donating in a group would make the experience more enjoyable.

“More than half of Canadians (58 per cent) believe group donation helps build connections, demonstrating that donating is not only about saving lives but it’s about the great feeling you get when you do something good with others,” says Ryan Adams, director of development and recruitment, Canadian Blood Services. “To meet the growing demand for blood products, Canada needs more new donors, and we know that new donors often come through the door with someone else. Through the Fall Get Together challenge we’re aiming to inspire and rally people from communities across Canada to help us achieve our collective goal: one million new donors over the next five years.”

As a part of the Fall Get Together campaign, Canadian Blood Services has partnered with Canadian apparel brand Peace Collective to release a limited-edition donor hoodie. Extra cozy and with zippers on the sleeves for a seamless donation experience, this red hoodie is designed with the comfort of blood and plasma donors in mind.

For a limited time, there will be two ways for Canadians to get their hands on the limited edition donor hoodie valued at $139. You can purchase the hoodie on the Peace Collective website or have a chance to win one by donating with a group this fall. From October 6, 2025 to December 31, 2025, simply book and attend an appointment as part of a group donation of three or more people on the same day. While at the donor centre, each team member can enter for a chance to win a hoodie by scanning the contest QR code in the refreshment area. All team members must enter individually, using their team name. No donation is required, however, booking and attending a group donation appointment is required. One group will be randomly selected every two weeks, and teams that are not selected in a draw will remain in the draw pool until the contest closes. An individual can only win once, even if part of multiple teams; and each team may only win once. Full contest rules and details are available on blood.ca/GetTogether.

“Donors have told us that donating is more fun and memorable when you’re surrounded by friends or family. In fact, 59 per cent of Canadians said it’s easier to donate blood when supported by others,” says Adams. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Peace Collective as a part of the Fall Get Together donor challenge to spotlight and celebrate Canadians who give together.” 

For post-secondary students, Canadian Blood Services has launched a unique challenge. Participating post-secondary schools across Canada are battling for the highest Donor Point Average (DPA)-- the percentage of members of the team who book and attend a donation appointment during the contest period. The school with the highest DPA will receive top honours: the limited edition donor hoodie for everyone who attended an appointment from the winning school and an invitation to a Friendsgiving Banquet for their crew, in partnership with UberEats Canada. For a chance to win, you simply book and attend an appointment under your school’s team name during the contest period from October 6, 2025 to December 31, 2025 (no donation required). Full contest rules and details are available on blood.ca/GetTogether. 

Whether it’s with family, friends, colleagues, classmates or teammates, donating together is one of the most meaningful things you can do as a group and deepen relationships with one another.  

Join the Fall Get Together at blood.ca/GetTogether and experience what you get when you give, together. You can book an appointment now on blood.ca, use the GiveBlood app or call 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283).  

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About Canadian Blood Services 

Canadian Blood Services is a not-for-profit charitable organization. Regulated by Health Canada as a biologics manufacturer and primarily funded by the provincial and territorial ministries of health, Canadian Blood Services operates with a national scope, infrastructure and governance that make it unique within Canadian healthcare. In the domain of blood, plasma and stem cells, it provides services for patients on behalf of all provincial and territorial governments except Quebec. The national transplant registry for interprovincial organ sharing and related programs reaches into all provinces and territories, as a biological lifeline for Canadians. 

Survey findings are from a survey conducted by Canadian Blood Services from September 26th to October 1st, 2025, among a representative sample of 1500 online adult Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English and French. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/-2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.