Loyalty programmes for prosocial behaviour: a case study of Lifeblood Gifts

Purpose The purpose of this research is to determine whether loyalty programmes can encourage prosocial behavioural loyalty. Following the launch of the Lifeblood Gifts loyalty programme, the authors evaluated its impact on donation frequency, retention and reactivation of voluntary blood donors in Australia. Design/methodology/approach A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test research design was used to compare donation counts across three six-month periods: 12 months before, 6 months before and during the trial of Lifeblood Gifts (28/11/2022–28/05/2023). A matched control group (n = 69,337) who did not participate was compared to a group of donors (n = 69,218) who registered for Lifeblood Gifts. Analysis of covariance and t-tests were used for comparisons. Findings For the intervention group, total donations (33%) and donation frequency (30%) increased during the trial, whereas control group donations and frequencies remained stable. This represented an additional 37,461 donations, mostly plasma. Retention and reactivation rates improved, with 66.2% of first-time donors (control = 24.5%) returning to make a second donation, and 81.3% of lapsed donors (control =26.5%) making at least one donation during the trial period. Research limitations/implications Self-selection bias, a short-term focus and potential cultural variability limit the generalisability of the findings. Originality/value This study provides novel evidence on the impact of loyalty programmes to encourage prosocial behavioural loyalty and represents an important step forward in understanding how loyalty programmes can contribute to societal health and well-being goals, particularly a more stable supply of blood and blood products.