Philanthropy at Washington University seems to follow a pattern of passive involvement. Generally, this passive philanthropy comprises of buying items to support charitable organizations, such as John’s Donuts or Seoul Taco. There’s not a whole lot of opportunity to connect and volunteer with the respective organizations that people are already donating to. Another columnist, Peter Dissinger, covered this topic last fall, but it remains especially relevant.

There are, however, events on campus that require you to initiate a connection with the organization beyond passive fundraising. They require you not only to raise money, but also to donate your time and active engagement, such as with Relay for Life and Dance Marathon. In the case of the Blood Drive, you are required to donate part of your body.

As the Blood Drive is coming up this Wednesday, April 7, its role as a continuously active philanthropy is worthy of attention considering that unlike other medical products, there is no way to manufacture blood. Without donors, there’s no blood for hospitals, and the Blood Drive makes the most direct impact out of any philanthropy on campus.

The main problem with our blood drive and similar ones is that many people donate, but don’t continue to do so. It’s more time-consuming compared to a typical philanthropy event and can be terrifying, especially if you, like myself, don’t like needles. However, it’s important to note that healthy donors can donate red blood cells every 56 days. Essentially, you can donate up to six times per year, with each visit being able to save up to three lives. A little bit of math proves that means you can save up to 18 lives each year. Going beyond that, if you donated six times a year from ages 20 to 81, when most people are told to stop donating, you could save up 1,458 lives. That’s a lot more impactful than just donating money. This is change that actually makes a difference and is a positive philanthropy that people could not only participate in, but model their respective philanthropies off of as well.

A good portion of Washington University faculty, staff and students donate each time, but there are certainly more eligible people around that could be donating. Considering that 38 percent of the overall U.S. population can donate, and fewer than 10 percent of them do donate, it’s clear to see that our school suffers a similar problem and Greek life has the potential to be the solution by utilizing an established system of promotion that is proven to be effective at increasing turnout.

Each academic year the Blood Drive comes to campus four times, across all campuses, but there are still plenty of people not donating who are eligible. Even though the event is annual and operates differently than a philanthropy week or student fundraiser, that shouldn’t prevent active participation and promotion by these organizations or even residential colleges, regardless of current commitments to other charitable organizations. I highly encourage all eligible students, faculty and staff to donate blood this Wednesday and continue to do so at each possible opportunity.