San Diego Blood Bank: Our Journey, Our Mission, and How You Can Help Us Save Lives
For nearly 75 years, San Diego Blood Bank has been a pillar of hope, serving local patients in hospitals across Southern California with life-saving blood products. August 17 is National Nonprofit Day, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the incredible journey we’ve been on together!
Our mission is simple yet powerful: “Connecting diverse communities to save and improve lives through blood and biotherapies.”
Every blood donation, every partnership, and every program we launch is driven by our commitment to this mission. We’re not just collecting blood; we’re building a network of compassion and care that reaches every corner of our region.
What does it mean to be a nonprofit blood bank?
San Diego Blood Bank is a 501(c)(3) public charity and relies heavily on the generosity of our volunteer blood donors, community partners, volunteer staff, and financial supporters. As a not-for-profit blood bank, we believe in “people over profit”. We operate on slim margins and reinvest what we can in improving the work we do for the health of the community.
We invest in:
- The highest level of quality and safety in our blood collection program supported by our CLIA certified laboratories and highest-level quality control and regulatory accreditations.
- Our passionate team, who make it all possible. The friendly faces you meet at our centers & mobiles, the skilled lab staff who manufacture these precious products, and all the office staff who help drive our mission—they make San Diego Blood Bank a great place to be and an organization that connects people to life.
- Advancing health and wellness through medical innovation, like Precision BloodTM, practical personalized transfusion medicine, using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to provide more precise matching of blood type.
Our mission is only realized when we come together to help the people in the communities we serve. The health of people in San Diego all the way to Los Angeles, relies on us—your local nonprofit blood bank—to ensure that blood is available to provide hope, healing, and to save lives. We simply couldn’t do it without you, and we’re grateful for your support. Thank you!
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Celebrating 75 Years of Service in 2025
Next year, we’ll mark our 75th anniversary—a milestone that fills us with pride and gratitude. Since 1950, San Diego Blood Bank has been steadfast at the forefront of providing essential blood supplies to local hospitals, ensuring that every patient has access to the blood products they need. As we approach 2025, we’re reflecting on how much this industry has evolved, how we came together as a community through a pandemic, and we look forward to the future with renewed energy and commitment to saving more lives.
Strengthening Community Partnerships
Our success is fueled by the strong community partnerships we’ve forged over the years. From local businesses to community organizations, our community partners help raise awareness about the importance of blood donation and mobilize financial resources to support the San Diego Blood Bank’s operations.
Some notable partners include the County of San Diego, our Community Guardians, Foundations, Corporate Financial Sponsors, individual financial supporters from our Leadership and Visionary Circles, Guardian Circle blood donors, blood drive chairpersons and Hosts, signature event partners like San Diego Padres and Comic-Con International, community organizations, local businesses like San Diego Self Storage and Broken Yolk Cafe, and more—all working together to ensure safe and efficient blood banking operations and a steady supply of blood for patients in need.
Together, we’re building a healthier and more resilient community.
Empowering Precision Medicine Research with the “All of Us Research” Program
In addition to our core mission of providing blood, we fuel precision medicine research by participating in the All of Us Research Program. This national initiative aims to gather health data from one million or more people to accelerate research and improve health outcomes. By recruiting research participants, we’re helping to pave the way for personalized medicine, ensuring that future treatments are tailored to individual needs for people of all diverse backgrounds.
Transforming Transfusion Medicine with Precision BloodTM
Our Precision BloodTM program leverages innovation to save more lives. This program uses advanced technology to match blood donors with patients more precisely, particularly those with rare blood types or complex medical conditions. By understanding the unique characteristics of each donor’s blood, we can provide better-matched blood products, improving outcomes for patients who need it most.
Ensuring Readiness with the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC)
We’re also proud to be a part of the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), a national network of blood centers that stands ready to provide immediate blood support in times of crisis or disaster. Through BERC, we’re able to respond quickly to support national and local emergencies, ensuring that blood is available when and where it’s needed most. This partnership is just one more way we’re committed to protecting and serving our community.
How You Can Support Us—Saving Lives Together
As a nonprofit, we rely on the generosity of people like you to continue our work for the community. Here are some important ways you can support us and join our lifesaving mission:
Donate Blood: The most direct way to help is by donating blood. Every donation can save multiple lives. Donate Blood
Become a Community Partner: Advocacy, awareness, and hosting community blood drives help ensure the health and blood needs of the community are met. Partner with us and help save even more lives. Host a Blood Drive
Help Fund our Greatest Need—A New Bloodmobile
- Make a Financial Contribution: Your financial support helps us fund essential programs and capital needs that fuel our ability to expand our reach such as our new Clairemont Mesa Donor Center and our greatest need—a new bloodmobile. Make your gift today! Make a Gift
- Corporate Sponsorship: Align your businesses or organization with a vital community resource. Corporate sponsorships significantly fund capital needs and resources, ensuring a safe, and robust blood supply.
Contact Us: Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development, at cclector@sdbb.org
Other Ways to Support San Diego Blood Bank
Spread Awareness: Share our mission with your friends, family, and colleagues. Invite friends to donate blood or become a monthly financial supporter. Post about donating blood on social media to normalize and share the importance of giving back. Plus tag us for a chance to be featured in Stories! Follow @SanDiegoBloodBank on Instagram
Group Donations: Schedule a group blood donation at one of our 10 locations. Call us to set up your lifesaving crew: (619) 400-8251 or email DonorServices@sdbb.org. The more people know about the importance of blood donation, the more lives we can save together.
Volunteer Your Time: Volunteers donate their skills and time to ensure donor safety, flow and support the success of blood drives, fundraisers, and community events. Your investment in community health helps us succeed. Sign up to Volunteer
Join the team: Build a career in saving lives with San Diego Blood Bank—serve your community with a mission-driven organization that empowers professional development, provides on-the-job training, delivers benefits and retirement plans, and makes a meaningful impact on community health. View Opportunities
Join Us in Celebrating National Nonprofit Day
This National Nonprofit Day, we’re celebrating you—blood donors, financial supporters, corporate sponsors, hospital partners, volunteers, staff members, and community partners! Your support and generosity have made our journey possible, and together, we have made a collective impact on the health of people in our region.
By continuing to donate blood, volunteer, fundraise, spread awareness, and foster community and corporate partnerships, you can play a crucial role in ensuring that blood is always available for those in need.
Thank you for being part of our mission, and Happy National Nonprofit Day!
🩸 Updated 8/19/2025 – Since this was published in 2024, the following information has been updated:
~ The Bloodmobile Campaign has been successfully funded! Thank you!
~ The Refer-a-Friend Program was discontinued on June 30, 2025.
~ The All of Us Research Program has paused and SDBB is no longer accepting research collections for this program as this time.
