Big Ten 'We Give Blood' Campaign Boosts Life-Saving Donations

Abbott-sponsored initiative mobilizes university communities to expand access to blood donations and improve public health.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 8:55pm

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The 'We Give Blood' campaign is a seasonal public health initiative launched in 2024 as a partnership between Abbott and the Big Ten Conference. The campaign encourages students, alumni, and local communities to donate blood during the college football season, with universities acting as organizing hubs that coordinate participation and track verified donations through public leaderboards. In 2025, the campaign recorded over 83,000 donations across the Big Ten, estimated to potentially help save up to 250,000 lives, and awarded a $1 million grant to the winning university, the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Why it matters

Ongoing blood shortages across the U.S. have made voluntary donation a national public health priority, and the 'We Give Blood' campaign leverages the reach and engagement of Big Ten universities to expand access to this life-saving resource. By pairing donation logistics with verified data and public progress updates, the campaign demonstrates how universities can act as operational hubs for large-scale health initiatives that deliver measurable community impact.

The details

The 'We Give Blood' campaign runs annually during the Big Ten football season, from late August through early December. Universities coordinate the effort alongside participating blood centers and donation sites, handling awareness, outreach, and donation logistics. Donors, who include students, faculty, alumni, and supporters, give blood at campus-based clinics, mobile units, or local partner sites, and then log their donation to credit their chosen school. Campaign organizers use these verified records to track participation and share progress through public leaderboards, treating each donation as potentially helping up to three people.

  • The 'We Give Blood' campaign launched in 2024 as a partnership between Abbott and the Big Ten Conference.
  • In 2025, the campaign recorded 83,043 blood donations across the Big Ten.
  • In 2025, the University of Wisconsin-Madison won the campaign and received a $1 million grant.

The players

Abbott Laboratories

A global healthcare company that sponsors the 'We Give Blood' campaign.

Big Ten Conference

A collegiate athletic conference that partners with Abbott on the 'We Give Blood' campaign.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

The 2025 winner of the 'We Give Blood' campaign, receiving a $1 million grant.

Zariq Siddiqui

A sales director at Abbott Laboratories who oversees national sales operations and purchasing coordination for the company's nutrition products.

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What they’re saying

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

The takeaway

The 'We Give Blood' campaign demonstrates how universities can leverage their reach and engagement to address critical public health needs, coordinating students, alumni, and local communities to expand access to life-saving blood donations in a measurable, data-driven way.