How To Make Money Donating Blood Plasma | Side Hustles
Donating blood plasma may not exactly sound like a side hustle, but it is a great way to gain some supplementary income all while contributing to a good cause. The flexibility involved with donating blood plasma is what makes it such an intriguing way to earn some additional income.
In this article I will guide you through exactly how to make money donating blood plasma and detail everything involved in the entire process from sign-up to receiving compensation.
Additionally, I will share the pros & cons of donating blood plasma, information on eligibility requirements for donating blood plasma, and even some tips & tricks for maximizing opportunities to earn additional income. So let’s jump on into how to make money donating blood plasma!
Note: This article contains descriptions and images of blood and needles.
Content
- Introduction to Donating Blood Plasma
- What is Blood Plasma?
- Why Donate Blood Plasma?
- How To Start Donating Blood Plasma
- Risks of Donating Blood Plasma
- Tips Before Donating Blood Plasma
- How Much Money Can You Make Donating Plasma?
- Donating Blood Plasma Tips
- Pros & Cons of Donating Blood Plasma
- Other Blood Plasma Donation Sites
Introduction To Donating Blood Plasma
Pharmaceutical companies – such as Octapharma – that pay for plasma donations often run first-time donation bonuses that are exceptionally worthwhile. These bonuses are often created as incentives to get individuals to start donating their plasma. I would recommend doing your first month at the very least, and see if this is something you wish to continue doing afterwards.
There are often additional promotions involved with donating blood plasma too, such as maintaining a consistent donation streak. So while donating blood plasma is incredibly flexible and at your own convenience, it is important to consider how often you’ll be able or willing to visit a plasma clinic.
Everyone has a different reaction to donating blood plasma. While some people have complications with donating blood plasma, others even report experiencing health benefits. It would be wise to have your health surveyed before trying to donate blood plasma. Don’t worry though, as I will break down all the risks involved with donating blood plasma in an upcoming section of this article.
Let’s take some time to discuss what blood plasma is before we jump into donating our own. If you are familiar with blood plasma and why we should donate it, feel free to click here to skip to the following section of the article.
What Is Blood Plasma?
Blood Plasma is the liquid part of blood that carries antibodies, clotting factors, and proteins throughout the body. This portion of the blood is medically significant because it can be used to help treat trauma emergencies.
Why Donate Blood Plasma?
Donating blood plasma is a great thing to do for humanity and for your finances. It really is a win-win all around!
Your contributions could end up saving lives. This is exactly why pharmaceutical companies are willing to pay for blood plasma donations. There really can never be enough blood plasma available for needing individuals.
That’s why you should donate blood plasma for the sake of humanity, but let’s also discuss how it can help out the donor as well.
Donating blood plasma is a flexible and convenient opportunity to earn supplemental income up to two times a week. The best part is that many donation sites such as Octapharma have Wi-Fi on sight. This means you can still work, communicate, read, or even just entertain yourself during the donation process.
Here is why you should donate blood plasma:
- Blood plasma is very useful for treating trauma and saving lives
- You can donate any two days (two days apart) of your choice
- The process is flexible and convenient
- Donation sites often have complimentary Wi-Fi
- Donation sites often have convenient apps for keeping track of visits, rewards, and compensation
There are many global and personal benefits to donating blood plasma, so I hope you are able to contribute as well!
How To Start Donating Blood Plasma
So now let’s discuss how to start donating plasma and how to obtain your compensation.
The first step to start donating plasma is to visit a clinic such as Octapharma and sign up in-person. Your first visit will be the longest and can take anywhere from 2-to-3 hours, as you will have an examination to confirm if you are a good fit for plasma donation. Future visits can become progressively quicker (potentially taking only an hour) as you become familiar with the process and all of your records are already in the clinics system.
Some companies, such as Octapharma, have their own apps that are helpful to donators. On the OctaApp you can see your compensation and earn more compensation for repeated visits. This makes it a lot easier to keep track of your visits and compensation, and help make donating plasma a useful source of supplementary income.
Note: Visits can take 2-3 hours at first, but can get shorter on repeated visits. Clinics cannot use your plasma until you’ve donated at least twice. Compensation decreases after the first month, so keep this in mind. Donating plasma is not for everyone, so consider your own health and feelings about donating before committing.
Before you start donating blood plasma, you’ll want to make sure of a few factors. First you’ll want to make sure in advance that you meet the eligibility requirements to donate blood plasma. Then you’ll want to pick a blood plasma clinic to donate at. Next you’ll just need to go in for an initial check-up and then sign-up and start donating!
Now let’s break down each of these important factors on how to donate blood plasma in full detail below.
Eligibility Requirements to Donate Blood Plasma
- Be at least 18 years old
- Weigh over 110 pounds
- Be in good health
- Have a valid ID
Where Can You Donate Blood Plasma?
There are many blood plasma clinics that will pay you for your time and blood plasma. Pharmaceutical companies such as Octapharma even have an app to help manage your compensation, rewards, schedule, and more.
The Octapharma plasma clinics are equipped with free WI-FI, so donating plasma is a great way to earn some supplemental income with your free time all while doing some good.
I personally have experience with Octapharma, and I recommend them for plasma donation. However, there are plenty of other great options as well. I will go more into this at the end of this article, so stay tuned!
How Do You Donate Blood Plasma?
Fortunately, besides effectively preparing for a donation session and showing up to the donation site, there isn’t much you have to do to donate blood plasma. A trained employee will conduct the blood plasma extraction, and you just have be patient and complete the donation session.
Even better is that many blood plasma donation clinics (such as Octapharma) have Wi-Fi enabled in their donation centers. This means you can even multi-task during blood plasma collection.
Sounds great right? Well let’s jump on into how to get started donating blood plasma, and what a donation session looks like.
Here is everything you need to do to get started with donating blood plasma:
- Find a blood plasma clinic to donate at (like Octapharma)
- Fill-in your information and sign-up for blood plasma donation
- Partake in an initial check-up appointment to assess your health (blood sample and vitals) and eligibility
- Complete your first blood plasma donation session
- Continue coming in every two weeks for an entire month
- Collect your new-donor starting bonus payment
- Continue donating blood plasma
The process of donating blood plasma itself is quite simple, and a blood plasma technician will do all the work. You just need to sit down and do your time.
Here is what a blood plasma donation session looks like:
- Hydrate and eat a healthy meal before you go
- Visit the plasma donation clinic of your choice (such as Octapharma)
- Sign-in at the front desk
- Be escorted back to the donation area
- Allow a trained staff member to insert a sterile needle into your arm
- Sit patiently for one – three hours while your blood plasma is collected (this process can speed up upon repeat visits)
- Leave the donation clinic
- Return for an additional session each week at least two days after the previous session
- Repeat this process every week
If donating blood plasma is sounding great to you, than you may be a great fit as a donor! Let’s discuss some of the risks involved with donating blood plasma before you head to a donation clinic.
Risks of Donating Blood Plasma
- Small bruising
- Slight dizziness or lightheadedness
- Mild nausea
- Mild dehydration
- Slight discomfort
Tips Before Donating Blood Plasma
Here are some tips you should know before donating plasma:
- Have 50 to 80 grams of protein in your diet
- Drink water / hydrating juice before and during your donation session
- Eat a healthy meal before donating plasma
- You cannot drink alcohol up to 48 hours between each donation session
- You must donate twice before your plasma can be used
- Donors can donate plasma up to two times a week, but donations must take place over two days apart
- Compensation deals often require you to donate 8-to-10 times to receive the bonus
How Much Money Can You Make Donating Blood Plasma?
Donating Plasma has been known to make new donators up to $1000 in the first month. However, after the start-up bonus is complete, financial compensation may drop considerably. The ability to maximize compensation will come from the frequency and consistency in which one donates plasma.
Some clinics like Octapharma have reward programs where frequent donators can increase their compensation or win prizes for consistently donating their plasma.
Donating Blood Plasma Tips
- Donate twice a week to maximize compensation
- Utilize Apps like the OctaApp to manage visits and compensation
- Hydrate and eat a healthy meal before each donation
- Consider your comfort and health before donating
- Develop a consistent donation schedule to stay on-track
Donating Blood Plasma Pros & Cons
Pros:
- This is a side hustle that benefits society
- You can multitask while donating
- The first month has compensation bonuses
- Some clinics have useful Apps for managing payments and visits
- Consistent donations can lead to more rewards
Cons:
- There are eligibility requirements
- Pay decreases after the first month
- Some people are afraid of needles
- You can only donate twice a week
- Donating can come with side effects
Other Blood Plasma Donation Sites
I go to Octapharma for blood plasma donations, but there are plenty of other sites worth visiting. Take some time and consider all possibilities when picking your site. Some may be in closer proximity to you or fit your schedule better. Take a look for yourself down below.
Blood plasma donation sites that offer bonus compensation:
- Octapharma – $700 – $1000 bonus
- CLS Plasma – $1000 bonus
- BioLife Plasma Services – $900 bonus
- Grifols – $800 bonus
Additional Side Hustles
Looking for some more side hustles that can help you bring in some supplemental income? Check out my article on 13 Side Hustles You Can Start Right Now.
Within this article I break down 12 other side hustles that anyone can do. Each side hustle is unique with different amount of time and income potential, but hopefully you find at least one that fits your interests.
Go ahead and check it out if you’re interested in more opportunities to make some supplemental income.
Closing Thoughts
There you have it! That is everything you need to know on how to make money donating blood plasma. Overall, I think it is a great way to earn supplemental income all while doing some good for humanity. You won’t make a lot of money donating plasma, but it is flexible and convenient which makes up for the low pay.
What do you think about donating blood plasma as a side hustle? Do you have any experiences to share? Please feel free to start up a conversation in the comments, and I look forward to earning some other opinions.
Good luck and happy donating!
