Hockey Gives Blood

What Hockey Gives Blood does

Hockey Gives Blood is a Canadian non-profit charitable organization founded in 2018 in Kamloops, British Columbia, by former hockey players in the wake of the Humboldt Broncos tragedy. Operating in partnership with Canadian Blood Services, the organization engages the Canadian hockey community — players, teams, and leagues across the CHL, USPORTS (including Atlantic University Sport), and the NHL — to promote blood, plasma, stem cell, and organ and tissue donation as an integral component of hockey's social and community responsibility. Its core delivery mechanism is the Player Ambassador program, in which individual hockey players volunteer, share personal stories, and lead fundraising initiatives; notable examples include Logan Stankoven (cumulative over $55,000 raised across multiple years) and Gavin Betts ('Betsy's Big Save' with over $20,000 in pledges plus a 43-day blood drive at the Kingston Donor Centre in 2026).

The organization does not operate a software product or technology platform. Its "technology" consists of community-engagement tooling: digital toolkits (available in English and French, plus a stem-cell-specific version), a WordPress-based website (hockeygivesblood.ca), and social media channels (4.6K Instagram followers across 548 posts; 3,565 Twitter followers) used to amplify ambassador stories and event coverage. Fundraising and donor recruitment are facilitated through Canadian Blood Services' own platforms (give.blood.ca/hgb, myaccount.blood.ca), meaning Hockey Gives Blood itself does not process donations independently.

The business model is purely donation-based and charitable. Revenue is generated through voluntary financial contributions directed to Canadian Blood Services and through grassroots fundraising campaigns run by Player Ambassadors and partner teams. There is no product pricing, no subscription, and no enterprise contracts. The organization runs a lean operation of 1–10 employees, supported by volunteer ambassadors and recognition programs (the Dayna Brons Honorary Award and the Cameron Bulger Memorial Award, both awarded annually since at least 2025). Its single institutional customer is Canadian Blood Services, while its end beneficiaries are Canadian patients requiring blood, stem cell, plasma, or organ/tissue products, and its donor pipeline is the Canadian hockey community.

Name

Hockey Gives Blood

Legal name

Hockey Gives Blood

Website

https://hockeygivesblood.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hockey Gives Blood is a Canadian non-profit founded in 2018 that partners with Canadian Blood Services to promote blood, plasma, stem cell, and organ/tissue donation through a Player Ambassador program engaging hockey players across the CHL, USPORTS, and NHL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Blood Donation Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Blood and Organ Banks (621991)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Blood donation awareness
• Stem cell registration
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Community health programs
• Donor recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Kamloops, British Columbia

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization raises funds through financial donations and individual player/team fundraising initiatives. Player Ambassadors run personal fundraising campaigns, with funds supporting Canadian Blood Services' operations and patient needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hockey Gives Blood is a Canadian non-profit charitable organization founded in 2018 that engages the hockey community to promote blood, plasma, stem cell, and organ/tissue donation in partnership with Canadian Blood Services. The organization recruits Player Ambassadors from NHL, CHL, and USports teams who lead fundraising campaigns, host blood drives at game nights, and create awareness of donation needs. It provides digital toolkits, ambassador programs, and event-based engagement to connect hockey players, teams, and fans with Canadian Blood Services' donation infrastructure.

Product overview

Hockey Gives Blood is a Canadian non-profit organization that serves as a charitable initiative rather than a technology product company. Their core offering consists of community engagement programs, awareness campaigns, and fundraising initiatives focused on promoting blood, plasma, stem cell, and organ/tissue donation within the hockey community. The organization connects hockey players, teams, and fans with Canadian Blood Services through digital toolkits, player ambassador programs, and fundraising pages. They do not offer a software product, platform, or technology service in the traditional sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Canadian Blood ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Hockey Gives Blood operates in partnership with Canadian Blood Services to promote blood donation as an integral component of hockey programs' social and community responsibility. The organization helps recruit blood donors, stem cell registrants, and raises funds to support Canadian Blood Services' operations and patient needs across Canada.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Blood Services: Canada's national blood operator and Hockey Gives Blood's core strategic partner. A broader incumbent that runs the full blood supply chain (collection, testing, distribution) while HGB plays a complementary fundraising and donor-recruitment role.
• Canadian Red Cross: Canada's national humanitarian organization with broad blood, donation, and community engagement programs. A broader incumbent whose health-cause awareness and donor recruitment remit overlaps with HGB's mission, though at much greater scale and scope.

Direct peers

• Right to Play: International sport-for-development nonprofit that uses athlete ambassadors to advance health and social outcomes. Comparable to Hockey Gives Blood because both build athlete-led, sport-anchored community engagement models to drive participation in health and social missions.
• Versus Cancer Foundation: Athlete-driven cancer fundraising organization that mobilizes sports figures to raise funds for research and patient support. Comparable to Hockey Gives Blood because of the shared grassroots-ambassador fundraising model anchored in the sports community.
• Be The Match (National Marrow Donor Program): U.S.-based stem cell and marrow donor registry that recruits potential donors through athletic partnerships and athlete ambassadors. Directly comparable to Hockey Gives Blood's stem cell recruitment function and athlete-ambassador-led outreach playbook, despite operating in a different geography.
• Athletes for Hope: Athlete-led nonprofit that connects professional athletes with charitable causes. Comparable to Hockey Gives Blood because of the shared model of mobilizing athlete ambassadors to drive engagement and fundraising for social and health causes.
• Hockey Fights Cancer: The NHL's charitable cancer initiative that unites the hockey community in supporting patients and families affected by cancer. Directly comparable to Hockey Gives Blood because both leverage the hockey community and player ambassadors to drive awareness and fundraising for health causes, often overlapping in events and stakeholders.

Regional players

• Héma-Québec: Quebec's provincial blood operator, analogous to Canadian Blood Services in the rest of Canada. A regional incumbent that benefits from sport-community partnerships similar to those HGB runs with CBS, but operates in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hkygivesblood
• Instagraminstagram.com/hockeygivesblood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hockey-gives-blood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hockey Gives Blood