Numerous potential causes could trigger a 0 volume visit, including bathroom breaks, emergencies or scheduled commitments, behavioral issues resulting in an early disconnect, movement or interference with the venipuncture site that causes flow issues, declined re-sticks, vein suitability, and other events that may not be the donor’s fault (e.g., low/no flow issues, machine errors, infiltrations, red cell losses).

Penalties are randomized and will increase if donors continue to have zero-volume visits during their 60 day window. Penalties include the following:

• 20 to -100% reduction in base payment. Note: the reduction will only apply to visits that are a zero volume. If the donor has a complete donation, they’ll receive their full payment!

In some cases, donors will also be removed from monthly power-up bonuses.

After the 1st zero volume donation, donors will be given a warning via in-app messaging and email. This will serve as the point of reference for the policy requirements, as well as the potential penalty they can expect. It is the donor’s responsibility to refer to their email if they have questions about the requirements or what kind of payment adjustments they can expect. If the donor has questions or concerns, please direct them to chat with us or email us at support@joinparachute.com. 

How to address questions and concerns.

Thanks for coming in today [Donor First Name] and for sharing this feedback with us. When a visit results in no plasma being collected, it’s called a zero-volume visit. Our policy is that only completed donations qualify for full payment. You should have received a message in your app and via email with more details about what this means for you.

If you have questions about your payments, bonus eligibility, or the messages you received, the best place to get more information is to chat with our team directly through the app. They’d be happy to walk you through this and provide any further support!

I completely understand how frustrating that can feel, especially when it seems like the issue was out of your control. Under the policy, any visit where no plasma is collected — including those caused by machine or flow issues — is considered a zero-volume donation. This helps keep the policy consistent and objective for all donors. The good news is that as long as your next donations are completed successfully, you’ll receive your full payment.