The allogenic bone marrow transplantation has turned from experimental treatment method into standard therapy of many malignant hematological diseases, autoimmune disorders and immunodeficiency conditions. The need for bone marrow transplantation is experienced by thousands of patients with blood cancer at the limited number of real donors. The determining potential of donation, as well as identifying motives and factors that contribute into or prevent joining of citizens the register of bone marrow donors, is of particular actuality. The study was carried out in two stages, based on combined strategy of methods for collecting empirical information (mixed methods research). At the first stage, based on the results of series of in-depth interviews implemented within the framework of the Blood 5 media project (Rusfond, 2019), the types of motivations for donation were identified. At the second stage (June 2022) formalized survey of potential donors of the Vasya Perevoshchikov National Register of Bone Marrow Donors (hereinafter referred to as the National Register) was carried out. The sampling included 8037 respondents: 13.7% of all bone marrow donors listed in the National Register. The opinions of the Russians that joined the National Register demonstrate complicated picture of motives and factors determining personal strategies and experience of participation in donation. The fears and obstacles to bone marrow donation are widespread in public consciousness due to insufficient information about donorship procedure and its consequences. The donorship potential is rather high, but it is not fully implemented. The Russians are frustrated about participating in donorship. They understand the need for donorship, realize it as moral duty, as complicity to important cause, empathy towards patients. At the same time they are afraid for their health, because they are not sufficiently aware of the essence of donorship and its consequences.