Donating plasma is like giving blood. A needle is placed into a vein in your arm. Plasma is collected through a process call plasmapheresis and is conducted in cycles that may take up to an hour. The following steps outline the donation process: Step 1: Whole blood is drawn. Step 2: The plasma is separated from the red blood cells and other cellular components. Step 3: Then, the red blood cells are returned along with a sterile saline solution, which serves to replace the volume of plasma taken during the donation.