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Taking a page from the entrepreneur's notebook, non-profit organizations are now utilizing digital signage, touch-screen kiosks and interactive donor walls to promote capital campaigns, enhance donor recognition, deliver important fundraising messages, attract new donors and bolster their bottom line.

The convergence of interactive technology with multimedia content has created a wealth of new fundraising possibilities.

For-profit corporations and leading retail outlets embraced the superior attraction capabilities of multimedia displays to increase profits and cut costs long ago. Now that the technology has matured, progressive non-profit organizations are implementing similar systems in an effort to compete for the increasingly scarce fundraising dollar.

While traditional donor walls and static signage will always have their place in non-profit organizations, self-cycling and interactive multimedia presentations are now being used to attract inform, inspire and motivate donors, visitors, volunteers and staff at first point of contact.

Imagine the powerful attraction, retention and emotion-generating capabilities of a medium that allows for vibrant graphics, animation, full-motion video, audio and compelling text messaging - one that also allows for interactive participation and instant updates.

An exhibit where contributors are recognized in dynamic fashion; where they share stories of hope, gratitude and the future; where history unfolds in an illustrated, moving chronicle; where a capital campaign is illustrated and advanced by animated timelines, moving testimonials, and current contribution results - in effect - a display that inspires while also reflecting an organization's mission, culture, values and ideals.

Multimedia displays provide a powerful marketing, communications and fundraising edge that is limited only by the imagination of the content creators. The presentations can be delivered via plasma displays, LCD screens and touch-screen kiosks and can either be self-cycling or interactive. They can be also be integrated into traditional donor walls, recognition displays and capital campaign promotions or can be utilized as standalone systems.

With virtually unlimited capacity, multimedia displays solve the age-old non-profit problem of finding additional recognition space when needed. They are also quick and easy to update from the comfort of any office with an Internet connection, addressing logistical and budgetary concerns that include updating and editing donor names and keeping fundraising messages current. Electronic multimedia displays can now also feature integrated credit card swipes complete with printer. This enables a visitor to make a donation and collect a receipt while enjoying and interacting with the presentation.

Interactive and self-cycling multimedia presentations are quickly becoming standard occurrences in non-profits and charities. Prestigious organizations currently using dynamic multimedia displays to enhance their donor recognition, promote capital campaigns and communicate their important fundraising messages include, among others:

Harvard School of Dental Medicine (touch-screen kiosk); United States Air Force Memorial Foundation (multiple outdoor touch-screen kiosks with credit card swipes and printers); Glens Falls Hospital Foundation (plasma display), Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation (plasma display), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (digital signage), St. Boniface Hospital and Research Foundation (touch-screen kiosk and integrated plasma display), Shaarey Zedek Synagogue (electronic Yahrzeit memorial) and the Jewish Foundation of Milwaukee (touch-screen LCD display).

The future of donor recognition, capital campaign promotion and non-profit marketing - has arrived.