Technology engages visitors more in donor recognition displays

Milwaukee-based RCB Awards recently released its interactive donor recognition wall for health care institutions, universities and other buildings to display and honor those who have donated to the organization’s efforts.
“We’ve taken a very traditional, very common idea and added a video screen to engage the viewer by letting each donor tell their story in their own words,” said Curt Denevan, sales and marketing manager at RCB Awards. “Everyone likes to tell their story; with this cutting edge donor recognition display, donors can do that. It has more impact than a static wall with names.”
According to Denevan, organizations in the Milwaukee area were asking for something more meaningful, more interactive and more engaging to tell their donor stories.
“Video seemed like the logical solution,” Denevan said.
The touch screen capabilities on the video screen allow visitors to select a donor by name to view their individual stories, but will also revert back to a ‘screensaver’ mode equipped with information about the foundation, organization or facility, Denevan said. 
“The ways to organize the interactive donor wall are endless,” he said. “The design and technology implementation can be customized to fit the needs and wants of the individual organization.”
Traditional donor recognition walls require continuous upkeep and management, Denevan said.
With the interactive wall, the static name plates can be updated annually and the videos can be uploaded, edited or removed on an as needed basis, he said.
“It has the potential to be a lot less expensive, both from a cost and time standpoint,” Denevan said. “Videos can be uploaded to the hard drive in minutes, and the organization can do it themselves or RCB can manage the updates for them. We’re flexible to work with the individual organization’s needs.” 
RCB will even work with the organization hire someone to shoot the videos for them, he said.
Displays can be integrated with video clips from donors themselves or photographs of what their donation was able to do for the organization, Denevan said. 
Denevan is talking with multiple organizations in the southeastern Wisconsin area about the installation of interactive donor walls, but also plans to work with organizations nation-wide because of the technologies remote capabilities.
“This is where the future of large scale recognition is going. By allowing the user to see as much or as little information as they wish the display becomes more interesting to them and they become more engaged,” he said.
To see a video of how the interactive donor wall works click here. For more information on interactive donor recognition walls visit the RCB website.