Audio Donation Box – Forestry Commission

Sound. Something so simple, ever-present and taken for granted can have a considerable impact upon our lives. We shy away from certain noises, loud and uncomfortable, yet are drawn to others which grab our attention or are pleasing to the ear.

Many museum, heritage and attraction sites rely upon charity donations for their upkeep and continued running and the more donations the merrier, so it was only logical that someone would introduce sound as a means of encouraging and appreciating donations.

blackbox-av’s Audio Donation Box is a device designed specifically for this purpose. A set of sensors inside the box detect when a donation has been made, either coin or note and then plays a pre-programmed message of whatever audio the client chooses. This audio could be anything from a sound effect, a snippet of information about the attraction up to a message thanking the person for their donation showing your appreciation for their gesture. It’s always nice to be thanked for a good deed.

It could even be all of them, as the box is capable of holding multiple messages for consecutive or random playback varying the sound heard each time. Variety is the spice of life.

The addition of sound to a donation box serves to grab the attention of the person donating, as well as those nearby encouraging further donations through the novelty of interaction and reaction, something we all enjoy. One such box has recently been provided for the Visitor’s Centre of the Forestry Commission Wales and plays the call of a Red Kite when a contribution is made.

The Red Kite was once a common across Britain hundreds of years ago but was hunted to dangerous levels as it was considered a pest. Over hundreds of years, concerned people have carefully bred and reintroduced this beautiful bird to our country and at present, there are more than 300 breeding pairs in Wales and 200 in England. The Forestry Commission is working with charities such as the Welsh Kite Trust and the RSPB to protect the nests of these birds and to provide a place for people to see them in their stunning, natural environment. Every donation makes a difference.