If you are trying to solve a problem, the first step is to recognize it. The people need to know that the problem exists and make them aware of the gravity of the situation. What better way to do that than making them live through the experience through extended reality to stimulate empathy and donations!
Apart from the traditional photos and documentaries, the charity organizations are looking for new opportunities provided by Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). These technologies are being used to place guests “inside” the crisis to achieve full empathy and desire to help those in need. This is possible because of the immersive experience provided by VR and AR.
The Use of VR and AR in Charity Campaigns
Most charity organizations use documentaries and printed material to make a case for donations and tell their story. But what if you could put the donor in the situation of the people in need of their help? This is where virtual reality comes in. VR and AR offer a rich and immersive experience to convey the message in a strong way.
The United Nations Organization released a short VR movie called “Clouds over Sidra.” It showed the life of a Syrian girl living in a refugee camp. It showed everyday tasks and life in the camp – kids playing, school, preparing food, etc. Throughout the movie, you can hear the girl repeatedly saying, “I want to go home.”
Enhanced Storytelling with Extended Reality
Charity organizations are hosting events and galas with diverse VR campaigns that offer donors with a unique and moving experience. In this modern world, simply telling about a problem is not enough. To make people empathize and want to help, you need to show them the depth of the crisis and the real-life experiences of the locals.
But make sure to hire one of the best event companies in Dubai if you are thinking about hosting a charity gala in the UAE because VR isn’t cheap and takes professional staff to use the technology. However, this is a worthy investment if you want people to donate to your charity with open hearts and dig deep in their pockets.
How VR & AR Boost Non-profit Donations
VR and AR allow the event hosting organization to help focus their guest’s attention to a problem by placing them in the middle of a story or life of a person living through the crisis. Here are some of the possible ways this technology can help charity organizers with their events and experience.
1. Increase Awareness
By using virtual reality in your charity events, you can have people experience the real situation. It can help raise awareness of the matter in question and help raise donations for the people who need their help. People don’t notice problems that are far away, mostly in third-world countries, but virtual reality can change that.
Pencils of Promise, a non-profit organization that builds schools for developing countries, used the VR technology in their Wall Street gala. It allowed guests to see inside a schoolhouse in Ghana and feel the moment. The event itself raised $2 million in donations, and the VR footage was viewed online around 8 million-plus times.
2. Raising Funds
This is the primary purpose of a charity event, and virtual reality can help organizers tremendously in raising funds. By using the virtual technology in your charity campaign, you can bring people closer to issue in question, and provide them the first-hand experience of the hardships faced by these people.
For example, the charity: water organization helps raise funds so people can have access to clean water, who have no access otherwise. During one of their events, they showed a VR movie called The Source, which shows the story of a girl in an Ethiopian village with no clean water. Every day, she has to walk for miles to bring water for her family.
The audience in the charity event was so moved by what they saw that the donations exceeded $2.4 million in that single event.
3. Reports Funds Spending
Your donors and participants cannot travel across the world to see what their donations are being used for. Charity organizations do publish reports and documentaries, but there is a different feeling of seeing your money put to good use with your own eyes. Using VR is a great way to show people what their kind donations are being used for, which has a much stronger effect than reports and data.
A great example of the use of this technology is by Smile Train, a global charity organization that provides surgeries to children with cleft lip or palate for free. It used VR to show a glimpse into the life of an Indian girl before and after the surgery. While seeing the video, you can hear a drastic change in her voice that is filled with joy and happiness after the surgery. It really moves you!
4. Learning and Educations
Sometimes charity events are held not for donating money, but also to educate and teach people about a specific thing so they can help spread the word. For example, first aid and heart attack or a traffic accident care workshop. The Resuscitation Council UK created a VR application called Lifesaver VR that helps teach youngsters to help people with a cardiac arrest.
Sometimes, VR is used as a token of gratitude and to say thank you to donors and encouraging donations. You can show your donors what their charity and donation is being used for by making a small movie and taking them there in virtual. So, consult event companies in Dubai to use VR technology in your next charity gala and raise their interest and donations.
VR – Not only for games and entertainment!
When we hear the word Virtual Reality, we often think about immersive games, football events, and virtual tours. However, the opportunities offered by this technology are far wider than we think. One of the main features of VR is creating lifelike experiences that are amazing for charity events. VR is one of the most powerful tools for getting the message across all the guests and evoke empathy.
By using this technology in your events, you can bring more people to support your campaign and help resolve a problem quicker. This way, there is hope that we may soon solve all of the issues on our planet Earth one day!
