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Audiofetch News & Information
Sep 12
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tim mossholder 181975 scaled - AudioFetch Audio Over WiFi

Build Community with an Outdoor Movie Screening

By | General, Hearing Assistance | No Comments

Cooler, cozier evenings are just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean an end to all outdoor activities. Outdoor movie events have become quite popular in the last few years and are an excellent way to build community in your organization or neighborhood. With advances in projection and audio technology, they are easier to produce than ever.

Practically any type of organization or business can host an outdoor movie night. Following are some ideas for how you can host outdoor movies in your community and the benefits they can bring:

Church or Youth Groups

An outdoor movie screening can provide community outreach, fellowship and recreation for your members, regardless of their age. Select family-friendly movies that help to spread your organization’s message.

Public Libraries

Create educational or recreational events targeting teens and families to connect the community and bring folks to the library. Select movie adaptations of favorite novels, like Harry Potter films, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Wizard of Oz, Little Women, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, The Hunger Games films or Where the Wild Things Are.

Professional Organizations

Use outdoor movie screenings as a way to enrich your local community, and bring together like-minded individuals to make connections.

Agri-Tourism

Host an outdoor movie at your farm’s pumpkin patch, or after the corn maze. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a fitting title, but there are near innumerable movies that pair well with the autumn season.

Parks and Recreation

Offer regular community gatherings at parks and outdoor spaces around your town. Provide lawn games or frisbee golf, and consider hiring musical acts to bring in a bigger crowd. You can make the event free or charge a small fee for an additional revenue opportunity.

Businesses

Host the movie night as a customer- or employee-appreciation event. Bring a few vendors (e.g., popcorn, ice cream, beverages) to make the evening complete.

Neighborhood Groups

There’s no better way to get to know your neighbors than by cozying up in front of a movie, and laughing or gasping together!

Charities & Civic Organizations

Host a movie night to raise awareness for your cause. Select a film that is relevant to your organization, and bring in vendors and other entertainment. For example, if you’re screening a documentary related to your cause, invite the director for a post-screening Q&A.

Schools & Clubs

An outdoor movie night can be an excellent fundraising opportunity. Select a popular movie that appeals to a broad range of people, get sponsors to donate snacks and drinks, and ask for a small donation at the entrance.

Sports Teams

Another effective way to raise funds, this time for local community or school sports team. You could also simply have the screening  be an end-of-season celebration for players, parents and fans.

Arts Councils

Run the outdoor movie screening in conjunction with your festival schedule or use it as an outreach method for children’s art.

Local Talent

Pair an outdoor movie with a live music ensemble, dance troupe or vaudeville act! A swing dancing team would make a great opener for Dirty Dancing. An 80s cover band would be perfect before The Breakfast Club. A dancing dog act would pair nicely with The Secret Life of Pets. Get creative and tap into your local talent pool.

With the earlier sunsets of autumn, it’s the perfect time to host an outdoor movie evening. All you need is a white sheet or convenient wall (a white delivery truck would work, too), a projector, assistive hearing technology (especially if you don’t want to monitor your area for noise pollution or obtain a sound permit), and a favorite movie!

Guests can bring their own blankets and chairs–even their comfy pickup truck bed, if the venue permits! Consider selling or giving away popcorn as an added treat. It’s a perfect way to bring your community together in an entertaining and unique fall gathering.

When you’re ready to make your outdoor movie the best-heard event of its kind, without disturbing the nearby neighbors, contact us.

May 16
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AudioFetch Blog - Church Donations Blog Header Ideas

4 Non-Traditional Donation Type for Churches

By | Churches, Hearing Assistance | No Comments

Churches and other houses of worship thrive on the generous offerings made by their members. But monetary giving during services is just one way that members can support their church. There are several others methods for giving and items that churches need to operate.

If you’re in need other types of donations or would like to expand the ways you accept donations, consider trying one (or all) of these unique and modern donation methods.

1. Mobile or Online Donations

EasyTithe

Image Source: easyTithe

Mobile or online tithing allows your members to give in easy and convenient ways, ways that fit into their busy lives. With software like easyTithe or EZekiel, members can donate at the preferred time and using their preferred payment method, and can even set up recurring donations, all without requiring them to have cash on hand during services.

2. Unused Smartphones & Tablets

Church Donations Blog - Used Smartphones Header

If your members are anything like us, they have a drawer full of old smartphones and other mobile devices that they never use. These devices may not be the latest and greatest, but they still work perfectly. Ask your members to donate these unused mobile devices to the church so you can use them for educational games in nurseries, learning tools on youth retreats and listening assistive devices for elderly and hard-of-hearing members, or for those requiring translation services.

3. Stocks or Mutual Funds

Church Donations Blog - Stocks Mutual Funds Header

Stocks and mutual funds can benefit both the church and the member donating them. Churches can take advantage of increased funding over time if the markets improve, and members can take advantages of tax deductions. Win-win!

Note: You should always consult a tax professional before accepting these types of donations to ensure you are getting the most benefit and handling it properly. Encourage your members to also speak with a tax professional.

4. Vehicle Donations

Church Donations Blog - Used Car Donations Header

Selling a used vehicle can be a hassle, and trade-ins aren’t always as valuable as one would hope. Encourage your members to donate their unwanted vehicle to your church to eliminate the headache of selling, and get a tax deduction. You can then fix up the car and sell it yourself, investing the money back in the church, or donate the car to a family in need.

Through unique and modern donation methods, members can provide their support more easily, helping your church operate and grow more efficiently.

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Apr 25
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AudioFetch Blog Post - Wireless Church Audio System

Offer the Miracle of Hearing to Your Church Congregation

By | Churches | No Comments

Masses of people flock to worship services to seek counseling about the things in life that challenge and worry them. People come ready to be inspired by a power greater than themselves and to interact with others on a path of positivity. Most of all, people come to be uplifted in a world that often leaves us wondering about our purpose and fated course of action.

People experience a grand portion of these services audibly: following the words of the pastor, enjoying the hymns of the choir, talking and sharing with others. Much of the appeal of being in religious spaces is felt through our ears.

Aging adults and the hearing impaired may find it disappointing not being able to fully engage in church services. What might also come as a surprise is that according to general statistics on hearing from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders about 15% of adults of all ages and backgrounds have varying degrees of hearing loss or trouble hearing. In fact, NIDCD estimated that 28.8 million adults in the U.S. might benefit from using hearing aids.

Lack of accessibility in places of worship can lead to a decline in service attendance, especially for those with aging congregations. Loss of hearing is alienating and may lead people to shy away from attending services and interacting with their community like they may have before. Offering only unaided services could lead to the negative outcome of people remaining at home to listen to services on devices like radios, television sets, computers and phones where they can adjust the volume to suit their needs.

Hearing loss can affect anyone and offering accessibility tools to individuals who might need them can set one place of worship apart from another as an open and accommodating community. Besides setting yourself apart as a hospitable place, you will be able to reach your congregations at different stages of hearing ability.

Offer the miracle of hearing with assistive listening devices for churches and help your congregations hear better.

Jan 26
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AudioFetch Blog Header - A Better Solution to Hearing Loops

A Better Solution to Hearing Loop Systems for Churches

By | Churches, Food for thought, General, Hearing Assistance | No Comments

Churches and houses of worship around the globe use inductive hearing loop technology for assistive listening, allowing their members to hear better during services. A hearing loop is a wire that hugs the perimeter of a room and is plugged into an amplifier. That amplifier creates a magnetic signal, which is then sent to the T-coil in a hearing aid, providing a clearer audio without interference.

Hearing loops have helped millions of people and are a great solution that does not require any additional devices for the listener, besides a hearing aid. But what about the people that don’t have or refuse to wear a hearing aid? And what about the business implications of installing wiring in every room?

There’s a better solution for churches and members alike. It’s wireless audio streaming. Below are four reasons that wireless audio streaming systems are better than hearing loop systems for assistive listening devices in churches:

  1. No Hearing Aid Required

Oftentimes, people don’t wear hearing aids when they should. The reasons are many:  They forgot it at home; it’s too uncomfortable to wear; it creates too much feedback; it’s too expensive to purchase; or it makes them feel old. Whatever the reasons, not wearing a hearing aid when you need one can lead to feelings of isolation and missing out on important conversations and connections.

With wireless audio streaming, all the listener needs is a smartphone or mobile device, which nearly everyone has already and never leaves home without, and headphones.

  1. No Wires, No Hassle

For businesses, the costs associated with installing wiring in every room and the time- and labor-intensive process of installing the loop wire are often prohibitive. A system that streams audio locally requires no wires, and installation involves simply plugging in the equipment, connecting to wifi and configuring channels. It really is that easy!

  1. Minimum Equipment

A single piece of equipment is required for local audio streaming systems. If you’d like expand coverage or connect with other audio sources, you can add a transmitter and receiver, but these are entirely optional.

  1. Lower Installation Cost and No Monthly Fees

Depending on the size and construction of the venue, installation of hearing loop systems can be difficult. You’ll need to pull up carpeting, tiling or baseboards (which may then need to be replaced), and metal in walls or floors can oftentimes create interference. Therefore, installation usually requires specialists, can be quite messy and takes some time.

Compare that to local audio streaming systems, which are essentially plug-and-play. And with a system like AudioFetch, you only pay for the equipment, we do not charge any recurring monthly usage fees.

Save time and money, and make it easier for your members to hear with wireless assisted listening devices for churches. Call us at 1-877-301-8639 or send a note today to learn more.

Want more tips and info on hearing assistance for churches? Check out our blog “How to Make Your Church More Accessible.”