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Hello
Everyone, 





This fall, Mercy Corps will be opening its Action
Center to End World Hunger in Battery
Park City in Lower Manhattan. Billed as “A
first-of-its-kind, interactive public space that educates and empowers visitors
to fight global hunger and poverty” the Action Center
will be a multimedia–rich environment that aims to make visitors into active
participants.  (The Web site is www.actioncenter.org)



 

Touch-screen training towers will offer in-depth content on particular issues
(Afghanistan and Conflict, Niger and Climate Change, Guatemala and Land Rights
and Indonesia and Governance), a Global Status Wall will show relief and
development work around the world, video dispatches from Mercy Corps field
workers will immerse them in the daily Mercy Corps (NGO) experience, and Action
Stations will connect visitors to tangible steps they can take to help end
poverty and hunger.





As we move toward our opening a number of question are popping up.  To
start I would like to pose two of the current questions to the group to see if
anyone has any suggestions. (I am sure I will have more!)



 



The
Specific issues for which we are seeking solutions are as follows:



 



1) We are
setting up a PoS station (Point of Sale) to attend to both purchased items (for
a small inventory of items we plan to sell) and donations that visitors may
wish to make.  We need to find a software solution for the PoS system that
exchanges information with Raiser's Edge - our constituent/customer
relationship management software (CRM). 



 



* That is:
how can we link both purchases and donations made by Action Center
visitors to our existing software, so that we can have a full view of our
constituents' activities and history? Also, how can we ensure that a second Action Center
(set to open in Portland
next year) can tie into this system?



 

2) The other question is this: we're beginning to create/build the
casework/desk that will house the PoS hardware in the Action Center.  
We need to make sure that the hardware we spec to fit in the space works
with the PoS system that we eventually select. 



 



The
casework dimensions are as follows: desktop area (monitor/keyboard/peripherals
if the can fit): 2' x 1.5' - 2'4"  underneath/interior
(shelves/cabinet): same depth/width as above, with an overall height of
~2'4", split into two top shelves of roughly 6-7" apiece, and
lockable drawers with heights of ~1.5'.



 



If anyone
out there has dealt with meshing a PoS system with Raiser’s Edge their input
would be highly appreciated. 



 



Please
email me on my work email:     [log in to unmask]  Thank you!  



 



Suzanne
Guthrie



Manager, Education and Youth Programs | Global Engagement,
Mercy Corps







 



 



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