Making a Display Board

A display board is not required but is a helpful way to draw people to your table at an event. It adds greater visibility to your table, gives potential sponsors information, and is a great conversation starter. But how do you go about making one?

Step 1: Purchase Supplies
You can pick up a tri-fold foam board at a local store in the stationary and office goods area. They usually have them in black or white. The color choice is up to you. It's also helpful to pick up some card stock (I prefer orange, the international color for hope!) to place behind the photos and a glue stick.

Step 2: Select your Photos and Information
On the Child Ambassador website, there are links to photos you could use for your display board. If you download and print a photo of child getting water from a well, for example, you could type up a little caption to go underneath about the benefits of clean water or how sponsorship helps communities have a source of clean, accessible water. You could include a picture for each of the areas that in which World Vision works. For additional photo resources on this post, I added some images from a Hope Sunday PPT I used on my first board. If you would like to use them, just right click and save them to your computer. Through the CA website "supplies" tab, you can also order posters and the "How a Community is Transformed" brochure. Those, too, can be used on your board.

It's a great idea to have photos of your own sponsored child(ren) and letters that they have written on your board, too. It's another great conversation starter!

Step 3: The Layout
Before you glue anything down, lay things out and get a feel for how it looks from a distance. Try to keep it simple. When people look at things, their eyes tend to be drawn to the middle title first and then shift to the top left. Try make your layout logical and self-explanatory. To many heavy graphics and too great a variety of colors can be a bit overwhelming visually. After you lay things out, ask a family member or friend what they think.

Step 4: Attach your Photos
You're ready to make things permanent, right? Wait a minute. What if you could make them interchangeable?

I personally like a little change between events. For each event, I like to have a board that is applicable. To change boards each time would get mighty expensive for our family budget so, instead, I like to make my boards a little interchangeable. I use things like picture corners so I can swap out the photos depending on the setting. I've used the same board for a malaria presentation, a Hope Sunday, and a Journey to Jamaa Sunday where the church was focusing on a certain community. I could keep the board applicable to each setting by just swapping out the pictures.

Step 5: Stand Back, Admire, and Take a Picture
If you want, send me a picture of your board when you are finished. I'd love to see what you come up with!

I' apologize that this photo isn't better quality but at least it will give you some ideas. This is the board I created to be interchangeable. The pockets for  this event  were made using burlap with brads that tucked on the inside. I made little cards that said "Read about me" that I attached to the pockets. You all can probably come up with something much better. :) This is just an idea.