Theresa Pauca

Our family has fundraised for the PHRF in honor of our son, Victor, with Direct Mail Fundraising Cards for the past 5 years. It has been my favorite type of fundraising we have done. We have been able to reach a broad audience of friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers who are connected with our family, and who enjoy getting updates about our son and the progress the foundation is making.

Each year my parents and I gather our favorite photos of Victor throughout the past 12 months, and choose a template from Shutterfly to make two different personalized cards, one for my parents to send out, and one for our family to mail out. Inside the card, we include a heart-felt letter about Victor, including both the struggles and the accomplishments of the year. We also write about the research the Foundation has accomplished recently, and the goals we have for the near future. We include a personalized  sticky note to the potential donor on the inside of each card. Both my parents and I send out about 100 cards to our friends and family, including a self-addressed stamped envelope for donors to send a check to the foundation. I write a personalized thank you note to every donor. A Charitable Gift Receipt is provided by the foundation to all donors (all donations are tax-deductible). The PHRF will be able to provide the information needed for the research updates and goals for this letter.

I have had so many friends and family send back notes or share with me when we see them in town, thanking us for including them in our Fundraising Card campaign every year. It is truly heartwarming to receive this type of support and love from our friends. We have found that people want to be able to help in some way, but they don’t know how – and our fundraising cards give them a way to lift you up and let you know they really care.