In the face of loss, many find comfort in the act of giving back. This was certainly true for Daffy member Dan Hoffman, who turned his grief into a force for good after losing his wife, Catherine Pieck.

In 2016, at the age of 52, Catherine was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's (ALZ) disease, which is the most common form of dementia, affecting memory, thinking, and behavior in people younger than the age of 65.

The news came as a shock - Catherine was in perfect health with no family history of the disease. It began with short-term memory problems and difficulty finding words, symptoms that led to a thorough diagnostic process and the eventual diagnosis.

Upon Catherine’s diagnosis, Dan searched for organizations that could teach him how to best care for Catherine, himself, and his family, as it progressed. But after living with the disease for 8 years, Catherine passed away in June 2024.

Shortly after her passing, Dan knew that he wanted to create a memorial fundraiser in honor of Catherine by supporting the organizations that had been instrumental in supporting their journey

Selecting the Fundraising Tool

Prior to starting his fundraiser, there were five features that were essential to Dan and drove him to use Daffy Campaigns:

1. Multiple Charities: "I didn't want to pick just one charity because there were multiple organizations that were instrumental in supporting us during our journey,” Dan Hoffman. With Daffy Campaigns, Dan would be able to support all the organizations that had helped them, rather than forcing him to choose just one.
2. Matching Donations: To encourage donations, Dan wanted to match donations as he noted, "People, I think, feel better about their funds going further. Matching donations shows that I have skin in the game.”
3. No Additional Fees: Dan wanted to ensure that 100% of all donations go directly to the charities, with no cuts taken by the platform. Beyond paying membership dues, Daffy does not charge a fee to create a campaign. This transparency and efficiency were important to him.
4. Tax Receipts: Every donor receives a tax receipt for their contribution, making the giving process smoother for supporters.
5. Poster with QR Code: With little time to create promotional materials, and a memorial service to plan, Dan needed a way to quickly share the campaign with attendees at the memorial service. In this case, he used the poster that every campaign automatically generates with a QR code linking directly to the campaign. “The thing that I liked about it was that it was really easy to select and create a little poster for the campaign, which included a QR code, very thoughtful,” said Dan.

Creating His Memorial Campaign

Dan approached the creation of his campaign with thoughtfulness and intention, beginning with selecting the charities his campaign would support.

Selecting the Charities

Dan's campaign supported the 4 key organizations:

1. Alzheimer's Association: Provided a free 24/7 hotline and matched Catherine with a "dementia mentor” named Chris, may he rest in peace, who also lived with the disease and would call her weekly to help her to stay positive during this journey.
2. Dementia Action Alliance (DAA): Paired Catherine with a person named Laurie who also lived with the disease for weekly Zoom calls.
3. Hilarity for Charity (HFC): Offered drop-in caregiver support groups and a weekly men’s caregiver support group that Dan found beneficial.
4. Lorenzo's House: Introduced Dan to a caregiver named Don, leading to the co-founding of a virtual men's caregiver group for spouses of those with early-onset Alzheimer's.

Setting a Goal for the Campaign

He set an ambitious goal of $18,000, a number deeply significant in Jewish tradition as 18 represents "chai" or "life." As Dan explained, "In Judaism, the number 18 has special meaning in Hebrew. Each letter is associated with a number and the Hebrew word for life is chai, two letters that represent the number 18."

To further incentivize donations, Dan also decided to personally match $3,600 of the donations - twice "chai." This matching offer would not only demonstrate Dan's commitment but also encourage others to give, knowing their contributions would have an even greater impact.

Curating the Campaign Gallery & Description

Dan also took the time to carefully curate how he wanted to tell Catherine's story visually. His campaign featured personal photos of Catherine, including an image of her on her beloved bicycle she used to get to work, pictures of her and her children when they were young, and her family and friends.

Dan shared that adding personal photos (versus photos of the non-profits from the internet) would help donors connect with Catherine's story.

Video has become an increasingly powerful tool in fundraising campaigns. They bring stories to life in a way that text can’t, evoking emotions and creating a deeper connection with viewers. In fact, according to Jennifer Aaker, a Stanford University professor, notes, "Stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone.’ These stories are what help raise more awareness and will encourage more people to donate and share.

Understanding this, Dan took 15 minutes to film and create a short, 2-minute video explaining why he started the campaign and the benefits of donating. Once finished, he added the YouTube link to his campaign description. This addition brought a personal and emotional element to the fundraiser, allowing potential donors to connect more deeply with his story.

Given the intentionality behind the creation of the campaign, you would think creating the campaign took some time to set up. Dan’s thoughts on the setup process, “I was very surprised at how easy it was to launch it quickly. It's all online, the templates are simple, and it is easy to add pictures and links. Very simple to use.”

Promoting his Campaign

A campaign, however, is only as successful as its promotion and distribution plan. Dutch scholars Rene Bekkers and Pamala Wiepking found that for 85% of charitable donations, people gave because someone asked them. We discover new causes and charities through other people, and we are inspired to give by other people. This is why it is so critical that we share the causes and charities that we care deeply about with other people. In short, the more direct your approach, the better.

In order of effectiveness (measured by the number of donations), here is what worked for Dan:

1. Email: This proved to be the most effective method, allowing Dan to reach out personally to his network.
2. The poster at Catherine's memorial service: “I had a memorial service at the house and just posted the poster up and sure enough, as people were walking in and out the door, they're making donations using the QR code while it's top of mind,” Dan shared.
3. Caring Bridge: Dan used a platform called Caring Bridge as a means to share updates on Catherine’s progression with friends and family, so he also used it to share the campaign in a journal entry.

4. Social Media: He and his family shared the campaign on their social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, reaching their broader network.
5. Non-Profit Involvement: Another factor in Dan's successful campaign was his engagement with the non-profit organizations. Since Dan had existing, personal connections with each of the non-profits, he began his outreach by sending an email that detailed: how they’re connected, information about the campaign, his goals, and a clear ask to set up a 30-minute Zoom call to discuss how they could best support his campaign. This approach paid off, with organizations like Dementia Action Alliance, Hilarity for Charity, and Lorenzo’s House sharing the campaign.

For more resources for sharing your campaign, check out our Guide for Promoting Your Campaign.

Results and Lessons Learned

In just three weeks, Dan surpassed his fundraising goal of $18,000, reaching $20,139 from 203 donations. Dan's experience offers valuable lessons for others looking to create impactful memorial campaigns:

1. Make it personal: Share your story and use personal photos and videos to create an emotional connection with potential donors.
2. Set meaningful goals: If applicable, set a fundraising target that has significance to you, as Dan did with the symbolism of the number 18. Some other examples:
   • Anniversaries: Set a goal of $10,000 for a 10th anniversary, or $25,000 for a 25th.
   • Age-based: Set the goal to match their age, like $6,500 for someone who lived to 65.
   • Birthdays: Set a goal to match their birthday, like $1,022 for someone whose birthday is October 22.
   • Birth years: Using a loved one's birth year set a goal of $19,850 for someone born in 1985.
3. Consider offering a matching amount to encourage donations: Matching campaigns are highly effective in incentivizing donations and Dan’s campaign is just one of many examples.
   • 1 in 3 donors say they’d give a larger gift if someone matched their donation (1)
   • Campaigns that offer matching see a 51% increase in donation size (2)
   • 84% of donors report being more likely to give if their donation is matched, and over 30% say they would even increase their contribution (3)
4. Use multiple promotion channels: Don't just rely on one channel to spread the word about your campaign. While direct asks through email or text are usually most effective, each channel can reach different people. Share your campaign more than once - posting on social media just one time won't lead to success. Remember, your campaign's success depends on how much effort you put in, so if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!
5. Engage with the charities you're supporting: Their help can boost your campaign's visibility and credibility. Even if you don't know anyone at the charity, try reaching out to someone in their fundraising or marketing department. They're often willing to help or point you to the right person. When you reach out, be clear about what you're asking for. Here are some good questions to ask:
   • Are you the right person to talk to about promoting my campaign?
   • Do you have any campaigns or events happening now or coming up?
   • Would you be willing to share my campaign on your social media, in your newsletter, or on your website?
   • If I wrote a blog post or made a video, would you share that?
6. Consider timing and relevant events: If possible, link your campaign to important dates or events to increase relevance and urgency. Dan did this by connecting his campaign to the Alzheimer's Association's yearly 'The Longest Day' event. This event happens on the summer solstice, the day with the most light, and people all over the world fight Alzheimer's by doing an activity of their choice. While Dan didn't use this event to launch his campaign, he instead used it to give his campaign a boost a couple of weeks after it began. This is a smart way to keep momentum going.
7. Follow up and show impact: Finally, keep donors updated on the progress of the campaign and send personal thank-you notes to acknowledge their support.

Dan's campaign is a powerful example of the healing power of giving and the impact of honoring a loved one through charitable action. If you're inspired by this story, consider contributing to the Catherine Pieck Memorial Alzheimer's Fund. For those looking to create a memorial campaign, check out this resource on how to start a memorial charity fundraiser that can make a lasting difference.