Blog > A special call for postcards
Thank you!
After only a week, we’ve already received an overwhelming amount of postcards, so we’ve decided to take down the address. We’re preparing an update for later this week, so keep an eye on the blog! Seriously, you guys are THE best! :)

Dear postcrossers,
This is Ana, your community manager speaking. I’m usually the writer behind the posts that you read on this blog… but today I’m writing this one as myself, to personally ask for your assistance.
You see, in about a month, I will be in Portugal, standing in front of an audience of several hundred people from various backgrounds, to tell them about Postcrossing and the simple pleasures of receiving mail. The problem is… I’m willing to bet that 99% of them have probably never received a postcard, or don’t remember the last time that they did. How can you empathize with something you’ve never experienced? While brainstorming a plan for making this work, I reached the inevitable conclusion: I have to show them!
So, inspired by Oprah, my idea is to surprise many of the conference attendees with an unexpected postcard written just for them, which they would receive during the talk!
I could write all the postcards myself… but I think it would be much more interesting if the postcards came from different people all around the world, with their own stories and details.
So I wanted to ask… would you mind writing a postcard, and giving me a hand? I would be really grateful, and you’d be helping all these people re-discover the magic of postcards! :)
Interested? Got a neat card that you don’t mind sharing? Then mail it to:
We’ve received sooooo many cards in just a week, that I’ve decided to remove the address, as I think they’ll be more than enough. Thank you so much! :)
What should you write on it? Whatever you like, really, but here are some ideas to get you started:
- How do you feel when you find a postcard on your mailbox at the end of the day?
- What does Postcrossing mean to you?
- What have you learnt or discovered through postcards? What would you teach this person?
- What was the most inspirational talk you’ve ever attended or listened to?
- What is special about your city or country?

Or you could just describe what you did today and what the weather is like where you are… anything goes, really! :)
That’s it! Those who know me, know that I’m a bit shy and not particularly comfortable with the spotlight… I’d like to think that, by carrying your postcards with me, I’ll have a little bit of your support on that stage.
Thank you so much in advance! :)
PS:
I thought I’d add a couple notes to clear up some of the questions that have come up in the comments:
- Please don’t put my name on the postcard – the cards are not for me, they’ll all be delivered to the attendees. The address is a PO box, it works fine without a name.
- If you want to write a salutation on the message, keep it simple and flexible with an “Hello” or “Dear attendee”
- The event takes place on March 8th… so please send your cards soon! :)

Tags: call-for-postcards, postcards, postcrossing, projects
462 comments so far
Postcrossing is one of the reasons I just started learning Portuguese. Also to read some literatur in the original. Hope I'll succeed. Love the language.
I'll get some postcards on their way to you! Promised!
Rainer (Tellmewhat)
I'll send some postcards, of course!
Anna
Great ideas! :D
You really have great ideas!
:)
It will be a great pleasure to send you a card.
Lafaiete Costa(em Minas Gerais /Brazil)
So, a few notes to clear things up:
- No need for envelopes!
- The theme of the conference is "emotions". The attendees are really from all sorts of backgrounds, but definitely not children - more like university students, professionals, experts in different fields and people who are curious and open to new ideas.
- You should write the address as it is without a name (it's a PO box).
- I plan to deliver the cards during the conference, so they're not for me - they're for the attendees. If you'd like to write a greeting, just write "Hello!" or "Dear attendee", to keep it flexible, and write the card as you would to any other Postcrossing member :)
Hope that helps!
Good opportunity to practice Portuguese!
@MarinaMaia: no porto, a 8 de março! :)
I'll send a card this week, just to be sure it arrives in time.
Btw, can't we also watch the conference? I would love to go! :D
I'm in. :-)
I hope you get hundreds of cards!!!
I send you one from Germany!
It's time to share with many other people.✌(*≧∇≦*)
sending a card today !
Reading your postcards gave me goosebumps in a very good way. ;) :D Im sure they would feel so good :D
Go for it, Ana!! :)
I'll send one tomorrow from France. :)
I am pretty sure your speech will be just perfect Ana. Toi,toi toi
Marvelous idea.
I will definitely be updating you with photos of the postcards (provided by my brother, who I'm bribing with chocolate in order for him to empty his PO box regularly), and I'm quite certain there will be video evidence of the talk to share later... I'll keep you posted! :D
Participo com gosto..
Boa conferência .
I'm willing to help!
I should have picked a bigger one though, I wanted to write so much more than what actually fit on the card :(
Well, I wish you luck with the talk and really hope there will be many happy faces afterwards :)
Just printed an own photo as a big card (maximum postcard sizes from our post office) to send it, and I don't know whether it'll stay only that card. Probably I'll send much more cards. Expect more than one. Normally if I'm writing postcards I can't stop it.
great idea! Cad is written and on the way...
Boa Sorte Vizinha!
Best wishes!
I'll post mine today!
Wishing you a lot of succes
Janet
Good luck at the conference/seminar/speaking engagement! There need to be more proselytizers for real mail in this world :)
The theme of this year's conference is "emotions" and the things that move us. I'll be focusing on the small pleasures of receiving mail, and the difference that small moment can make. I'm hoping many people will realize the power of postcards, and who knows... perhaps join Postcrossing too (and make the world a better place!) :D
May your speech show the audience that postcrossing is a pleasure...
I would like to see there faces when the here about how it comes. i really would like to do that myself That must be great telling about this fabulous hobby. And please just be yourself and tell them alll about the postcrossing just the way you do.I wish you a lot of succes.
Yes you can!
Ana, we're with you. You can do this. Stay confident - you're supporting a wonderful project!
Happy Postcrossing..
Best of Luck and Enjoy..
My card will on its way after Chinese New Year because post offices in Taiwan are also on vacation for this lol.
Go Ana!
you are one of the main persons in postcrossing too :) so i feel honored. i hope i can ask if the meeting has something to do with International Woman's Day , anyway success on stage!
I already mailed one postcard yesterday, and am preparing more today! :) ... from PR to PO!
Ana, this is great idea! I wish you good luck!
I think, that it is a great idea to show the magic behind Postcrossing or getting postcards in general.
We all back you on stage with our thoughts & cards!
Cheers!
I'll send tomorrow ^_^
(Amanhã já segue um postalzinho do Fundão! :) )
JoaoNogueira
I will send a card for this effort. Make it bigger!
Seria óptimo se conseguisse mais aderentes. Postcrossing dá vida à nossa caixa do correio. Conte com um postal meu. Abraço,
Aida Veloso
It will be a pleasure to put the postcard in the mail tomorrow morning.
I love this idea, two on their way from Slovakia tomorrow. :)
wonderful idea!!! i'll put several in the mail tomorrow :)
xo,
shirley
Poor postman in Braga. Thousands of Cards will reach you
at Portugal. I´m in.
Greeting from Duisburg
Sabine
Avagoodone:)!
Deb-iphoto
This sounds very good, and a card from me will go on its way to Portugal today.
And I bet the postman in Braga will have a lot of work soon ;-)
Is there a way to tell if my postcard have reached your mailbox? Do you make a list for the received postcards? :)
Regards from The Netherlands.
Will the card reach you with only the name Ana on it? And what date is that conference?
Good luck with the presentation, Ana. :-)
Excited to be spreading the joy of postcrossing around the world! Card ready to go. You'll be fantastic, don't be afraid, be proud to be presenting postcrossing, we're all up there with you cheering you on!!
love from Belgium
You have my support :)
Hope, you can carry them all!?
KBQ
Love your country!
Kraftykj.blogspot.com
Wonderful idea, Ana, I'm sure you are going to be a motivating speaker.
Let me join :D
Anyway, how if the card don't arrived yet on March, 8th?Thanks and good luck for the brilliant idea, Ana!
I'll have a Portuguese friend help me translating my text.
The card will leave Montreal today.
should we send some chocolate to your brother as well.. ;-)
I will write some this weekend and mail it to Portugal. Lots of success and looking forward to your story afterwards.
I wish you lots of succes!
You´ll do a great job in march - with all that support ;)
Riaz Khan INDIA
That's a great initiative! I'll send some cards from India to support this project.
Tomorrow I'll be attending a UNESCO Postcrossers' meet in Mumbai. There I'll spread the word!
All the best for you speech! :)
Regards,
Sanket Oswal.
Pune, India.
it's absolutely optional though, so don't feel like you must to do anything.
You will do well on stage, all positive energies of the community will be with you!
Hugs!
finally one of the postcard i had sent was registered today... and finally i can leave a comment..
already mailed one postcard from malaysia on feb 7, hope it will reach portugal before the event...
i hope the message that i wrote on that postcard will make anyone who receive it, smile even for just a second.. :D
maybe u can update how many postcards you had received so far...
Best wishes for your presentation.
great idea! I wrote my postcard today and will send it tomorrow.
Good luck with your presentation!
Good luck, Ana!
Ana, great idea and a great chance! Fingers crossed!
@cleopatra-matta: that's a really nice idea for the extra cards! I would love to do it, but I think most of the cards' messages might be focused on the themes I hinted to above, which would make them a bit strange for those institutions...
With a bit of planning though, I recon we could do a postcard drive in the near future for a few of those! :D
Gostava de saber onde vai ser a tua apresentação.
Obrigada.
In the end there were over 1400 cards... which means most attendants got 2 postcards instead of just one! I'll write a proper post about it when the organization publishes the video of the talk, but I just wanted to let you know that I think it went well, and the people loved the surprise of discovering your postcards! :)
I was quite nervous, but Paulo tells me I didn't mess up the whole thing, so YAY for that! Thank you so, so much for making all of this possible. I wish I could hug ALL of you really tight!
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