It’s always hard, losing a loved one—whether they were young or had lived a long life, whether it was sudden or expected. Whatever the circumstances, it can feel overwhelming.
And if you’ve been through the heartache of having someone close to you die, you’ll know that the burden of funeral expenses can make a painful, stressful time even harder.
According to the 2023 annual report from SunLife, the cost of dying has increased year on year by 3.8%. Every year, thousands of family's reach out to the government for help with funeral expenses, but not everyone who needs financial support will be eligible. This leads more and more families to look for alternative ways of financing the cost of a funeral. One of these is funeral fundraising.
What is funeral fundraising?
Funeral fundraising is a way of raising money by requesting donations from the general public. It is also known as crowdfunding.
Thinking and worrying about the cost of a funeral is the last thing a grieving family should be doing. Still, with the cost of funerals rising, more people turn to fundraising options to help say farewell to their loved ones.
On a more positive note, it’s also a convenient way for friends, family, and the community to come together and help take the strain off families when they’re mourning their loss.
Pros and cons of crowdfunding for a funeral
Using a crowdfunding website to raise funds for a funeral is a quick and effective way to generate money. This might be worth considering if the death of a loved one is unexpected or if no money has been set aside to pay for their send-off.
This method of raising funds is very quick because it uses social media and emails, both of which allow for a quick turnaround on the payout.
But what about the downside of crowdfunding?
Funeral crowdfunding can be a risky thing to do financially. Crowdfunding platforms all work differently, but most of them charge a fee, or multiple fees, for their services. It tends to fall between 4% and 8% of the amount raised.
In many cases, if you don’t raise the amount you set for the campaign, you lose your funding altogether. In other words, there is no payout guaranteed.
One further disadvantage is that a crowdfunding campaign can involve a lot of work. A great deal of strategic effort and attention is essential. As a result the burden of a fundraising campaign can weigh very heavily on a family that is already going through the grieving process.
It’s worth noting, however, that everyone’s circumstances are unique, and only you will be able to decide whether fundraising for funeral costs is right for you. It’s very likely that with a bit of research, a trusted crowdfunding platform, a well-formulated campaign, and a concerted effort to spread the word, you should be able to raise some of the money needed for creating a memorable funeral or memorial for someone you care about.
Getting started with funeral fundraising online
While there may be a lot of work in organising a successful online funeral fundraising campaign, the process itself is straightforward.
1. Choose a fundraising platform
The first step is to find the best fundraising platform for collecting donations. There are a few to choose from, for example:- GoFundMe
- Fundly
- FundtheFuneral
- Everloved
- Just Giving
When choosing a fundraising platform, think about whether you want to use a site that’s dedicated to funeral expenses or a more general crowdfunding site, and check what percentage of your funding will be taken by the site to cover admin fees.
Some sites offer additional services, such as an online obituary service that keeps track of funeral invites as well as crowdfunding.
2. Set a goal
You have to set a time period and a goal for your campaign. Make sure you leave enough time to claim the funds and pay for any expenses, alongside a goal that will cover those expenses.
3. Create your fundraising page
You can do lots of things to make your fundraising page more appealing and accessible for people. You can upload pictures so friends and family can be sure they’re on the right page, as well as showing fond memories.
You’ll also be able to share a few words about what you’re raising money for. An excellent place to start is to talk about the person and how much they'll be missed by their friends, family and local community. Then you can explain precisely why you’re fundraising for funeral expenses.
4. Spread the word
A crowdfunding campaign for funeral expenses will only work if you spread the word and explain how people can help. To do this, you have to share the profile page you’ve created with as many people as you can. Here are some ideas to consider:- Sharing the crowdfunding page on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media accounts and ask close family members to do the same.
- Emailing the link to friends and family and asking them to share it with anyone else who might have known the person who has died.
- Sending the link to colleagues of the person who has died and asking them to share it.
- If they were religious their church, temple, mosque, or synagogue might be able to help.
- If they were a parent of young children, you could share the link with someone at the school or Parent Teachers Association.
- Share the page with any clubs the person may have belonged to.
How to ask for donations for funeral expenses
The wording of your funeral fundraising campaign can be one of the most difficult parts, but it can make the biggest impact on the amount of money you raise.
The right wording may be difficult to find, but it’s worth spending time crafting a compelling story. It’s easier to raise funds if you can get your audience to connect with you and your family.
Try to explain what it was about the person that made them special to you and others. It will help if you can demonstrate why you need to fundraise.
Offline funeral fundraising ideas
Not everyone will be comfortable asking people for donations, but there are other equally effective ways to raise the much-needed funds. Here are a few funeral fundraiser ideas:- Host a memorial dinner: Invite friends and family to gather at a dinner in your loved ones’ honour. Guests can donate food and drink and place monetary contributions in a donation jar.
- Hold a bake sale: It’s possible to raise money quickly and with little effort by organising a bake sale.
- Host a memorial night: Invite friends and family to gather informally to share memories of the deceased person, and make donations in order to attend.
- Organise a charity auction: Ask for donations from local businesses, and auction them off to friends and family.
- Tree planting fundraiser: If your loved one was a gardener or environmentalist, you could honour their life with a tree planting fundraising event.
More ways to pay for a funeral
There are also many other ways you can use to cover the expenses related to a send-off, other than fundraising.- Bereavement support payments are a grant from the government, to help ease some of the financial strain that comes with the loss of a spouse or civil partner.
- Funeral expenses payments are also a government grant that’s for people on qualifying benefits.
- Some charities, such as Friends of the Elderly or the Child Funeral Charity, offer help paying for funeral expenses.
- A public health funeral is a funeral that’s arranged and paid for by the local council.
Discover all the possible ways to pay for a funeral, so you can choose the most convenient one. If you want to make sure your loved one’s don’t have to stress about paying for your funeral, get in touch, and we’ll look at how we can help.