Crowdfunding is when the general public is asked to donate money towards a particular cause. It can be used to raise money for a funeral service, for a memorial or simply to support the family of the person who has died.
Fundraising for funeral costs is nothing new. People often used to have a whip-round office or the pub to collect donations for funeral expenses but it’s far easier now thanks to dedicated crowdfunding websites and tools. Beyond’s online obituary service, JustGiving and GoFundMe are all popular choices.
How to raise money for a funeral with crowdfunding
1) Find a platform
Your first step is to choose which online platform you’d like to use to collect donations. There is a lot to choose from, so have a think about:
- Whether you’d like to use a site that is dedicated to funeral expenses, or a more general site.
- What percentage of your funding for funeral expenses will be taken by the site in admin fees.
- Whether you’d like the crowdfunding site to serve other purposes. For example, many families use Beyond’s online obituary service to keep track of funeral invites, as well as crowdfunding funerals.
2) Set up your funeral crowdfunding page
When you set up your funeral crowdfunding page, you’ll have a chance to upload pictures of the person who has died. This is a really good idea, as it makes it easy for friends and family to be sure they’re on the right page and reminds them of fond memories with them.
The site will also ask you to share a few words about what you are raising money for. This is the hard part – a lot of people are unsure of how to ask for donations for funeral expenses in a way that’s dignified and respectful. Don’t worry: we have a few ideas for funeral fundraiser wording here.
3) Spread the word about your funeral fundraising
Crowdfunding funerals only works if you’re ready to tell people how they can help. The next (and most important step) is to share the profile with as many people as you can. Consider:
- Sharing the crowdfunding page on your Facebook, Twitter, and other social media accounts, and getting other close family members to do the same.
- Emailing friends and family with a link, and ask them to share it with anyone else who might have known the person who has died.
- Sending the link to a colleague of the person who has died, and asking them to share it with the office.
- If the person who died was a parent of young kids, you could send the link to someone at the school or the PTFA.
- If they were religious, their local church, temple, mosque, or synagogue may help.
- Sharing the page with any clubs the person who died might have been in.
4) Don’t just stay online
While an online crowdfunding page is one of the best ways to raise money for funeral costs, it’s not the only way. As well as spreading the word online, you might consider one of these IRL fundraiser ideas for funeral expenses:
- Invite friends and family to a memorial dinner or potluck. Take some time on the day to thank everyone for coming and ask them to donate.
- Have a bake sale. Get together with a few friends (or even the local school or church).
- Ask friends and family to sponsor you to complete a run.
- Run a bring and buy sale.
- Host a film marathon night. Play your loved one’s favorite films and charge for popcorn and drinks.
