Grieving the loss of a loved one is already difficult, but the situation can become exponentially worse when you have to worry about all the costs involved in planning a funeral or memorial service.
Based on a 2015 study, the average cost of a funeral was over $8,000 (source). This cost, however, doesn’t take into account the price of the cemetery marker or the cost for flowers and an obituary, which could put the total cost around $10,000.
With the weight of a lost loved one and funeral expenses to bear, it’s common for individuals to start a fundraiser to help raise money to cover some (or all) of the costs.
In this article, we’ll go over some basics of fundraising for memorials and funerals to help you get through this difficult time.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Common reasons to fundraise for memorials and funerals.
Our top fundraising ideas for memorials and funerals.
Fundraising best practices to help you raise more.
Keep reading to learn more.
1. Common reasons to fundraise for memorials and funerals.
Aside from funeral expenses, there are a lot of reasons why you might need to raise money after a loved one that has passed away.
We’ll cover some of the most common causes to help give your fundraiser some direction.
Funeral, cremation, or memorial expenses
As we mentioned earlier memorials and funerals can be expensive, and cremations — less expensive than a traditional burial — can still be a financial burden on grieving families.
Not only do you have to handle the burial or cremation costs, but there are also plenty of other costs associated with having a memorial or funeral.
By creating a fundraiser, you can ask family members and other relations to help with the expenses.
Family support
The aftermath of losing a mother, father, wife, husband, or another provider can be a huge financial toll on the family. Not only will they be dealing the emotional effects of losing a loved one, but they will also need to continue life by supporting their family.
Those directly affected will need the support of their friends and family. By creating a fundraising campaign, you can offer them some financial support.
Dedications or scholarships
To keep a loved one’s memory alive, some people decide to dedicate something — a building, bench, tree, or another tribute item — to honor their life.
Alternatively, some families set up a memorial scholarship fund (usually after someone young has passed away) to honor their passions and perpetuate their spirit.
You can set up a fundraiser to raise money for a dedication or scholarship and honor your loved one who has passed away.
Final thought: When you set up your fundraiser, it’s important to explain to donors exactly why you’re raising money.
2. top memorial and funeral fundraising ideas.
Let’s get right into our three favorite ways you can raise money:
Crowdfunding (Our Top Choice)
If you’re looking for a simple (yet effective) way to raise money for a memorial or funeral, crowdfunding is a great option.
Crowdfunding uses social media to help share your story and can potentially help you raise a lot of money in a short period of time. Additionally, setting up a crowdfunding page is quick and simple, which means that you can focus on more important things.
Let’s take a look at what a typical crowdfunding campaign looks like:
[insert example image]
The purpose of this campaign is to help support John’s family. This fundraiser includes a goal and a time frame. They’ve already raised over half their goal from 417 donors.
One of the most important steps to setting up a crowdfunding campaign is choosing a platform. You might be familiar with the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe, but there are many other platforms available.
In fact, there over 200 crowdfunding sites in America alone (source).
All those options can be a little intimidating, so we’ve compiled a list of features you should consider when choosing a crowdfunding platform:
Social sharing buttons (in prominent locations)
Mobile-friendly fundraising pages
Space to explain your cause (and add visuals)
Visuals (like a fundraising thermometer) to show the campaign’s progress.
Tree Planting Event (The Environmentally Friendly Option)
Often at memorial services, balloons or lanterns are released to honor and remember the person who has passed away. However, balloons and paper lanterns are not great for the environment.
Another way you can honor your loved one (and be environmentally friendly) is by planting trees. A tree planting event can be a symbolic way to honor the life of someone who has passed away as well as help new life flourish.
For this memorial fundraising idea, you can raise money by selling saplings (or flowers) to attendees.
To make this fundraiser a reality, there are few things you’ll need:
A place to plant your trees or followers. You can have your event in the family’ backyard or in a more public location like a park or town square (with permission, of course).
Plants and flowers. You can always go out and purchase the plants, or you can ask a local plant nursery if they’d be willing to donate saplings for your event.
Gardening supplies. Make sure you have enough gloves, shovels, and spades so your attendees can plant their trees.
After the event, not only will you have raised money to support the grieving family, you’ll also have a place people can come to when they want to remember the individual who passed away.
Sell Merchandise (Celebrate Your Loved One)
In addition to your other funeral and memorial fundraising ideas, you can sell merchandise that honors your loved one. For instance, you can put a phrase they always said or their picture on a t-shirt to sell.
Selling t-shirts is a great way to remember someone who has passed away and celebrate their unique character.
Of course, you can sell other merchandise, like:
Hats
Pins
Stickers
And so much more!
The merchandise you sell can be worn during another fundraising events (like a walkathon or tree planting event) or at a memorial service.
If you want to sell merchandise as one of your fundraising ideas for memorials and funerals, you need to find a company that will print your customized shirts.
Try to find a company that will ship the t-shirts for you (like Booster). That way, you don’t have to worry about storing hundreds of shirts, and you’ll only pay for the items you sell.
Final thought: You can use one, two, or a combination of all three ideas to help you raise money for a memorial or funeral.
3. Fundraising best practices to help you raise more.
Once you’ve created your fundraiser the work isn’t over. You’ll also need to share your event or campaign and get the word out about why you’re raising funds.
Thankfully, it’s not as hard as it sounds. We’ll cover three best practices to help your fundraiser become a success.
Tell your loved one’s story
While it may be difficult, telling your story and explaining why you need the funds it the best way to generate support. When you get personal, potential donors will connect with your cause, giving them more reasons to donate.
You don’t have to be extremely detailed and recount every detail of your loved one’s life, but be sure to highlight the most important information.
For instance, if you’re creating a scholarship fund for students going to art school, you might want to explain the individual’s passion for art and why creating this scholarship is so important.
After you’ve written your story place it on your crowdfunding page or share it on social media if you’re planning an event.
Use visuals
Much like your story, visuals can be a way to connect with potential donors and convey your cause in an engaging way.
Not only do visuals help you raise more money, but they are also just a way for to share the memory of your loved one with other people.
Whether you’re creating a crowdfunding campaign or organizing an event to honor a loved one, you can use visuals to grab people’s attentions.
Not sure how to incorporate images and videos? Check out this list of creative uses:
Post a gallery of images on your crowdfunding page.
Share an image of your loved one on social media with information on how to donate.
Compile a video of their favorite memories to share on social media or your crowdfunding page.
Share, share, and share
You probably noticed a theme throughout the previous best practices: sharing is the only way to inform people about your cause.
While there are plenty of ways you can share your fundraiser (letters, phone calls, etc.), social media is by far the most popular platform. There are millions of users on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; all potential donors that you can reach out to.
Social media as many advantages, including the ability to:
Easily insert links to your fundraising page as well as images and other visual content.
Create a Facebook event or page to promote your fundraiser.
Immediately share your fundraising milestones and update donors your progress.
Publicly thank those who have made contributions.
While it’s quick and easy to post your fundraiser on social media, don’t get too carried away. Posting something new about your fundraiser every couple of days is acceptable.
Final thought: If you want to raise the most funds for your fundraiser, it’s important to connect with potential donors and make sure that you share your campaign.
With these tips, you can start a fundraiser and hopefully ease some of the stress the comes with losing a loved one.
If you want additional fundraising help, check out these helpful resources:
80+ Amazing Fundraising Ideas
Crowdfunding for Individuals: The Beginner’s Guide
Crowdfunding Tips: Quick and Easy Way to Raise More Money
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