Funeral fundraising tips that can help cut memorial costs
When you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, you shouldn’t have to worry about how you’ll pay for a funeral. Crowdfunding for funeral expenses helps ease financial stress during this difficult time and allows you to focus on saying goodbye. Below, we offer funeral fundraising tips that will help you raise money to honor your loved one’s memory.
Tips for funeral and memorial fundraising success
The following tips walk you through creating a fundraiser that connects with people, sharing it with your community, and keeping supporters engaged along the way. Each one covers a specific step, from writing your story to posting updates.
Tell your loved one’s story
Your fundraiser story is an opportunity to write a tribute to your loved one and explain what they meant to you. By including images and videos of them at different points in life, others can reminisce about the times they shared together or learn new things about their life. Here are some other tips:
- Create a descriptive fundraiser title. “Paying tribute to Marie” is far more interesting than simply “Funeral expenses.”
- If you’re not related to the deceased, be sure to clarify your relationship to them so there’s no confusion among donors.
- Share a few of your favourite memories of your loved one. If you’re having a hard time finding the right words, read our blog post Writing your fundraiser story: a comprehensive guide.
Share specific financial needs
The high cost of funeral services is often a point of stress for many families who have just lost a loved one. If you have a large fundraising goal, it’s important to let your supporters know what items you’re fundraising for. This will help them understand why you’ve chosen a specific fundraising goal and can encourage them to give more.
These blog posts offer more memorial fundraising tips:
List other ways people can help
Coping with death can affect every area of someone’s life, which means there is a lot of room for others to pitch in and help. Maybe you need someone to pick your kids up from school or walk your dog. Or perhaps you need someone to write an obituary and deliver a eulogy at the service. List these needs under a title that says “Other ways you can help” on your fundraiser page. This will allow people to show their love and support in creative ways if they aren’t able to make a monetary funeral donation.
Related reading:
Share your fundraiser far and wide
Sharing your fundraiser with everyone you know is the number one way to receive donations. You can use social media to promote your fundraiser, and then ask others to share your posts with their contacts. If you’ve exhausted social media efforts, why not try fundraising without social media? You can reach out via email, phone, and text. It isn’t always easy to ask for donations while grieving, but our fundraising email templates can make seeking support less intimidating. You can also ask friends or close family members to help with outreach efforts.
For more guidance on what to say, read our guide on asking for donations for funeral expenses.
Keep your supporters involved
Once people donate, they’ll want to know how their donations have helped, or if you still need help reaching your goal. Posting fundraiser updates is the perfect way to keep supporters in the loop while showing them your appreciation. Here are some other ideas of what to include in updates:
- Give progress updates on your fundraising goals to inspire more donations.
- Write a donation thank you letter to individual supporters for large contributions, or post a general thank-you message to everyone.
- Share a favourite memory of your loved one with a photo.
Real families, real results
Families across Canada and around the world use GoFundMe to raise money during some of life’s most difficult moments. Here are three examples of how crowdfunding helped honour a loved one’s memory.
Supporting Pei’s Family
Pei Geng, a single mother and the sole caregiver for her young son and elderly mother, died suddenly in July 2024. Her Calgary colleagues started a GoFundMe that has raised over $71,000 toward funeral costs and ongoing support for her family.
Remembering Quentin
When Ottawa’s Quentin Dorsainvil passed away unexpectedly in September 2024, his family started a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs. The fundraiser surpassed its $25,000 goal, raising more than $25,200 from the community.
Remembering Agnesa
When 25-year-old Agnesa Shukulli passed away suddenly in January 2025, her friends started a GoFundMe to help bring her home to Albania for burial. The fundraiser surpassed its goal, raising over $84,000 from the Toronto community and beyond.
Begin fundraising for funeral and memorial costs
If you’re having trouble finding organizations that help with funeral expenses or need funds right away, GoFundMe wants to help. Through our fundraising model, you can keep more of the money you raise and receive donations to your bank account within just a few days. Whether you’re raising money for funeral expenses, or any other fundraising occasion, for your family or helping a friend in need, memorial fundraising allows you to dedicate your time and energy to what matters. Sign up and start a fundraiser for funeral expenses today.