If you’re arranging a memorial fundraiser for a loved one or friend who has recently passed away, please know that the GoFundMe staff is sending our love for you. We know that from the days following a loved one has passed off, the job of arranging a funeral or managing financial issues can seem hopeless. If you’re wondering how to start a memorial fund to honor your loved ones or help a friend, this guide will guide you through the procedure. That said, we know how difficult it can be to know where to begin –if you’d like more guidance or help in starting your own ministry design, then please reach out to our service team, and they will help you.

Let your service network help with memorial expenses

A memorial is a significant opportunity for family members and friends to create meaning from loss, strengthen bonds, and observe the life span of the deceased. A memorial fund may also help with burial costs and ease financial stress during an already difficult time.

When there are a few organizations that help with funeral costs, you can often save time by setting up a memorial fund through a crowdfunding platform. There is no waiting period or approval process–you can start raising money immediately.

Some reasons to consider starting a memorial fund on the internet:

• A memorial fundraiser bridges the difference between those people who are thinking about it and those who want to encourage them but are not certain how.
• Online sharing tools make asking for help easy, without the awkwardness or embarrassment that could include asking for money.
  A memorial design provides a central place for people to offer condolences and come together to reflect on someone’s life through photographs and written memories.

How to Prepare a memorial fund

If you are not sure how to set up a memorial fund on the internet, these steps will ensure you’re off to a good start:

• Select a platform

Make a record of what features are most important to you, and compare the top crowdfunding websites. Make sure you look for a fundraising platform that permits you to maintain as much of the money that you raise as you can. Most programs will charge transaction fees, including credit and debit fees.

• Produce a persuasive fundraiser story

Your crowdfunding story is a place where you can share sweet stories about the dead person and share special memories with family and friends. Make sure you make a special fundraiser title and add videos and images to help tell your story.

• Share your fundraiser

The key to a successful fundraiser is to share it with family and friends as far as you can. Use social websites, text messages, and mails to get your message out. You can even attempt online fundraising without social websites.

Significant memorial fund thoughts

From public tributes to scholarship funds, these are some of the most popular ways individuals use crowdfunding to remember and honor their nearest and dearest.

1. Honor a life and help others

1 approach to memorialize the life span of someone you’ve lost is by helping others. The Gina Montalto Memorial Foundation, by Way of Example, Was Made by Gina’s parents following her tragic death in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Ever since then, they’ve raised more than $430,000 to help students pay for college and for other causes close to Gina’s heart.

2. Assist a grieving family in their time of mourning

If you know a family who has just suffered a tragic loss, help them offset the expense of a memorial or funeral. As soon as the Trinidad family was in a horrible car crash that killed 5 people and left just one survivor, their neighborhood came together to raise nearly $300,000 for its final expenses and any additional support needed to get Mary Rose, the mother who survived the crash with very serious injuries.

3. Fund hope for a cure

Many memorial fundraisers work to raise money to fund research and help others struggling with the same condition. Maddie set up the Carroll Freeman Memorial Foundation after her dad died by suicide after struggling with depression and alcoholism. To bring awareness to gaps in mental healthcare in the United States, and also to give support to individuals struggling with their psychological health, Maddie raised over $8,700 through GoFundMe.

4. Create a scholarship fund

Scholarship funds maintain a loved one’s heritage alive while working to improve the lives of pupils.

5. Support a loved one’s favorite cause

Many men and women make a memorial fund to support a cause their loved one cared for most. If she or he was a winner of the environment, for example, think about establishing a memorial fund that raises money for charities that shield the planet. If he or she was a science teacher, you could start a memorial fund that supports scientific education for young, kids, or provides science internships for first-generation college students.

6. Create a lasting tribute piece

Did your loved ones treasure a particular park or public space? If that’s the case, you could increase funds to get a park bench, people plaque, tree, or other permanent fixture that amuses your loved one’s lifetime. These kinds of public tributes celebrate a person’s life and have become a more common choice in lieu of a traditional funeral ceremony.

7. Pay off outstanding debt

Giang’s family is only one of many who began a fundraiser to help cover the costs of funeral expenses as well as her expensive cancer therapies.