We don’t really think about it until something unexpected happens to us. Arranging funerals for our loved one in an unexpected time is difficult. Maybe before they passed away, there were also hospital bills. Maybe the life insurance left behind is also not much. Then, is asking for donations for funerals is acceptable? The answer is yes. Make requests for donations for funeral expenses in a respectful manner. Ask for help from family or friends to arrange fundraiser. Because, you certainly need time to grieve and doing it alone is not the best way.
When a loved one passed away, we want the memory of them to stay instead of bills from funeral expenses. Holding a funeral does cost a lot of money but we can’t ignore not holding a funeral ceremony to say goodbye properly for those we love.
Steps On How To Ask For Donations for Funeral Expenses
Dealing with finances when a loved one passed away unexpectedly can be difficult. Especially when we are grieving, because decisions need to be made quickly. The average funeral can cost around $5,100 to $9,100, and that doesn’t include hospital bills, cemetery, flowers and so on.
The fee usually covers viewing and burial, basic services, transporting remains, embalming and other related preparations. Fortunately, there are ways and places to help with funeral costs in difficult times. Here’s how to ask for donations for funeral expenses.
Setting up a GoFundMe
Setting up a GoFundMe account is a quick way to set up an online donation page. If you’re arranging a funeral for someone you know and you have some influence online, this is a good choice to take. Especially if you share this campaign on social media.
To set up a GoFundMe account, first of all, go to GoFundMe website and create an account (if you don’t already have one) and fill in some of the information that appears in the prompts, set the goal of your fundraiser, enter details about the funeral, you can also share memories with the person who has passed away to move the hearts of people, and finally share your GoFundMe page. Promote your page regularly to let others know about your fundraising activities.
Writing a request letter via mail or email
Having a contact list with home addresses or emails is a good investment when you’re planning to send out requests for donations for a funeral. It can seem intimidating to write a letter but it may surprise you how much other people want to help you at a difficult time like this.
In your letter, write how you feel and how you feel about the passing one, appreciate that the person you are writing to cares about the passing one and tell that several people have asked how they could support you. Describe your wish to receive donations for funeral expenses in honor of the deceased. Thank the person who has read your letter.
To avoid misunderstanding others, try to keep your letter short and simple. Also include how other people can send funds to you and finally write a kind send off.
Making a respectful calls
Calling people for help is a quick way. You can immediately hear their response to your request. Take a deep breath and start calling.
Call people who are willing and able to donate to funeral expenses. Be polite when calling them because you need their help. Ask how they are doing too and listen attentively. Then, in a respectful and simple way, state the purpose of your call and try to ask for donations for the funeral. After you hear their response (whatever it is) thank them for listening and providing support.
Ask for donations instead of flowers
There are many people who send flowers at funerals, but if you don’t want flowers, you can tell the attendees to make donations with an advance notice. Families can advise guests to send something else instead of flowers, there are some families who suggest making donations to a charity and there are also families asking for donations to help with funeral expenses. You can use the phrase ‘in lieu of flowers’ in your notification. This phrase has the same meaning as ‘instead of flowers’.
Find resources for funeral expenses support
Another way of how to ask for donations for funeral expenses is to seek help from the organization. Each region usually has a program that helps its citizens to cover funeral costs if they can’t afford it. Look for funeral assistance programs provided by your local government or organization. There are also non-profit organizations that are indeed engaged in the financing of funeral expenses.
Non-profit organizations that help pay for funerals do provide invaluable assistance to some people. These organizations were established specifically to assist burial funds. There is also help from religious groups.
To get funding from them, you can try contacting the Funeral Consumer Alliance, the TEARS Foundation, Children’s Burial Assistance, Final Farewell and some religious groups such as Jewish Federation, Catholic Church Charities and Masjid Al-Wali.
While the government itself has several agencies that offer financial assistance for funeral expenses. The departments are the Department of Human Services, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, FEMA Funeral Assistance and the Office for Victims of Crime.
Funerals are also one of the major types of expenses where planning is required as well as many questions to answer. Families are usually not prepared for that, when they need to make decisions and handle financing. Make sure you look for all information related to funerals, the family actually has rights that can be obtained from funeral services. If there’s anything you need to know, find out or seek help to find out what rights you can get.
Those are some of the ways you can do on how to ask donations for funeral expenses. From doing a digital campaign to writing letters, calling people closest to you and seeking help from organizations that help with financial funeral expenses.
Sources
