How do I encourage people to donate to my memorial fundraiser?
Filling out the different areas of your Memorial Page with content is a great way to make others feel involved and get them to interact with your Memorial Fundraiser. Here are some steps you can take to get others engaged.
1) Write an Obituary
Obituaries might seem overwhelming to write, but they truly help others connect to the loved one who has passed away. An obituary should generally include the following information:
- Date of passing
- A short biography including information such as their birth place, where they resided, what they did for work, and some information bit about their family (partners, kids, pets).
- A personal look into their lives. You could include information about their hobbies, causes they were passionate about, how they positively impacted their friends, family, and communities, and places or events they enjoyed visiting.
- A list of the remaining family members
Here's an example of a successful obituary to get you started:
Louis Park, 75, of Los Angeles, CA, passed away on March 31st after a valiant battle with stomach cancer.
Louis was born on January 27th, 1943 to David and Esther Park in San Francisco, CA. After graduating from Galileo High School in 1961, he went on to study English literature at University of California Irvine.
After graduation, he landed his first job as a writer for the Los Angeles Daily News, kicking off a 35-year career in journalism.
In 1968, he met Jane (McAllister) Lee, and they wed in 1970, going on to have three children, Megan, Harold and Chris.
After retiring in 1998, Louis spent his time volunteering at the Los Angeles Historical Society, gardening, rooting for LA Dodgers, and spoiling his 8 grandchildren as much as possible.
Louis is predeceased by his parents and his brother, James. He is survived by his wife, Jane Lee; his sister, Sophia (Arnold) Cho; his three children, Megan (Thomas) Jackson, Harold Lee and Chris (Amanda) Lee; and his eight grandchildren, David, Jack, Liz, Eric, Daniel, Hannah, Gace and Kari.
2) Share photos and memories
Posting photos on your memorial page is a great way to remember the person who has passed away and encourages others to share their own photos and memories. Anyone you've shared the link with can post a photo, comment or heart on your Memorial Page. Encouraging them to share their memories is a great way to get others involved with the page.
If you need assistance with posting a photo, check out our article How can I share a photo or note about someone on their memorial website?
3) Share a note explaining the cause
If you've selected a charity, give some background into why the charity is important, what the charity does, and why you've selected it.
If you're raising money for funeral expenses, try to give a bit of information on what type of funeral will be held, event details, and different costs you expect to encounter.
4) Share the link on Facebook
When you're in Edit Mode on your Memorial Page, you'll see a section that lets you copy and share the link with your friends and family.
From here, you can share the link directly to the Memorial Page by copying the link, sending it out by email, or sharing it to Facebook. You can also share to other types of social media by copying and pasting the link on whatever platform you're using. After you've shared the link, contact friends and family and request that they also share the link to the Memorial page.
5) Reach out to local communities or organizations
Word of mouth can be really useful when it comes to successfully fundraising money. Reach out to friends, family, and any relevant local communities with the link to your Memorial Page and them to help spread the word. It can also be beneficial to include a custom note or email when contacting local organizations.
Here's an example email you might send to an organization that they were involved with:
Hi _____,
I'm writing in the hopes that you can help me spread the word of ________'s passing. S/he was passionate about being involved in [Organization] and was grateful to have been a part of it. We're currently trying to raise money for [charity, funeral expenses] and could use some help. We've created a memorial website where people can share memories, photos, and donate (if they wish) to ________'s Memorial Fundraiser. Would you be able to share the link below with [Organization] members? It would be mean a lot.
[Link to Memorial Page]
Thank you,
[Your Name]