Tips for funeral and memorial fundraiser success

Tell your loved one’s story

In the fundraiser description, tell the story of your loved one. Describe your relationship to them and explain what he or she meant to you. We’ve found that writing your story as a tribute to your loved one and including photos of him or her at different points in their life is a great way to inspire others to reminisce about the times that they shared with them. If you’re struggling to find the right words, read our blog post Your Crowdfunding Fundraiser Story: A Comprehensive Guide for extra help.

Share specific financial needs

We understand that funerals are expensive. You can encourage more donations by letting your supporters know exactly what your financial needs are. In your fundraiser description, let potential donors know about specific expenses, such as flowers and funeral home expenses, and the amount that each item costs, so they know how their donation is making a difference.

Keep your supporters involved

Posting fundraiser updates with photos paying tribute to your loved one or publicly thanking donors will go a long way to keep up the support. Be as clear as possible about what the funds will be contributing to and who will be handling the finances – this helps reduce unnecessary stress and prevents awkward questions at an emotional time.

Let us know if you need more help

We hope that these suggestions will be helpful for you throughout your funeral fundraising experience. Contact our Customer Support team with any questions you might have.

It all starts with your title, photo and description

As friends, family and random strangers scroll through their social media feeds, your featured photo is the first thing that grabs their attention—followed in rapid succession by the title of your fundraiser and the first sentence of your description.

If those three elements work well, people seeing them might think “I need to share this” before they’ve even seen your fundraising page. A visit to your fundraising page should then seal the deal for both a donation and a share.

Use our resources to get great ideas for naming your online fundraiser. Next, learn how to improve your crowdfunding fundraiser with inspiring images. After that, you can explore how to make a fundraising video that attracts donors.

Once you’ve told your story as well as you can using these tools, go through it one more time. Look at it as if it were someone else’s fundraiser — ask yourself which parts would inspire you to donate and share. Should any of those parts be expanded or clarified? How can you make them even stronger?

Inspire others to share (and reshare) with updates

Don’t underestimate the importance of sharing updates on your fundraiser page and through social media. The more you share, the more opportunities you get to inspire supporters to reshare, widening the reach of your fundraiser.

As each update appears on your fundraising page, it shows existing and potential donors how your story is unfolding — and inspires them to become part of it, to donate again or to share your progress on social media. We’ve found that this is particularly true for updates that show how previous donations have helped your beneficiary, include photos or videos of fundraising events or show supporters spending time with the beneficiary.

In your updates, don’t be afraid to share both good news and hardships, making clear both the beneficiary’s positive progress and his or her continuing need. For details on writing powerful and effective updates, see our blog post How to Write a Fundraising Update.

How often should you post fundraiser updates? At least once a week — and each time, you and everyone on your fundraising team should share each update on social media.

Best practices for social media promotion

• Attention spans are short on social media. When you keep messages brief, you increase the likelihood they’ll be shared.
• Somewhere in every post, tweet or message, briefly ask people to share your fundraiser. Without this, the idea of sharing may not occur to the reader.
• Think about promoting your crowdfunding fundraiser with a custom hashtag. When you create a hashtag, if appropriate, use it in tandem with established hashtags for larger events (for example, a natural disaster). Use both tags each time you post. This will dramatically boost your exposure to like-minded people and those looking to help victims.
• Consider creating a dedicated Facebook page for your fundraiser or cause. This is an especially good idea if you’re raising money for an ongoing need, rather than funding for a specific life event. For more tips on using Facebook, see How to Start a Facebook Page for Your Fundraiser. And if you use Twitter, don’t miss the community and promotion tips at How to Fundraise on Twitter.
• For more basic social media tips, take a look at out our post Using Social Media to Promote Your Fundraiser.

Promote your fundraiser with our simple sharing tools

From your fundraiser page, it only takes a few clicks to start promoting your fundraiser online:

• Use Facebook or Twitter share buttons beneath your fundraiser title to post directly to social media.
• Click on the button with the “+” sign below your fundraiser story to get an embeddable widget for easy placement on your website or blog.
• The “Subscribe to Updates” button lets people receive your updates automatically. Encourage supporters to sign up when they visit your donation page.
• Don’t forget the URL of your fundraiser page — it’s a one-step promotional tool and the only thing people need to share your fundraiser. Add your URL to your email signature. If you have a blog, feature it prominently there.

Attract media coverage to get shares from strangers

Invite journalists and local media outlets to share your cause with their audiences. We break down every step of this process in How to Get Local Media to Cover Your Fundraiser.

An overview: compose a brief yet thorough press release and send it via email and social media. Make it simple for journalists to verify and feature your information using our tips for writing an effective fundraiser press release. Always include your contact details and a link to your fundraiser.

Press coverage creates more sharing. Today, sharing can also create press coverage (which in turn creates more sharing). Often, the key to creating this circle of interest is getting the first piece of press coverage, which that alerts the media herd to move towards your story. The first story can be the hardest to get, but it will pay dividends when the media begins calling you, instead of you calling them.

For a more detailed look at this phenomenon, see our post on viral fundraising. Evidence of viral fundraising in action at GoFundMe: the successful fundraisers Relief for Fidencio the paleta man and Chauncy’s Chance.

More sharing means more donations

We see it time and time again — the more updates people post to their fundraising pages, the more money they raise. Sharing updates frequently (at least once a week) is the best approach for reaching new people, keeping supporters in the loop and providing fresh news they can share and reshare. Updates can also inspire repeat donations.

These fundraisers demonstrated the effectiveness of earning tens of thousands of shares — each one brought in donations exceeding $100,000:

• Richard Overton – 24/7 homecare (23k shares)
• LOVE ARMY FOR SOMALIA (118k shares)
• Help Create Gentle Barn St. Louis! (13k shares)

For tips on sharing offline read Online Fundraising Without Social Media: 42 Ways to Share Offline. Are you ready to start sharing? Create your fundraiser today.

Drive donations with these fundraiser sharing tips:

1. Share your GoFundMe early and often

Once you publish your GoFundMe fundraiser, aim to share it within the next 10 hours to start gaining donation momentum. Start with sharing your GoFundMe link with at least three of your closest friends and family, and ask if they would consider donating to help you kickstart your fundraising efforts. Then, share your link with your broader circles.

2. Ask friends to help you spread the news

You don’t have to do the work by yourself. Think of three or more friends or family members who are active on social media or might be willing to put in extra effort to help you reach your fundraising goal. Reach out to them directly and ask them to help you spread the word about your GoFundMe by sharing your fundraising link with their networks. 

3. Use specifics when sharing your fundraiser

We’ve seen that potential donors like to know how the money they donate will be used. Share specifics about how the money you raise will be used. Knowing these extra details can help donors feel more confident to give. 

Example: “A donation of $35 helps cover one tank of gas for the drives to and from the hospital.”

4. Highlight timely moments or milestones to drive urgency

Let people know if you need to reach your fundraising goal by a certain date. This can motivate your supporters to donate right away and help you reach your goal more quickly.

Example: “We are raising money to honor my grandmother at her memorial service on March 4.”

Similarly, sharing fundraising progress is an important way to show donors the impact of their donations on your journey. When you reach a milestone, share the achievement with your supporters. This will also let them know how far away you are from reaching your goal and may prompt them to donate or share your fundraiser with their networks again.

Example: “I am halfway to reaching my fundraising goal of raising school supplies for my daughter’s classroom! Will you help me reach my goal by donating $10 or sharing?”

5. Reach out to your neighborhood

“How do I get my GoFundMe noticed?” is a question you may be asking yourself. One way to do this is by spreading the word about your fundraiser within your neighborhood. Put up flyers with your fundraiser link at local events, places of worship, alumni groups, gyms, coffee shops, or wherever you spend time in your community. Making a QR code that links to your GoFundMe is another great way to help people quickly find your fundraiser.

6. Record a video 

While photos are meaningful, potential donors may connect with your story at an even deeper level if you record a simple, heartfelt video on your phone and share it with your fundraiser link. Learn more on our video fundraising tips page.

7. Share on weekday mornings

One of the best times of day to spread the word about your fundraiser is on weekday mornings. If you can, block off a few minutes each morning to share your fundraiser. Or use the general ‘schedule’ feature for emails and social media posts to be automatically sent out at a dedicated time multiple times throughout the week.

8. Get active for your cause 

Do you like to stay active? Create your own ‘challenge’ by informing donors that you will be running, walking, swimming, climbing, or cycling a certain amount of miles to raise money for your cause. Ask them if they would consider donating $1 (or another relevant amount) per mile you plan to complete. After you cross the ‘finish line’, be sure to update your donors with photos and thank them for their support.

9. Leverage birthdays and important dates

Do you or a loved one have a birthday or other important holiday coming up? Leverage the timing of these special occasions in your ask to drive donations. 

Example: “Please consider donating $15 on May 15 to help celebrate my birthday and support my favorite cause.”

10. Create a Facebook Event for your fundraiser

Invite all of your Facebook friends. You can ask people to share photos, videos, memories, and comments on Facebook that are relevant to your fundraiser. Be sure to paste your fundraiser link in the event description. Check out our blog post on more Facebook fundraising tips.

11. Share with people who have similar interests

Post your fundraiser in a group that’s related to your cause. For example, if you are raising money to help cover the cost of your dog’s surgery, consider sharing the link and your dog’s story (be sure to include a photo!) in a dog-related Facebook group, Reddit thread, or other forum.

12. Regularly share your fundraiser link on different social networking sites

If you’re wondering where to share your GoFundMe link, your social media accounts are a great place to start. We have seen that sharing your GoFundMe link and story on different social media platforms at least three times a week will help you continue to raise money. Remember to focus your post on why your fundraiser means so much to you, and be sure to thank those who have already supported you.

For example, you can share your fundraiser on Instagram in a post or story. Other great places to share your GoFundMe are TikTok, WhatsApp, Twitch, and Nextdoor.

13. Write your fundraiser link in an unexpected place

On your car? Chalk it on the sidewalk? Post a sign on your front lawn? The more creative, the better—this is a great way to create excitement around your fundraiser in addition to social media.

14. Send a handwritten letter to friends and family

You don’t need social media to share your GoFundMe link with your friends and family. Get out a pen and paper and write a short letter telling your fundraising story and asking the recipient if they would consider donating to or sharing your GoFundMe.

15. Team up with a local business

See if a local business will offer a fundraising night for your cause in which they donate a percentage of the proceeds to your fundraiser. Or, see if a coffee or sandwich shop will temporarily name an item after your fundraiser. For example, “Daniel’s Dream Deluxe,” or “Cathy’s Battle Cappuccino.” Make sure to thank the business for their help in your fundraiser journey.

16. Step outside of your direct network

Post your fundraiser link on your city’s Facebook page or your Nextdoor community. This is a great way to reach out to local folks you may not know, but who might be willing to help your cause by sharing your fundraiser link, donating, or supporting you in other ways.

17. Set up a lemonade stand or other fundraising event

This will do two big things—first, you’ll raise money for your cause. Next, you’ll spread awareness about your fundraiser to those in your community. You can serve cups of lemonade, and instead of charging a fee, ask if people would consider donating to your fundraiser. Bodhi’s lemonade stand fundraiser supporting San Diego’s homeless youth is a great example of how online and offline fundraising can work together to make a difference for a cause. Check out our other fundraising event ideas for more inspiration.

18. Post creative shoutouts in your updates

Getting creative with fundraising updates to thank and show your appreciation for those who have donated can be an engaging way to drive donors. For example, you can post a photo of yourself holding a ‘thank you’ sign with all your donors’ names. Or, if the tone is right for your cause, share a ‘thank you’ dance video you choreographed with your pet. 

19. Use your special talents to creatively drive donations

Are you a singer, a poet, or a great photographer? Get your supporters excited to keep up with your fundraising journey by posting “10 Days of Songs” videos or “30 Days of Beautiful Photo Updates.”

20. Connect with a local event or gathering

Is a local event, county fair, or concert happening in your area? Ask if the event coordinators are interested in helping you promote your fundraiser during their event. For example, giving you the mic for a few moments to explain your cause, or allowing fundraiser signs at the entrance.

Local media exposure can raise awareness of your cause, broaden the reach of your fundraiser significantly and boost the funds you raise dramatically. Many community members who learn about your cause may want to contribute, especially if they’re familiar with the beneficiary.

One word of caution: before considering whether you want to contact the media, understand that you and the beneficiary will be put in the spotlight. Make sure that everyone involved is comfortable with being interviewed and having the story shared publicly.

Research the local media landscape

Stories that appeal to a local audience are more likely to be picked up by newspapers, magazines, bloggers and TV stations in the area where the beneficiary or organiser lives or where an incident occurred.

• Create a list of local media contacts at each outlet. Note which ones cover stories like yours.
• For each, find out who reviews story pitches related to your topic and build a contact list.
• Look for individuals, rather than bombarding dozens of journalists. Targeting the right people will get you better results than spamming organisations.

How to contact them

• Find their email. Once your story is concise, you’ve identified a great journalist and you have beautiful photos ready to go, search the internet for the contact information of your journalist.
• Use social media. Social media platforms — like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook — are excellent places to reach out to reporters and journalists. With a simple use of “@,” you can get the attention of someone who could be interested in your story.
• Look for the contact form. Not finding your journalist’s contact information online? Most media organisations have an easy-to-use contact form right on their site.
• Use your network. While you’ve probably already done a great job sharing your fundraiser link and story via social media and email, have you asked around to see if anyone in your network has local media contacts? You may be surprised at how well connected your supporters are.

Write a press release


In a press release, journalists expect to see information in a very specific structure. They’ll quickly scan each release to see if it’s something they — or their boss — might be interested in covering.


Stories with local appeal are more likely to be picked up by local outlets. Emphasise your cause’s connection to the community served by your target. 


• Be clear and candid. Make it easy for the reporter to understand your story, verify its accuracy and see its relevance to their audience.
• Think like a journalist. Ask yourself: what’s newsworthy about your situation? What makes your cause relevant to current news (maybe a rare health condition or a natural disaster)?
• Talk about how important your fundraiser is to the beneficiary. Be clear about how funds will be used and the meaningful difference they will make.
• Include a link to your GoFundMe fundraiser. Before you reach out to local media, your page should be complete, compelling and ready to be seen by thousands of people.
• Emphasise community ties. What clubs, churches, synagogues, or local not-for-profits are you or the beneficiary connected with? People like to donate to someone with a history of giving to the community.
• Describe how hopeful you are for a good outcome and how you’re dealing with challenges. Show that you’re working hard to overcome obstacles — you just need a little help.

Contact and follow up


Sending out your press release is an important step toward getting local media coverage, but it doesn’t end there.


• Follow up with an email or phone call a few days later. Ask if there’s any other information you can provide.
• If you have a favourite journalist or news segment, call and tell them how much you enjoy their articles — and that you think your story would be a good fit.
• Strong images can inspire an outlet to run your story. If you host a fundraising event, create media-worthy visuals (artwork, costumes, games — anything people will want to photograph or video and share). Invite local media, or send the most compelling images from the event.
• Once you get coverage, post your story and link to your fundraiser on the newspaper or TV station’s Facebook page.

Create a circle of public interest

We never know which GoFundMe fundraisers are going to capture the hearts of thousands. Could your story be next? Share news coverage using social media to create an expanding circle of interest that can drive even more success for your fundraiser. Start your fundraiser today.

Below, we offer our favorite social media fundraising tips and best practices to keep in mind when you’re ready to start promoting your fundraiser.

Create a Facebook account for your fundraiser

Facebook can connect you to nearly everyone you know. It’s a powerful tool that can mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to raising money for your cause. Create your social media fundraising strategy with the Facebook tips below.

To create your Facebook account:

1. Go to facebook.com.
2. Complete the signup form and select, “Sign Up.”
3. Need help? See Facebook’s official tips about signing up on Facebook.

Getting started with Facebook

1. Connect to — or “friend” — the people you email

Facebook makes it easy to connect to everyone you know. The contacts in your personal email list are some of the most valuable people you can connect with on social media and those with an established Facebook presence can help spread the word about your fundraiser the fastest.

2. Search for and “friend” people in these categories:

• Friends of your spouse
• Friends of your children and/or their parents
• Friends of your parents
• Members of clubs or associations related to your cause
• Current and former classmates
• Current and former colleagues
• Current and former acquaintances

3. Let Facebook do the work for you

As you build connections, Facebook will start recommending more connections. You’ll also start receiving friend requests from people you know. When promoting your fundraiser online, it’s important to connect to as many people as you can as quickly as you can.

Some friend request won’t be accepted right away. But don’t worry — not everyone checks friend requests regularly and some limit their friend lists. Just keep “friending” as many people you know.

Facebook pitfalls to avoid

1. Sharing a fundraiser link without context

If you aren’t sure how to ask for donations when sharing social media posts, our biggest tip is to give context to your posts.

• Explain exactly why you need your friends’ help and create a sense of urgency by letting them know when you need to meet your fundraising goal.
• Each time you share your fundraiser, tell a different part of your story or include a new update.
• Your friends and family members want to help you, but repeat blasts of a plea to send you money won’t be effective — in fact, it could lead to people unfollowing you.

2. Sharing too often — or not often enough

People will engage with you as you share your fundraiser. But posting as often as possible isn’t always better. Posting about your fundraiser 10 times a day may lead many people to ignore or unfollow you instead. To avoid oversharing with your network, try mixing it up.

• Share photos, stories and videos. Sharing content once a day is fine, as long as the updates are different each time.
• Don’t wait too long between posts, either. Share something about your fundraiser at least once a week.
• Try sharing a photo or news article that relates to your cause along with a few words about why it stood out to you and how it ties in to your fundraiser.
• See our blog post 25 Fundraiser Sharing Tips to Increase Donations

3. Not engaging with others

Social media is all about engaging with others and building a connection that encourages people to take action. But the key to getting people to share your posts or support your fundraiser is to engage with them in a genuine way.

• Engage with their posts as much as you do your own.
• “Like” their photos and respond to their posts in a friendly and social way.
• Let your contacts know that you’re on Facebook and that you care about them.


4. Not posting photos and videos

People love photos and videos — they’re some of the most popular content on Facebook. Adding an interesting image or video to posts about your fundraiser can entice people to find out more.

• When writing social media posts, be sure to include photos of yourself, your family and the beneficiary of your fundraiser.

• Fundraisers that feature several high-quality photos in the story typically raise more donations than those with only text.  
• Keep each photo that you share relevant to your fundraiser.

Three social media fundraising ideas that work

1. Hop on trending hashtags

Adding trending hashtags to your social media posts is an easy way to attract attention to your fundraiser. Sharing relevant and inspirational quotes for #MondayMotivation or old pictures for #ThrowbackThursday while adding your fundraiser link is great for your exposure and content strategy.

If you want to take it a step further, create a fundraiser hashtag that’s unique to your cause and encourage people to use it when posting about your fundraiser.

2. Use all of your social media accounts to spread the word

Sharing your fundraiser is important because it can potentially lead to more donations. These days, more and more people are beginning to fundraise on Twitter, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Nextdoor. People often use these social media apps to talk about ideas and causes they care about or find interesting. Platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, and Nextdoor are designed to encourage interactions between strangers, so it’s possible to reach new supporters with your social media posts.

3. Thank donors in social media posts

Public recognition is one way to show gratitude for your donors’ support and make them feel appreciated. You can do this by posting an update to your fundraiser that thanks specific people by name. Then, you can share this update on Facebook and other social media accounts. Publicly thanking your supporters can increase donor retention and encourage others to donate. Check out our blog posts on how to write a donation thank you letter and other ideas for how to say thank you to donors.

Are you ready to start fundraising using social media?

Now that you have a few fundraising ideas to help you step up your social media game, you’ll be able to develop a fundraising plan and meet your fundraising goals. GoFundMe offers a comprehensive blog full of fundraising tips and inspiration to help you raise more money. Check out how it works and start a fundraiser today.

Use high-quality images

Quality matters. Online users have a short attention span, so you only have a few seconds to grab their attention and keep it. Great photos are your key to success.

• Clear, focused and well-lit pictures help build empathy. Make sure your cover shot clearly shows your beneficiary.
• Your featured cover image should capture the viewer’s attention and give an idea of what your story is about.
• The recommended main image size is 600 pixels wide by 400 pixels tall.

Post plenty of pictures

Fundraisers with at least five photos raise more than those with just one. The bottom line is that donors love looking at lots of pictures!

• Choose the best photo for your cover image and then add several more to the gallery. Don’t post duplicate images – show many different aspects of your cause.
• Use photos to tell your story. Think of it as a slideshow about your cause and include a beginning, middle and end.
• The more beautiful and varied your images are, the more people will want to share them on social media. This will drive more donations to your cause.

Update as often as possible

Sharing updates is a great way to inspire people to donate as your fundraiser gets noticed. Refresh your page with new images to keep your fundraiser engaging.

• Start with a few images and add new ones with each update. Include the highest-quality photos in your gallery.
• Take pictures during fundraising events and add pictures taken by your supporters (with their permission).
• Continue posting images to social media and encourage others to share them too.

Some fundraiser photo don’ts

There are a few types of photos that we don’t recommend you share on your fundraiser.

• Make sure that your photos are family-friendly. Be sure that your photos are appropriate for all ages and are compliant with our Terms & Conditions.
• Don’t use photos that you don’t own. If you’d like to use photos, videos or music that you don’t own, you must get permission first. While it’s best to use your own photos, you can have a look at Flickr’s Creative Commons database for high-quality stock photos.

Picturing crowdfunding success

Along with photos, videos can play a key role in fundraising – they’re just as powerful, if not more so, than images. For other great fundraising tips, visit our main fundraising tips page. GoFundMe is a crowdfunding site with a 0% platform fee for organizers; if you haven’t already started, launch a fundraiser today.