How hosting events for funeral directors can boost your in-memory income       

As a fundraiser you're no stranger to event ideas. We invite you to think outside fundraising events and consider a few of the ways in which working with local businesses and funeral people can help you boost your income.

‘Thank you’ events for local funeral directors can be a fantastic way to strengthen relationships with them. Events lead to an increase in your in-memory income when funeral directors promote your charity to their client families, and can also open the door for potential corporate support.

How funeral businesses work with MuchLoved 

We work with over 2,000 funeral branches who create tribute pages on behalf of their families, using MuchLoved.  For funeral businesses, tributes provide an easy way to create an online funeral notice and process online donations.  For many families their tribute page is much more than that as it quickly becomes a special place to gather memories of their loved one, something they will treasure for a long time.

Why getting to know your local funeral businesses is important

It’s worth investing time in getting to know local funeral directors for many reasons: 

• Funeral people are key members of their communities who want to support local charities and causes 
• Having their support will help increase awareness of your charity  
• Good relationships pave the way for conversations about sponsorship, events and fundraising  
• If a family hasn’t thought of a charity for in-memory donations, the funeral arranger might guide them by suggesting a charity that they know well 
• You can help funeral directors to see the long-term value of tribute pages for bereaved families and together you can ensure a seamless transfer of care to your charity 
• Ultimately, this can boost in your in-memory income - of the £29 million donated by families and friends on MuchLoved tributes in 2024, approximately 70% we donated on pages originally created by funeral directors. 

Our ideas for events and sponsorship 

Funeral directors welcome the opportunity to visit your charity and get to know you.  They also see events as an opportunity to network with other funeral businesses and people in the community.  Things to think about: 

• Host an annual ‘thank you’ event held at your charity 
• Arrange a tour of your facility - for instance, most funeral directors haven’t been inside a hospice to see what a fantastic place it is.  It’s always beneficial to show them how your charity works and the service you provide 
• Invite them to your fundraising events or other events for bereaved families 
• If you don’t have a suitable venue, ask a funeral business if they can provide a space for an event 
• Think about what you might be able to offer funeral directors in terms of training and professional development, for instance a first aid or CPR course at your facility 
• Give a brief presentation which includes information about funding and the challenges you face.  This will help funeral arrangers to talk to the families about donations and let them know what a difference in-memory fundraising makes 
• Don’t be afraid to ask for their support through sponsorship opportunities 
• Follow-up after your events with regular updates, or send them your newsletter 

For more advice