MuchLoved is in its 20th year and over time we have noticed that the connections formed between charities and their in-memory supporters, families and communities are often very long lasting. We are privileged to share some inspirational examples here.
After his death, Gary Burton’s family wanted to continue supporting St Leonard’s Hospice by raising money for cuddle beds. They organised a ‘bed push’ fundraising event, which funded a cuddle bed in his memory. What began as a tribute to Gary soon grew into the ‘Colossal Bed Push', a community event that continues to this day.
James Brokenshire’s tribute showed how digital memorials can create lasting connections between families and charities. Created by his wife Cathy to support the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation after James was diagnosed with lung cancer despite being a non-smoker, the page became a place for supporters to share memories, fundraise, and raise awareness. It also helped build a strong relationship with the charity, with Cathy later becoming a trustee.
Nicky Newman’s tribute page showed how a memorial can keep a person’s legacy alive. After building a global following by sharing her cancer journey online, Nickkyi’s husband created a tribute page where supporters could share memories, messages, and continue fundraising for the charities she supported. The page became both a source of comfort for her family and a lasting community space.
Key things for charities to know
Tribute pages are here to stay and, if used thoughtfully, the technology will help your charity to build meaningful connections. If you are looking for more tips, these articles include advice for honing your stewardship journeys and building relationships with funeral directors:
Case study: Devon Air Ambulance
Mastering the art of stewardship
Working with funeral directors: A guide for charities
How hosting events for funeral directors can boost your in-memory income
Remembrance practices have always reflected the society around us. Victorian Britain was deeply engaged with death due to high mortality rates. Mementos such as photos of the deceased and memorial jewellery were popular.
With the World Wars elaborate mourning gave way to quiet remembrance. As millions died, mourning became more restrained and collective grief was shown through ceremonies, such as state funerals, rather than elaborate private expression.
Later in the 20th century, the deaths of Elvis Presley and John Lennon prompted spontaneous shrines, vigils and emotional responses from fans. Grief was becoming more public and more shared.
The death of Princess Diana in 1997 had a profound impact on public mourning, normalising collective and visible outpourings of grief. A few online message boards, hosted by media outlets, were an early form of what we now know as online tributes.
Between 1999 and 2007, the digital landscape began to change. Internet access was expanding, but it was slow and expensive. However, charities didn't yet have the database infrastructure or stewardship activities needed to support digital fundraising.
The domain muchloved.com was registered in 1999, but the service was not launched until society and technology evolved further. The first online tributes were created by Gone Too Soon and MuchLoved properly took off in 2007.
Early adopters of tribute funds notably included the MND Association with their John’s Journey campaign. Conceived as an awareness and profile-raising campaign, John’s Journey went on to become a successful fundraising campaign that raised £230,000 and prompted a £7.5m government investment into research.
Other charities, including the NSPCC, RNLI, and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, launched their own tribute funds around this time. More online tribute services emerged as part of a broader movement to digitise remembrance and fundraising.
Between 2012 and 2014, several societal shifts fueled the popularity of online tributes. Social media platforms, particularly Facebook and YouTube, lead to more people sharing personal stories and images online. Broadband access improved hugely and smartphones became ubiquitous.
During this period, charities were investing heavily and over 60 of them signed up with MuchLoved, including hospices, healthcare and loved in life charities.
As memorial giving became more widely accepted, more people chose charity donations instead of flowers at funerals. Meanwhile, advances in online maps and digital payments made it easier for funeral details to be shared online and for people to donate to charitable causes.
The rise in direct cremations, from 2016, was also important. Without a physical service, families looked for alternative ways to honour their loved one and support the causes they care about. Online tributes could fill the gap, providing a place for people to come together.
Charities started to become more confident in their use of digital memorialisation. In 2018, MuchLoved launched its Dedication Pages, so charities could offer supporters new ways to remember loved ones online.
They began developing innovative in-memory campaigns that combined storytelling with digital engagement. Examples such as the RNLI’s ‘Launch a Memory’ campaign and Marie Curie’s ‘Memory Cloud’ were highly effective for making connections with supporters and remain popular today.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed things overnight, forcing widespread adoption of digital tools for working, socialising and more.
Charities had to rethink how they engaged supporters when traditional fundraising events were no longer possible. Many turned to online tributes and dedication pages for virtual challenges, campaigns, and community activities. Facebook fundraising became an essential channel for charities across the UK.
At the same time, funeral technology evolved rapidly. With restrictions on gatherings, livestreaming of funerals became essential. QR codes were integrated into funeral notices, memorial services, and tribute pages to make sharing information and donations easier.
Online tribute pages also saw huge growth during this period, becoming a fundamental part of modern funerals and memorial giving. Today, 1 in 4 deaths in the UK have an online tribute page and a further 2 in 4 are shared online in another way.
As remembrance continues to evolve, the opportunity for charities is not simply to keep pace with technology, but to use it with care and purpose, in a way that feels natural for your charity’s purpose. Legacy and in-memory giving are deeply personal, rooted in love, memory and the desire to do something meaningful in memory of a special person. By making these journeys visible, accessible and thoughtfully supported, charities can help families honour their loved ones today while building lasting connections that continue to inspire giving, storytelling and community far into the future.
