There’s a rising trend of families who don’t have enough cash to pay for a funeral or medical costs, especially in the case of unexpected deaths. I’ve seen far too many memorial car washes in Albuquerque. It’s a sad situation, but with the help of GiveForward.com, friends and family can easily pitch in to help and not have to wash a car.
GiveForward.com is an online fundraising website that helps families cover expenses after there’s been an illness or a death. As of October 2014, GiveForward has helped raise more than $130 million for people as well as pets, for medical expenses, funeral costs, scholarships, and living expenses.
To set up a fundraiser, the initiator tells the person’s story, uploads a photo and sets a financial goal for the campaign. Once the story is submitted, it is then shared through email and social media. The service has fundraising coaches who provide fundraising ideas and guidance on how to use crowdfunding to raise money online.
An average campaign raises a bit more than $3,000. They’ve had campaigns raise as much as $250,000 and as little as $1,500 to cover a few outstanding funeral costs.
On each campaign page, people are able to leave their comments of love and support as part the fundraising effort. Families are given the option to print those supportive messages as a keepsake book that can be perused and enjoyed when they aren’t online.
Crowdfunding websites make their money by taking a percentage of transactions. GiveForward takes 7.9% plus fifty cents per transaction. They are the only crowdfunding platform, however, that offers donors the option to cover the fees, and 95% of donors on GiveForward do. Fundraisers on GiveForward raise 21% more on average than their leading competitor.
Recorded at the 2014 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Convention and Expo in Nashville, Tennessee by Gail Rubin, CT, The Doyenne of Death®, host and author of the award-winning TV show and book, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die.