How to Ask for Donations in an Obituary

You can ask for donations to charities in lieu of flowers.

When someone dies, it is customary to send flowers to the funeral home. The family of the deceased may not wish to have money spent on flowers when it could be better utilized by donating it to a charity. It is not uncommon for someone to make a request before dying that donations be made to a specific charitable organization.

Instructions

1. Read over the last wishes of the deceased, if something was prepared. Find the charitable organization the deceased had selected for donations. Sometimes such information is not written down but has been communicated verbally to a family member. In instances where the family decides to ask for donations, a decision must be made on which organization should receive the donation. It is customary to pick an organization that would have meant something to the deceased.

2. Contact the selected organization to confirm that donations are accepted and to ask how donations are to be made. For an obituary, a mailing address for donations is typically listed instead of a website. Some organizations setup an account in the deceased's name to accept all memorial donations.

3. Include a line at the end of the obituary that read something to the effect of, "In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to ..." and list the name of the organization and how to donate.

References

• In Lieu of Flowers: What Does It Mean?
• Legacy Connect: How to Make Memorial Donations
• How To Write: How to Write an Obituary in 10 Easy Steps