What to Do When Someone Dies: The First 48 Hours
A calm, ordered checklist: pronouncement, who to call, choosing a funeral home, and paperwork.
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How to crowdfund a funeral
Quick answer: crowdfunding a funeral works best when the goal comes from the real bill, not a round guess. Get the itemized funeral home total first, subtract what the family can already pay and any benefits coming in, add a small buffer for platform fees, and publish the breakdown on the page. GoFundMe is free to start and takes a transaction fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 per donation. For scale, our modeled national estimate for a traditional funeral with viewing and burial is $9,140 and for direct cremation it is $3,030, both in August 2026 dollars. If you need to net the full traditional figure through GoFundMe, set the goal around $9,415 to cover the fees. For a line item estimate in your state, use our cost calculator.
NFDA 2023 medians adjusted to August 2026 dollars via BLS CPI for funeral expenses; 2024 BEA regional price parities. Last updated 2026-09-23.
Step 1: get the real number before you publish
A fundraiser with a vague goal raises less and invites suspicion. Before the page goes live, collect:
- The funeral home itemized total from its General Price List, which the FTC Funeral Rule requires the home to give you.
- Cemetery charges, if burial is planned: plot, opening and closing, and marker setting.
- Extras: flowers, obituary, officiant, reception, and transport.
- What the family can already pay, and benefits in progress: the Social Security $255 lump-sum death payment, a VA burial allowance for veterans, life insurance, or a prepaid plan.
Goal equals the total bill, minus what is already covered, plus a fee buffer. Our guide to paying for a funeral walks through every benefit to check before you ask anyone for money, and our cheapest funeral options guide can lower the bill itself: direct cremation instead of a full service cuts the goal by thousands before a single donation arrives.
Step 2: pick a platform
Most funeral fundraisers run on a general platform, because that is where donors already have accounts. Funeral-specific platforms exist too, but reach matters more than specialization: donors give when the link arrives from someone they trust, not because of the logo on the page.
| What to compare | What to check before choosing |
|---|---|
| Cost to start | GoFundMe is free to start; check whether any platform you consider charges a setup fee |
| Fee per donation | GoFundMe: 2.9% plus $0.30 per donation. Other platforms often keep around 5% to 7%; read the fee page |
| When you get the money | GoFundMe lets you transfer funds at any time, even before the goal is met; some platforms hold funds until the goal is reached |
| Donor trust | A platform donors recognize, a verified organizer, and a linked obituary or funeral home name |
Step 3: write a short, specific page
Donors decide in under a minute. Put the essentials first:
- Title with the full name: "Help with [name] funeral expenses" beats a vague title every time.
- What happened, in two or three sentences. No medical detail beyond what the family is comfortable sharing.
- The cost breakdown. Funeral home total, cemetery charges, and what is already covered. Specific numbers build trust.
- The deadline. If the funeral is on a set date, say when the money is needed by.
- A photo. One warm photo of the person, with the family permission.
Keep the tone plain and direct. You are not selling anything; you are telling people what happened, what it costs, and how they can help. If writing feels impossible right now, ask a close friend to draft it from your notes: many families have someone else run the page while they handle arrangements.
Step 4: launch to close circle first, then share widely
- First donations from family and close friends. A page with early donations looks credible; a page at $0 looks uncertain. Ask the inner circle first.
- Then share everywhere the person was known: social media, group chats, workplace channels, faith communities, and the obituary page.
- Post updates. Service date set, goal progress, thanks to donors, and a final update on what the money covered. Updates re-share the page to people who missed it.
- Thank every donor. A short message on the page or privately. People who feel thanked give again, and tell others.
- Transfer funds early. Do not wait for the goal: withdraw as donations arrive so the funeral home can be paid on time, and ask the home about a deposit plus payment plan while the campaign runs.
If the goal is not reached
Say so on the page, and explain the plan: a simpler arrangement, a payment plan with the funeral home, county assistance, or a second round of sharing. Options that lower the bill rather than raise more money are often faster: our indigent burial assistance guide explains county programs that cover a basic cremation or burial for qualifying families, and our cheapest options guide ranks the lowest cost arrangements. Whatever happens, post a final update: donors deserve to know what their money paid for.
How donors can check a campaign is genuine
Fraud in funeral fundraising is rare: GoFundMe reports less than one tenth of 1% of campaigns as fraudulent, but donors are right to be careful. Before donating, check for a verified obituary or news report, a named funeral home, a named organizer with a visible connection to the family, and a specific cost breakdown. Be wary of duplicate campaigns for the same person, or a page that refuses to name the funeral home. If you run a campaign, make all of this easy to find: it protects your donors and raises more money.
One more caution: donations to a personal fundraiser are personal gifts, not tax deductible. Only a fundraiser for a registered charity in honor of the deceased can offer a deduction, so do not promise one on a personal page.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use GoFundMe for funeral expenses?
Yes. Funeral and memorial expenses are one of the most common fundraiser categories on GoFundMe, and there are no eligibility requirements to start one. You can raise money for the funeral home bill, the burial or cremation, a memorial service, and related costs such as travel for family. Funds can be transferred to your bank even before the goal is reached, so you do not have to hit the target to use what has been donated.
How much does GoFundMe take from funeral donations?
GoFundMe is free to start: there is no platform fee for the organizer. Each donation carries a transaction fee of 2.9% plus $0.30, which covers card processing. On a $100 donation, about $96.80 reaches the fundraiser after that fee. That is why the goal should be set slightly above the funeral bill: to net $9,140, roughly the modeled cost of a traditional funeral with viewing and burial, you need to raise about $9,415. Other platforms keep different percentages, often around 5% to 7%, so check the fee page before choosing one.
How do I set a funeral fundraiser goal?
Start from the itemized bill, not a round number. Get the funeral home General Price List total and the cemetery charges, subtract what the family can already pay and any benefits coming in, such as the Social Security $255 lump-sum death payment or a VA burial allowance, then add a small buffer for transaction fees. Publish the breakdown on the page: donors give more, and trust the campaign more, when they can see exactly what the money pays for.
Are GoFundMe donations for a funeral tax deductible?
No, not for a personal fundraiser. Donations to a personal campaign are treated as personal gifts and are not tax deductible for the donor. The exception is a fundraiser set up for a registered charity or nonprofit in honor of the deceased: donations to that charity fundraiser may be tax deductible. Do not promise donors a tax deduction on a personal funeral page.
How long does it take to get GoFundMe money?
You can set up bank transfers once the fundraiser is live and start withdrawing donations as they arrive; you do not wait until the campaign ends or the goal is met. The first transfer takes a few days while the bank account is verified, and later transfers are faster. Because funeral homes usually want payment before or soon after the service, start the fundraiser as early as possible and ask the funeral home about timing: many will accept a deposit and a payment plan while donations come in.
What should I write on a funeral fundraiser page?
Keep it short and specific: the full name of the person, what happened, what the money will pay for with a cost breakdown, and the deadline if the funeral date sets one. A photo helps, and updates help more: post when the service is scheduled, thank donors by name where appropriate, and post a final update saying what the donations covered. If the goal is not reached, say so plainly and explain how the remaining bill will be handled, rather than leaving donors guessing.
Build your line item estimate → · How to pay for a funeral → · Cheapest funeral options → · Indigent burial assistance →
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