What happens when you combine a lack of transparency in
pre-planning, record high funeral costs and a general fear of discussing
mortality in the U.S.?
A lot of people trying to scramble together funds for an
unexpected funeral.
Traditionally, when a family loses a loved one, everyone
hands over their credit card to make sure that mom, dad or grandma gets a
proper sendoff. But when the average cost of a funeral reaches between $7,045 –
$8,343 (according to the National Funeral Directors Association), it’s nearly
impossible for one family to foot the bill.
That’s where funeral crowdfunding comes in.
The History of Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a concept that gained a lot of traction in
the early 2000’s as a major funding resource for budding entrepreneurs and
startups who were looking for help to make their next big idea a reality. By
2011, Kickstarter, GoFundMe, IndieGoGo and other crowdfunding platforms began
emerging.
With the creation of those crowdfunding platforms people
began to raise money for other reasons than business ideas. Crowdfunding
quickly became a way for members of a community to work together and support a
good cause. The most popular campaigns raise money for college funds, medical
emergencies, travel, volunteer work, and now… funerals.
In fact, crowdfunded funerals have become so popular on
these platforms that at this very moment, 11,685 memorial campaigns have been
launched in the last 30 days alone. Crowdfunded funerals have become so big,
there are now crowdfunding platforms being launched just for supporting
funerals – Graceful Goodbye, YouCaring and Funeral Fund, to name a few.
So what can the world of crowdfunded funerals teach us? A
lot, it turns out.
Lessons The World of Crowdfunded Funerals Can Teach Us
After browsing several dozen campaigns online, the first one
that stuck out to me was one created by someone to plan their own funeral. It
was the first campaign I’d seen started by someone for their own funeral, and
it was a really touching story. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma and
wanted a proper burial for himself. In his story, he says “ I do not want to
ignore the inevitable and leave my family to deal with the financial burden of
trying to pay to bury me. I am trying to fight as long as God allows me to.”
His campaign touched me not because it was a devastating
situation, but because he was trying to take control of it. It touched me so
much, I wanted to share with you the three lessons I learned from his story and
many others I read while researching crowdfunded funerals:
Lesson #1: Crowdfunded funerals create awareness of the cost
of a funeral
Not just the costs, but how hard it is to cover them. In the
world of crowdfunded funerals, paying for someone’s wake isn’t a private matter
any more, it’s a public matter where people all over take part. I think it has
created a sense of transparency. After all, we wouldn’t know that it’s
impossible to get life insurance if you’re already in bad health. Or that some
people can’t even afford to travel to attend their loved one’s funeral, let
alone help pay for it.
The takeaway: By creating different package options and
offering them in an easy-to-find, transparent way, we can encourage families to
educate themselves on the cost of funerals… and how to save up for them.
Lesson #2: Crowdfunded funerals inspire people to think
about their own mortality
When’s the last time you really sat down and thought about
your own demise? Like, really thought about it? And without having an anxiety
attack immediately after. Reading all of these stories inspired me to think
about my own mortality so much so that I’ve actually started taking the first
steps in planning my own funeral (stay tuned for that blog, it’ll be coming
soon).
The takeaway: Don’t be afraid to encourage people in your
community to plan for their own mortality. It doesn’t have to be a big deal –
it could simple be a meetup at a local coffee shop where people can start
having those conversations with one another.
Lesson #3: Crowdfunded funerals force us to be held
accountable for our own deaths
Just spend ten minutes browsing through memorial campaigns
and you’ll notice that whether it’s a young person who passed away unexpectedly
or a 90-year-old woman who’s had stage four cancer for the last year, no one’s
ever really ready to die. But by holding ourselves accountable and preparing
for the worst, we’re not only lessening the burden on our loved ones
financially, but we’re also allowing ourselves to die honorably and properly. I
read a statistic a few weeks ago that reported less than 30% of people report
setting aside any funds for their own funeral. Imagine how much the attitudes
towards death and funerals would change if more and more people started saving
for them (think weddings)?
The takeaway: Take the initiative in your community and find
an approachable way to educate people on how to save up for their own funeral.
Create an infographic, a brochure, or even an online program designed to help
them save.
One last thing…
If there’s one thing the world of crowdfunded funerals can
teach us more than anything, it’s that death is an integral part of life, and
it’s time we started treating it that way. Let’s embrace the media attention
towards funerals and death to create awareness, accountability and creativity
when it comes to celebrating life. Sure, crowdfunded funerals can be just
another trend. But it’s a step in the right direction. And for me, one step is
all we need to start connecting with our families better. Tell me in the
comments below if you’re with me!
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