Charity donation for funeral

Your donation with be private so give what you can afford - or not.

This is why many people now go for direct type cremations. No fuss and flummery.

Thank you all for your help.

We never got a list of donors when my father died, just a letter from the charity and a total amount received. And I'm happy that way, it would have been awful to thank that X thought so little of dad that they'd only given a couple of quid! We also paid in the loose cash left in his property when he died.

I won't donate to any charities that I don't approve of (and there are a lot of those). Flowers for my aunt's funeral recently cost us £200. I don't think it's the amount that matters and no-one else will know. If it's a charity that you think is worthwhile then give whatever you can afford. If it's just about 'show' then I wouldn't give anything, but would remember your sister's husband as he wanted to be remembered.

Would you have sent flowers? If so then something about the cost they would be. If flowers not considered then about £25.00 I think.

Send whatever you can afford. We don’t know (or need to know) your financial situation. Charities are grateful for whatever they receive, however large or small.
Posters here are probably suggesting what they could afforded to donate, but we’re all different, with different circumstances.
If you would have sent flowers had they been asked for, then looking up a few florists on line would give you an idea of their cost so that you could send that equivalent instead if it’s within your budget.

I had set of envelopes distributed with funeral service leaflet and there was a collection box at the door. The 'no flowers' was mentioned in the announcement. The undertaker gave me a total of what was collected. I do not recall the donation being acknowledged by the charity. Especially for a cremation, flowers are such a waste apart from some 'coffin toppers' from immediate family. I suggest you give what you might have spent on flowers or less if you did not wish to send flowers. Some flowers for the family a month later might be more appreciated? It is a tradition here to remember the deceased on the month following.

I honestly think give what you can afford. Funeral flowers are eye watering expensive so I don't think there is a comparison. Charities are really struggling these days so any amount would be appreciated.

Last time I did funeral flowers, last year. They were between £50-£120

I’m in full agreement that the OP gives what they can easily afford and no more

At both parents funerals we did donations if desired both directly online and in church and all donations were split between cancer research and our local hospice and in all cases the charities wrote and thanked us.

Give what you can afford. It's the thought that counts. We had a box and collected for the ward mum died in. It provided little extras for the patients like Christmas gifts. Had a lovely "thank you " from the hospital. But I had no idea how much anyone gave just the total.

I went to a funeral 2 years ago ( England) and donated …£50 to a children’s heart charity . A wreath of funeral flowers wouldve cost as much . I thought it appropriate.

DH has been to about 15 funerals in the last two years, some family, others friends.

A charitable donation is welcome, whatever you can afford.

When my mother died we asked for donations to the National Forest and were able to go and plant the trees the following spring.

When a very old friend's son died very unexpectedly at the age of 50 I donated £50 to his favourite cause. I thought that was about right, but it definitely should be what you can afford.

Freya5

I do hope the charity selected is forth coming in their thanks. Or that they even receive the money.
Many years ago we asked for donations for the scoliosis society, 150 pounds raised. No acknowledgement from them whatsoever. Never again. Flowers only, and if donations requested, then sorry no.

The only acknowledgement from our local hospice was to ask if there was more to come! The donation was quite significant but presumably not enough!

Give according to what you can afford

We have my partners funeral early November and requested donations to the community support group I chair and for which my partner was the sectary. It was done through Much Loved plus a collection box at the funeral itself. The Much Loved organisation pays out after 4 weeks, to make sure all the donations are in, I received a list of the donors and the amount donated plus their email in advance of payment and have written to every one of them to thank them individually. This is the norm for that particular giving platform. My neighbour died in December and they too donated to our Community Group, I have already received the list of donors so I can thank them but the money is as yet not paid out. How much to donate is a personal choice, but we did not have any donations below £20. As already mentioned funeral flowers even a spray are in excess of £ 50, but even sending flowers by Interflora or the like is now in excess of £ 35 and often more. Personally I would donate as much as you can possibly afford, it is your sister you are supporting, so turn it around and think how much you would have liked her to donate if it had been your husband's funeral. You have a good relationship now, although you do not see each other, keep it like that, as she will need you more than ever now.

Give what you can afford and no more. People understand times are hard and you don’t want to seem embarrassed or worried about this at such a hard time.

The equivalent that you would have spent on flowers

Give what you can afford, maybe the equivalent that you might have spent on flowers
We raised 2,500 for a local charity at my husband’s funeral. We were pleased and that’s what he’d wanted

This is not an answer to the question. But a few years ago my aunt in Canada died and she had asked for people to donate to a charity that plants new forests. I sent £50 and had a lovely hand written note from the charity plus a packet of forget me not seeds as a gift, I thought that was lovely.
My cousin told me they had planted 15 new trees in her name with money raised.
I think you send what you can afford but I go with the approximate amount of the flowers that would have been sent.

My sister was at a funeral last week and they provided A QR code so that people could donate with their phones as they left.
When DH died the charity received £3,000 + in donations.
When I donate at a funeral it depends on how well I knew the person and whether I am happy to give to that charity. Relatives I donate hundreds, acquaintances a lot less.

I never like flowers for funerals as they are left to rot and a waste of money. At my parents and mother in law's funeral they wanted flowers . But only family.

At my husband's funeral it was no flowers but donations if people wanted to give and people gave or sent money to me we gave the cancer ward who treated him over £5,000 which nearly 20 years ago was a lot of money .

If it's family or close friends I ask what charity they want the money to go to and send £20.