A retiring collection and a pile of envelopes
The family asked for donations to the local hospice in lieu of flowers. At the service, there is a retiring collection plate. In the following weeks, cards with cheques arrive at your office, some addressed to the family care of you, some to the hospice. A few people ask if they can pay online. Some want to Gift Aid their donation. Others want the family to know they gave but not how much.
Your office keeps a list in a spreadsheet, banks the cheques and cash, and after a few weeks writes to the family with a list of names and sends the total to the hospice. Two cards turn up after the cheque has gone. Someone has to explain why their name is not on the list.
Why donations take so much handling
Donations in memory come in several forms, over several weeks, and each has its own small admin task.
- Cash from the collection needs counting and recording, ideally by two people.
- Cheques arrive by post, made out variously to you, the charity or the family.
- Online giving through a tribute page or charity site is separate from the rest.
- Donors' names, addresses and messages need to reach the family, respecting their wishes.
- Gift Aid declarations, where offered, have to reach the charity in the form it needs.
- Nobody knows when the list is complete.
Where it goes wrong
Donations matter to families because they show who cared. A missing name on the list the family receives can hurt, and a mistake with money given in memory is never a small thing, even if the amount is.
For your office, it is a long tail of admin on each funeral: counting, banking, recording, writing lists and letters, and answering donors who ask whether their gift arrived.
One donation record per funeral
What we build gathers every gift for a funeral into one record and makes the handover straightforward.
- When a family chooses donations, a donation record is created on the funeral with the chosen charity or charities.
- An online tribute and donation page can be set up for the funeral, using Stripe or the charity's own giving link, and those gifts appear on the record automatically.
- Cash from the collection is counted and entered by two members of staff, each confirming the total.
- Cheques and cash received by post are entered with the donor's name, address, message and whether they want the amount shared with the family.
- Gift Aid declarations are captured on the online form or on a printed card, in the format the charity asks for.
- At a date you and the family agree, the record is closed, and the system produces a list for the family, a statement and remittance for the charity, and thank-you letters if you send them.
- Gifts arriving after closing are recorded as late gifts and passed on in a short follow-up.
| Gift arrives as | Recorded by | Goes to the family list |
|---|---|---|
| Online donation | Automatic | Name and message, amount if they agree |
| Collection plate | Two staff counting | Total only |
| Cheque in a card | Office | Name, message, amount if they agree |
| After closing | Office, as late gift | In a follow-up list |
How donations are held, and anything about Gift Aid or charity rules, are matters for you, the charity and your accountant. The system records and reports in the way you and the charity agree.
A list the family can trust
Six weeks after the funeral, the donation record shows every gift: online, from the collection and by post. The family receive a list of names and messages, with amounts only where donors agreed. The hospice receives one payment with a statement and the Gift Aid declarations. When a card arrives the following week, it is added as a late gift and passed on without anyone having to explain a gap.
Are donations a burden in your office?
- Donations are tracked in a spreadsheet or notebook.
- Cheques arrive for weeks after the funeral.
- Online and offline donations are recorded separately.
- Families have asked why a name was missing from their list.
- Preparing the charity handover takes hours.