8min read · by KindRise’s founder, a Brooklyn resident

How to Set Up a Memorial Fund: Steps, Wording, and Examples

When someone dies, a memorial fund gives people a way to turn grief into something that helps — covering costs the family is facing, supporting a cause the person loved, or creating something lasting in their name. Setting one up is simpler than most people expect. Here's how to do it, along with wording you can copy.

Step 1: Decide what the fund is for

A memorial fund is more meaningful — and easier to share — when it has a clear purpose. The most common are:

Support for the family: covering funeral or memorial costs, medical bills, or day-to-day expenses during a hard time
A cause the person cared about: donations to a charity, research foundation, animal rescue, church, or community group they loved
A lasting tribute: a scholarship, a memorial bench or tree, a mural, or an annual event in their name

Pick one primary purpose. "In memory of [Name], to support [specific thing]" is far more compelling than a general "in memory of" fund with no stated use.

Step 2: Choose where to collect the money

You have a few options, and they differ in speed, cost, and tax treatment:

An online memorial fundraising page — the fastest and most shareable option. You can set it up in minutes, share a single link, and everyone can give from their phone. Best for family support and most tribute funds.
A dedicated bank account — some families open an account in the person's name. It's private but slow to set up and hard to share; you'll still want an online page for collecting gifts.
A fund through an existing charity — if the fund supports a registered 501(c)(3), routing gifts through that charity (or a community foundation) makes donations tax-deductible. Ask the charity if they'll host a named memorial fund.

Whichever you choose, keep platform fees low — a memorial fund should send as much as possible to its purpose, not to processing costs.

Tip: If the fund is for the family, make one trusted person the organizer and say so on the page (“Organized by [Name], [relationship]”). Donors give more readily when it's clear who is responsible for the money.

Step 3: Write the tribute and the ask

This is the part people agonize over, but it doesn't need to be long. Three short paragraphs is plenty: who the person was, what the fund supports, and how gifts will be used. Write the way you'd speak. Below are wording examples you can copy and adapt.

Memorial Fund Description — Copy & Customize

In loving memory of [Full Name] (— [birth year]–[year of passing]).

[First Name] was [a sentence about who they were — e.g., “a devoted teacher, a fierce friend, and the person who always showed up first and left last”]. We lost [him/her/them] on [date], and this fund is a way for all of us to honor [his/her/their] memory together.

Gifts to this fund will go toward [specific purpose — e.g., “funeral costs and supporting [Name]'s children” / “a scholarship in [Name]'s name at [School]” / “[Charity], the cause [Name] gave so much of [his/her] time to”].

Thank you for keeping [First Name]'s memory alive with us. Every gift, of any size, means more than we can say.

Short Ask for Sharing — Copy & Customize

We've set up a memorial fund in memory of [Full Name] to [purpose]. If you'd like to honor [First Name], you can contribute here: [YOUR LINK]. Sharing the link with anyone who knew [him/her/them] means a great deal to our family. Thank you.

Thank-You Message — Copy & Customize

Thank you for your gift in memory of [First Name]. It's a comfort to see how many lives [he/she/they] touched, and your kindness is helping [restate purpose — e.g., “our family through this time”]. We're grateful for you. — [Your name] and the [Last Name] family

Step 4: Share it with care

Memorial funds spread through personal networks and the person's communities. Good places to share the link:

A family group text and email chain first, so close relatives see it before it's public
The obituary or funeral home memorial page (many let you add a donation link)
The person's church, club, workplace, alumni network, or team
A pinned post on the person's or family's social media

Add a printed card with a QR code at the memorial service or wake — many attendees will want to give in the moment.

KindRise Feature

Every campaign gets a QR code — automatically

Launch a KindRise campaign and a unique QR code is generated instantly. Print it on a memorial card, a yard-sale sign, or a flyer — people scan to give in under a minute, with no URL to type.

Launch your campaign free →

A note on taxes and sensitivity

Gifts made directly to a family are generally not tax-deductible; gifts to a registered 501(c)(3) usually are. If donors will expect a deduction, set the fund up through a charity and say so clearly. And give yourself grace on the wording — no one expects a grieving family to write perfectly. A simple, honest description always lands.

For related guidance, see our community fundraising guide and how fundraising fees work.

Ready to start? Launch a donation page on KindRise in minutes — with a free AI-generated banner, an auto-generated QR code for flyers, and low transparent fees so more of every dollar reaches your cause.

KindRise is a small, independent project. Email support@gokindrise.com and a real person reads it and helps directly.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you start a memorial fund?

Decide what the fund is for (a cause the person cared about, funeral costs, a scholarship, or support for the family), choose where to collect the money — most people use an online memorial fundraising page for speed and easy sharing — write a short tribute explaining the purpose, and share the link with family, friends, and the person's wider community.

What do you write when setting up a memorial fund?

Keep it warm and specific: name the person, say what the fund supports, and explain how gifts will be used. A few honest sentences work better than a long letter. This guide includes copy-and-paste wording examples for the fund description, the ask, and thank-you messages.

Are donations to a memorial fund tax-deductible?

It depends on how the fund is set up. Gifts made directly to a family or an individual are generally not tax-deductible, while gifts to a registered 501(c)(3) charity (for example, a memorial fund routed through a nonprofit or a scholarship fund) usually are. Confirm with the charity or a tax professional before promising donors a deduction.