Donations
When a person dies those wanting to pay their respects often choose to send flowers to the family, or to the venue of the funeral service. Sometimes, family members request a donation in lieu of flowers. The idea behind asking for a donation is that flowers are temporary, fading and dying after a short time, whereas a donation can continue to help someone who is living. Donations may be for a charity, or to assist the family of the deceased directly.
A loved one’s wishes to make a donation in lieu of flowers can be mentioned in either their death notice or in the funeral service invitations.
Charity donations
For charity donations, you might want to name a specific charity or ask people for donations to a charity of their choice. Perhaps your loved one passed from a terminal disease and you would like to honour their memory by selecting an association or foundation that cares for people with the same illness, such as Hospice New Zealand. Or perhaps your loved one had a charity that meant something to them, and you would like to honour them by asking for donations to this organisation.
Tree planting
An alternative to a traditional monetary donation is asking well-wishers to donate a native tree to a planting project. Trees That Count offers gift vouchers for native trees which will be planted across the country. The voucher is sent to the family along with a personalised card and message, and when the tree is planted the family will receive the details.
Bequests and gifts
A bequest is a legal term for a gift that is made as part of a will or trust. A bequest can be to a person, or it can be a charitable bequest to a nonprofit organisation, trust or foundation.
Anyone can make a bequest—in any amount—to an individual or charity.
