Anna Turner explores how charities can maximise the rich potential of in-memory products to give supporters the choice they seek

Research conducted last year - what's next for in-memory products - revealed significant growth in the in-memory fundraising market.

Despite the low budget allocation to this income stream (accounting for only 0.1% of fundraising investment), in-memory represents 2.2% of fundraised income and 1.5% of total income – that’s an increase of 2.9% above the previous year.

The market is delivering strong returns, showing an average of £26 for every £1 spent. And there’s so much more potential that could be unlocked if the true power of in-memory is properly recognised and its value harnessed.

What the research revealed however is that many supporters are actively looking for ways to support the cause that meant so much to their loved one, and that in failing to provide in-memory product options, charities are actually doing themselves – and their supporters – a disservice.

Despite differing experiences of grief and remembrance, everyone questioned said they appreciated being offered choices by charities in ways to donate and products to choose from, to help engage with and remember loved ones. Some wanted to have their loved ones publicly named; others preferred their tributes to be made more privately.

So, supporters value choice and flexibility, but what can charities do to offer this when resources and funding might be in short supply and the needs and wants of supporters are so varied?

Working as one
Breaking down silos across fundraising departments to encourage joined-up and collaborative working is so important to making sure no in-memory supporter is missed.

For example, if the events team becomes aware of a supporter taking on a challenge in memory of a loved one, alerting the in-memory team to the supporter's motivation can help ensure they are appropriately acknowledged and stewarded. Without this recognition, the supporter could end up feeling let down and decide to fundraise for someone else next time.

Where there are obstacles in working together, training sessions with wider fundraising teams to help educate and raise awareness of the nuances and impact of in-memory can help achieve the breakthrough that is needed and help develop a more seamless structure.

Sharing supporter stories
At the heart of effective in-memory fundraising lies the art of storytelling. By sharing compelling real-life stories of supporters and beneficiaries, charities can inspire supporters to engage in various ways —whether through one-off donations, regular giving, legacy giving, or even volunteering. Having a variety of stories available, which reflect diversity of experience, helps ensure that there will be a story there to resonate with everyone on some level.

What is also essential is creating avenues that cater to different people’s modes of thinking, grief journeys and personal preferences, and doing so sensitively. Appropriately acknowledging the in-memory supporter’s motivations is key, as is giving them the option of whether they want to be recognised.

Partnership opportunities
Slowly yet surely, our society is becoming more open about death and grieving, possibly as a hangover from Covid when all traditional mourning structures fell apart, and people started to look for different and meaningful ways to remember loved ones.

The commercial world has responded to this swiftly by offering an infinite number of meaningful and highly personalised products and opportunities to satisfy this shift in behaviour. It only takes a quick internet search to find companies who create jewellery, ornaments and keepsakes from cremation ashes. The potential for charities to tap into this commercial market is vast.

A business/charity partnership to help people remember loved ones by having something beautiful created and being able to donate to a cause that’s important to them at the same time is an interesting and potentially lucrative concept worthy of further exploration.

Thinking cleverly about who you collaborate with and, importantly, what different options this affords a diverse range of supporters, could make for an exciting future for your in-memory product offering.

Responding to diverse needs
Our research underscored the importance of religion and cultural traditions as a driver of in-memory giving. We live in an increasingly diverse nation in terms of religion, background and culture, and for charities to engage with their full supporter potential, there’s a pressing need for them to be sensitive to this when it comes to in-memory giving.

The traditional ways of doing things will resonate with a lower proportion of the population than it used to as the nation becomes less homogenous, meaning that charities who aren’t sensitive to this will be limiting their reach and relevance.

Adapting the offering to ensure inclusivity can lead to charities reaching new and broader audiences. For example, funeral collections are an alien concept in some religions. So, despite this being the biggest channel for in-memory donations, there is a proportion of potential in-memory supporters for whom this method of giving won’t apply. The question is, how do you draw them in? 

Perhaps a charity’s annual flagship fundraising event is held on what is for some an important religious or cultural festival. That automatically rules out a large cohort of people from being involved and prevents the charity from receiving the level of support it could.

A key goal for most charities is to bring in more revenue. An effective way to achieve that is to look at the needs of bereaved people who are not engaging with your charity and asking why not’; how can we be more relevant to them and turn them into supporters?

In-memory Insight
Legacy Future’s In-Memory Insight is a six-month programme running September through March. Its aim is to help charities constantly improve their offering and to think bigger and more creatively around in-memory.

Every year, a different area of focus is covered. The 2024/25 theme is in-memory giving in multi-cultural Britain. To find out more: https://www.legacyfutures.com/events/in-memory-insight-202425/

Anna Turner is head of research and insight at Legacy Futures.