If your family does not have the money or life insurance to bury a family member, then you have to find a way to pay for funeral expenses. Paying funeral expenses can be stressful when you do not have the extra money. Families in this predicament sometimes have to ask the public for donations. Read on to find out if it is appropriate to ask for financial help to bury a loved one.

Proper Etiquette

Etiquette has to go out the window when you really need help. It seems that anyone who is close to your situation would be willing to help with burial expenses. Most strangers are not even offended if you ask for burial expenses when having financial difficulty.

However, you must inform the public in an appropriate manner and be reasonable with funeral costs. You cannot expect people to pay for a luxury funeral service. Two good ways to get this message across is to talk to people privately or include a message in the obituary notice. The message can say something like the family appreciates donations for burial expenses instead of flowers.

In the past, it was common for people to give money to families who lost a loved one. Many people gave money because they wanted to take some of the financial pressure off the family. According to NYDailyNews, it is appropriate to give money if the family indicates a need for support.

How will You Handle the Donations?

Asking for burial expenses can be complicated. You need a plan for how to receive donations from the public. Four ways you can handle donations are to have the money sent to your address, set up a bank account, have it sent directly to the funeral home or set up a GoFundMe account. Your funeral director can also suggest some options for collecting the donations.

Who Should the Check be Made Out To?

If someone is giving you a donation by check, then he or she will need to know what name to put on the check. This information is important when different family members are putting money toward burial expenses. Some families have gotten in physical confrontations over who donated money because they wanted to be reimbursed.

It is hard to lose a family member and the situation becomes harder when needing financial support. However, there are options. Your funeral director may also be able to suggest some ways to pay for funeral expenses.