# In memory event fundraising is worth £15 million to charities, says JustGiving

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/07/04/memory-event-fundraising-worth-15m-charities-says-justgiving/
- Published: 2013-07-04T12:51:24+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

People who take part in fundraising events in memory of a loved one are generating
£15 million a year to charities, according to research from online fundraising platform
JustGiving. However, the research found that many charities are not distinguishing
this income stream from other types of event fundraising, even though it is **growing
at 25% year on year**.

 

The research was presented by [JustGiving](http://www.justgiving.com)’s Head of 
Charity Partnerships Gemma Randall this week at the Institute of Fundraising’s National
Convention.

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## In memory events

JustGiving’s research, based on its own data, found that:

 * In memory event fundraising pages raise on average **54% more** than typical 
   event pages
 * this is the equivalent of **£3.8 million** additional donations so far this year.
 * **47%** of charities say they do not treat their In Memory supporters any differently
   to other fundraisers.

Randall cited recent examples of successful pages including that of Katherine Jenkins
who ran the London marathon in memory of her father, and the friends and family 
of Horatio Chapple raising over £40,000 through fundraising events in his memory.

 

Randall commented: “Traditionally many charities see in memory fundraising as giving
that happens at a funeral or in the immediate aftermath of someone’s death. In fact,
what we are seeing is that increasingly supporters are choosing to fundraise for
a charity in a loved one’s memory sometimes years after they died.

 

“There’s a real shift towards creating an ongoing digital legacy for someone who
has died – raising money not just for medical and research charities but for a huge
range of causes that were important to the loved one. These are extremely passionate
fundraisers making a very powerful ‘ask’ on behalf of a charity. There’s huge potential
for charities here to make the experience of these supporters better and more tailored.”

 

She added that donors increasingly expect their charity to understand what they 
are doing, why they are doing it, and to tailor their communications with them accordingly.

 

_Photo: [Stewart Black](http://www.flickr.com/photos/s2ublack/5828351366/) on Flickr.
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