Help us improve online tribute funds and digital dedications for bereaved people

We need volunteers to help us research the use of charitable donation and fundraising web pages to honour the memory of people who have died.

UK charities often promote online dedications or fundraising webpages as an act of remembrance. However, little is known about how bereaved people experience this practice.

Our study aims to explore how people use their charitable digital memorials, why they create them, and how they decide what to include.

This information will be used to develop new best practice guidelines for charities and funeral industry professionals, with a view to improving the experience of bereaved people who choose to remember a person in this way.

This interview-based study will work alongside other research into how charities promote this form of giving, how the web platforms they use enable and constrain mourning behaviour, and how funeral directors understand their role in supporting people to remember a person in this way.

Together, this work aims to further our understanding of the creation of digital memorials through charitable giving as a new ritual of remembrance.

Take part in this research study

We are recruiting participants until December 2026.

What you'll do

You'll share your experience during a one-hour online interview. This will take place online using Microsoft Teams.

You'll be able to review the questions we will ask you in advance, but no prior preparation is expected.

After your interview, you can review your interview transcript, correct any errors, or add further detail. You will also be invited to review draft research findings. This additional involvement is optional, although very much appreciated.

We would like to include excerpts from interviews in compilation videos to make key findings come alive for charity fundraisers and funeral industry professionals and help them improve their practice. You'll be able to review the excerpts from your interview that will be included.

If you would prefer not to be featured, you can still take part in the study. Simply answer 'no' when asked about the videos in the consent form.

Eligibility

To take part in this research study, you must:

be 18 or over
have created a charitable digital memorial (a tribute fund or a dedication) in the past 5 years

What you'll get

Your participation will be greatly valued. You will play an important role in developing new best-practice guidelines for in-memoriam fundraisers and funeral industry professionals. This will improve the experiences of people like you in the future.

You are unlikely to be negatively impacted by taking part. However, talking about a personal bereavement can be difficult. If you become upset, you can take a break, turn off your camera, or ask to reschedule the interview. You can also withdraw from the study at any time.

Your data

With your consent, the interview will be recorded (including audio and video) for transcription purposes. If you choose not to be featured in the compilation videos, the recordings will be deleted as soon as they are no longer needed to check the transcript.

Your data will be treated as confidential and stored securely. Only the research team (and University governance staff, if necessary) will have access to your data. Anonymised data will be retained in the University of Bath's Research Data Archive for a minimum of ten years.

Your name or any other identifying information will not be disclosed in any presentation or publication of the research. If you agree to be included in the compilation videos, your name will not be used, but your voice and likeness will identify you.

Find out more about how your data will be processed and protected.

Your rights

Taking part is completely optional. You can withdraw from the study by letting the researcher know during your interview or by emailing at any time. You will not be penalised.

If you want to withdraw your data, you must let us know by email within two weeks of your participation. After this time, it will not be possible to withdraw your data as it will have been anonymised.