Donations Policy

Respecting Your Wishes and Supporting Your Chosen Charity

When someone dies, family and friends may wish to make a charitable donation in their memory instead of, or alongside, sending flowers.

At Rounce Funeral Services, we understand how meaningful these donations can be. We respect each family's wishes and the choice of charity they wish to support.

Our approach is straightforward: we encourage families to arrange donations directly through their own online funeral-donation page wherever possible. On the rare occasions when donation cheques are sent to us, we handle them carefully and ensure they are directed to the intended charity in accordance with our policy.

How We Handle Funeral Donations

Online Funeral-Donation Pages

We generally recommend that families establish their own online funeral-donation page with their chosen provider.

This allows family members, friends and others to make donations directly through the page, with the arrangements administered by the provider rather than by Rounce Funeral Services.

Families are free to choose the charity or charities they wish to support and the arrangements that best reflect their loved one's wishes.

Cash Donations

Rounce Funeral Services does not accept cash donations.

This approach keeps our handling of donations straightforward and helps ensure that charitable contributions are directed to the intended beneficiary.

Donation Cheques Received by Post

Occasionally, a donation cheque may be sent to Rounce Funeral Services by post.

When this happens, we note the date received and the name of the deceased on the envelope. Cheques must be made payable directly to the charity chosen by the family.

If a cheque is made payable to Rounce Funeral Services instead of the intended charity, we will return it to the sender with a polite request for a replacement cheque made payable to the charity.

We do not pay such cheques into our own business account.

Cheques Without Return Contact Details

If a donation cheque is made payable to Rounce Funeral Services and arrives without a return address or other contact details, we will make reasonable attempts to identify and contact the donor so that the cheque can be returned for replacement, payable to the intended charity.

Where appropriate, we may ask the next of kin or person who arranged the funeral whether they can help us establish contact with the donor.

If the donor cannot be identified or contacted, we will retain the cheque securely for three months from the date of receipt. If it remains unreturnable after that period, we will securely destroy it and record the action taken.

We will not pay such a cheque into our business account or treat it as a donation to Rounce Funeral Services.

Forwarding Cheques to the Chosen Charity

Cheques correctly made payable to the chosen charity are kept securely until the donation collection closes, usually one month to six weeks after the funeral.

We then send the received cheques together by post to the nominated charity.

This allows occasional donations received by us to be forwarded in a simple, practical and orderly way.

Our Commitment to Transparency and Care

We recognise that donations made in someone's memory are a personal expression of sympathy, generosity and remembrance.

We handle any donation cheques received with care and respect, following the family's wishes and the procedures set out in this policy.

Our policy is intended to ensure that donations are handled appropriately, that the intended charity is clear, and that our arrangements are understood by our staff and accessible to families.

If you have any questions about funeral donations or would like clarification about our procedures, please contact us. We will be happy to help.