Reinventing Community Care: Inside the First Funeral Registry | Janet Turkula & Ryan Oliveira

The $15,000 Funeral Registry: Because Flowers and Casseroles Are Not Enough In this episode, Janet Turkula, founder and CEO of GiveWillow, and Ryan Oliveira, COO, join host Niki Weiss to talk about building the first online platform where friends and family can contribute directly to funeral and end of life expenses, why Janet started it after planning her father's funeral at 21, and why community support in grief has always been there but has never had a place to go. CHAPTERS 0:00 The $15,000 Funeral Registry: Because Flowers and Casseroles Are Not Enough 1:07 Welcome Janet and Ryan: the origin story of GiveWillow 3:20 Losing her father suddenly at 21 and planning his funeral alone 5:44 The 2017 moment: a friend's loss, a Venmo pool, and a platform idea 8:15 Why GoFundMe is the wrong tool for funeral funding and what GiveWillow does differently 10:33 How the registry works: contributions, beneficiaries, and funeral home integration 13:45 Ryan's story: how a random meeting turned into a six-year founding partnership 16:20 What the average funeral costs and why families are blindsided 19:05 How GiveWillow makes it easy for a grieving person's community to actually help 22:30 Creating a registry in under five minutes and adding a beneficiary later 25:00 Working with funeral home directors to price out local costs in real time 27:44 Why death tech is finally addressing the financial side of grief 30:31 In a world full of uncertainty, this is the one certain thing 31:15 Janet and Ryan's takeaway: your community wants to help and now they know how WHAT YOU WILL LEARN - Why GoFundMe is structurally the wrong tool for funeral funding and what GiveWillow does that is different - How GiveWillow's registry works, how contributions are directed, how a beneficiary is added, and how local funeral home directors can help price out the registry - Why the average funeral costs between $8,000 and $15,000 and why families are consistently blindsided by that number at the most vulnerable moment of their lives - How to create a GiveWillow registry in under five minutes, including on behalf of someone else who has just experienced a loss - Why Janet believes GiveWillow is not just a financial tool but a platform for community to show up in a real and practical way when someone is grieving Start your plan and take the free assessment: https://finalplaybook.com/main-page LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/death-and-dying-in-the-digital-age/id1775499012 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2MQkOgvyPQnLEz1fO9BHkY Subscribe: @DigitalLegacyPodcast FOLLOW US Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/endevo.digitallegacy TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@endevo_digitallegacy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endevo_digitallegacy/ Download the My Final Playbook app: Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=endevo.life.finalplaybook Apple App Store: [link coming soon] #deathandyinginthedigitalage #ENDevo #digitallegacy #digitallegacypodcast #myfinalplaybook Disclaimer: The Death and Dying in the Digital Age channel is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical, legal, or financial advice. Views expressed by the host and guests are their own. Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions. The channel is not responsible for actions taken based on its content. Re-uploads or ANY use of our content is prohibited.