Our Story
The story behind GiveWillow and the moment everything changed
Embracing a New Way to Say Goodbye
GiveWillow has the distinction of being the first-ever platform of its kind – often described as “a wedding registry, but for funerals.”
A GiveWillow registry helps communities show up in practical, meaningful ways during loss and caregiving.
Funeral Home Fees
Help cover funeral home service costs and arrangem... Read More
Price Estimate: $6,000
Funeral Home Fees
Meal Delivery
Provide warm, nourishing meals to the grieving fam... Read More
Price Estimate: $200
Meal Delivery
Rideshare Credits
Help cover travel costs for family members and lov... Read More
Price Estimate: $350
Rideshare Credits
Childcare Support
Provide childcare so parents can attend the servic... Read More
Price Estimate: $6,000
Childcare Support
House Cleaning
Help with professional house cleaning so the famil... Read More
Price Estimate: $200
House Cleaning
Funeral Home Fees
Help cover funeral home service costs and arrangem... Read More
Price Estimate: $6,000
Funeral Home Fees
Meal Delivery
Provide warm, nourishing meals to the grieving fam... Read More
Price Estimate: $200
Meal Delivery
Rideshare Credits
Help cover travel costs for family members and lov... Read More
Price Estimate: $350
Rideshare Credits
Childcare Support
Provide childcare so parents can attend the servic... Read More
Price Estimate: $6,000
Childcare Support
House Cleaning
Help with professional house cleaning so the famil... Read More
Price Estimate: $200
House Cleaning
Funeral Home Fees
Help cover funeral home service costs and arrangem... Read More
Price Estimate: $6,000
Funeral Home Fees
Meal Delivery
Provide warm, nourishing meals to the grieving fam... Read More
Price Estimate: $200
Meal Delivery
Rideshare Credits
Help cover travel costs for family members and lov... Read More
Price Estimate: $350
Rideshare Credits
Childcare Support
Provide childcare so parents can attend the servic... Read More
Price Estimate: $6,000
Childcare Support
House Cleaning
Help with professional house cleaning so the famil... Read More
Price Estimate: $200
House Cleaning
Turning good intentions into meaningful care
GiveWillow brings structure to moments when people want to show up, but often don’t know how. Friends and family can contribute in thoughtful, tangible ways that feel personal to the person and family being honored.Whether it’s contributing toward a memorial, arranging meals, helping with travel, or participating in everyday care, each gesture feels more meaningful because it’s connected to something specific.
Partners United by Purpose and Innovation
Janet Turkula
Janet Turkula
Founder & CEO
Ryan Oliveira
Ryan Oliveira
Chief Operating Officer
As Janet began developing the idea for GiveWillow, she crossed paths with Ryan Oliveira, who would soon become her partner in this journey.
The two met by chance when Janet rented out a room in her Philadelphia home to Ryan, and they quickly discovered a shared passion for building technology that makes a positive impact. Janet was envisioning a tech solution to help grieving families, while Ryan was working on a startup to connect local businesses with their communities – different projects, but driven by a common belief in technology’s power for good. They became each other’s sounding boards, brainstorming over casual meetups and even attending startup events together, all the while dreaming about creating something meaningful.
Over the next few years, life took them on different paths – new cities, marriages, even children – but Janet and Ryan stayed in close touch and never lost sight of their drive to innovate.
When the vision for GiveWillow started to take shape, Ryan was always there offering advice and encouragement.It soon became clear that, together, they could build GiveWillow into the platform families truly needed.
Janet brought both firsthand experience with loss and years of operational leadership managing a large healthcare practice, where she saw how deeply families struggle to navigate care, logistics, and decision-making during difficult moments. Ryan brought his background in entrepreneurship, systems thinking, and product execution.United by a shared belief that communities want to show up more meaningfully during times of loss, the team set out to build a modern platform centered around care, coordination, and practical giving.
