Memorial gifts come in all shapes and sizes, some personalized, and some not so personal. As a funeral director, aftercare director, or a grief counselor, the choice of a funeral gift for each family you serve should be carefully thought out. Consider the following questions when selecting a memorial gift for each family to receive after the funeral service is over:
There are a variety of quality memorial gifts to choose from that allow personalization. Online systems allow names to be entered for gifts to be personalized and shipped as needed anytime of day or night. Shipping can be selected to go to any number of funeral home locations for a personal delivery of the gift, or for a year-end holiday memorial service where the gifts can be presented in person to each family. For the families living far away, it's easy to mail the gift directly to them as a thoughtful courtesy.
To plan a year-end memorial service, consider the number of families that will be invited to come. This can easily be calculated by the number of funeral services performed during the year so far, and estimating that at least half the families invited will show. Obviously scheduling conflicts or distance will prevent some families from attending a memorial service, so this is a safe way to estimate attendance.
Once the number of families is estimated to attend, think of the size of your funeral facility. Can it host that number of visitors at once for the service? If not, consider holding the year-end memorial service at a church, auditorium, civic center, or even a park if weather permits. This should alleviate any overcrowding if your funeral home doesn't allow as many visitors to fit comfortably at one time.
After deciding where the service will be held, consider the format for the memorial service. How can it be made more personal where each family gets to contribute a memory of their loved one? What kind of music will be played? It shouldn't be a morbid music selection, as the main idea is to provide a sense of closure to each family attending. Choose peaceful, but not depressing music.
Choose a speaker to address the families in attendance. What faiths does your funeral home clientele represent? Try to match a speaker that can best represent the whole, not a selection of the audience. Non-denominational speakers can simply talk about the sense of loss, healing, and closure with peace for everyone in attendance. Whether the speaker represents a specific faith should not be a factor in their presentation, unless your funeral home specifically serves one faith.
Following the memorial service, consider hosting a reception with light refreshments and time to mingle. Families from the same communities will be attending, as they live locally, so this gives people a positive finish to what should be a beautiful evening event. Your refreshments can be catered as a buffet style, or homemade snacks and beverages. Either choice will be well appreciated by everyone attending.
When you're looking for other promotional ideas for your funeral home, always visit our website, or return to this blog for more tips. Business growth for the funeral industry is about thinking outside the box. Feel free to share ideas in the comments for other funeral directors!
- Does the memorial gift appear truly personal?
- Does it look like a memorial gift, or an everyday item?
- Is the cost of the gift affordable for every family I serve to receive one? (Don't discriminate which families will receive a gift and which ones will not. Word will get around!)
- How can I present the memorial gift so it means more to the recipient?
There are a variety of quality memorial gifts to choose from that allow personalization. Online systems allow names to be entered for gifts to be personalized and shipped as needed anytime of day or night. Shipping can be selected to go to any number of funeral home locations for a personal delivery of the gift, or for a year-end holiday memorial service where the gifts can be presented in person to each family. For the families living far away, it's easy to mail the gift directly to them as a thoughtful courtesy.
To plan a year-end memorial service, consider the number of families that will be invited to come. This can easily be calculated by the number of funeral services performed during the year so far, and estimating that at least half the families invited will show. Obviously scheduling conflicts or distance will prevent some families from attending a memorial service, so this is a safe way to estimate attendance.
Once the number of families is estimated to attend, think of the size of your funeral facility. Can it host that number of visitors at once for the service? If not, consider holding the year-end memorial service at a church, auditorium, civic center, or even a park if weather permits. This should alleviate any overcrowding if your funeral home doesn't allow as many visitors to fit comfortably at one time.
After deciding where the service will be held, consider the format for the memorial service. How can it be made more personal where each family gets to contribute a memory of their loved one? What kind of music will be played? It shouldn't be a morbid music selection, as the main idea is to provide a sense of closure to each family attending. Choose peaceful, but not depressing music.
Choose a speaker to address the families in attendance. What faiths does your funeral home clientele represent? Try to match a speaker that can best represent the whole, not a selection of the audience. Non-denominational speakers can simply talk about the sense of loss, healing, and closure with peace for everyone in attendance. Whether the speaker represents a specific faith should not be a factor in their presentation, unless your funeral home specifically serves one faith.
Following the memorial service, consider hosting a reception with light refreshments and time to mingle. Families from the same communities will be attending, as they live locally, so this gives people a positive finish to what should be a beautiful evening event. Your refreshments can be catered as a buffet style, or homemade snacks and beverages. Either choice will be well appreciated by everyone attending.
When you're looking for other promotional ideas for your funeral home, always visit our website, or return to this blog for more tips. Business growth for the funeral industry is about thinking outside the box. Feel free to share ideas in the comments for other funeral directors!
Cool. It makes the items more meaningful.
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