Latest Event Updates
5 Event Planner Tips for Funeral Directors, Part 2
This week we conclude our discussion on the intersection between event planning and funeral service. Holly Muchnok, an event planner and speaker at OGR’s “Regional Workshop: Fresh Approaches to Funeral & Memorial Services” on August 7, 2015, gives practical suggestions for how funeral directors can incorporate event planning into their businesses in this final post.
The intersection between the event and funeral industries is surprising and frequent. Each profession is serving others, streamlining options, caring for those in an emotional state of being, managing budgets, creating schedules and meeting vast and various needs during one of the most important times in people’s lives. The tips below are from my office to yours as you navigate the question of how your funeral home and you as a professional might offer excellence to your community. Read the rest of this entry »
Event Planner Tips for Funeral Directors, Part 1
This week’s post is by Holly Muchnok, an event planner and speaker at our Regional Workshop: Fresh Approaches to Funeral & Memorial Services, which took place in Pittsburgh, PA on August 7, 2015. In part 1 of this blog, she shares how funeral directors can optimize their talents and relationships to provide the best service possible.
Life is a celebration. As an event planner, with over 20 years in the industry, I tend to filter most events through that lens. My western Pennsylvania based office – just this summer – welcomed organizational & planning roles in corporate, community, and social gatherings. We planned weddings, birthdays, and festivals, and had the honor of welcoming more than 22,000 guests. That’s celebration after celebration.
We also served families by helping them plan funeral and memorial services, Read the rest of this entry »
Take Your Website Mobile: Help Your Customers Find You, Not Your Competitor
Everywhere you go, whether you’re eating at a café on your lunch break, sitting in the waiting room of your doctor’s office, or just walking down the street, people 
are on their mobile smartphones. Good or bad, the fact is our modern world is obsessed with mobile devices. We can’t put them down.
So what is it about these devices that keep us hooked? They allow us to access the Web on the go. We no longer have to sit at a computer to research the answers to our questions, shop online, or check our email. Why does this matter for your funeral home? Read the rest of this entry »
7 Unusual Tributes to Loved Ones – Remembering Them Beyond the Grave
Our Executive Director Mark Allen was eating brunch a few weekends ago at an Austin restaurant when he noticed a classic car parked on the side of the road. Upon further inspection, he discovered it was a tribute to a late Austinite who had passed away in 2012. This got us thinking. Are there other tributes that are just as interesting here and abroad? Read the rest of this entry »
I Want a Direct Cremation, Please.
71% of Americans are projected to choose cremation in the year 2030.
Let that sink in.
Seventy-one percent!
The newest data from the 2015 NFDA Cremation and Burial Report: Research, Statistics, and Projections predicts that the cremation rate will surpass burial by the end of this year. If the projections bear out, we will see even higher numbers in 2020 and 2030.
|
2005
final
|
2010
final
|
2013
final
|
2015
projected
|
2020
projected
|
2030
projected
|
|
|
Cremation (%)
|
32.3
|
40.4
|
45.4
|
48.5
|
56.2
|
71.0
|
|
Burial (%)
|
61.4
|
53.3
|
48.7
|
45.6
|
37.9
|
23.2
|
– Chart and summary from NFDA.
So what’s the big deal? Read the rest of this entry »
Tips for Delivering Great Funeral Service
Everyone has their own ideas about giving and receiving great service, but funeral directors and staff are often expected to go above and beyond every time.
Each year, OGR awards three member firms with the Exemplary Service Award. Winners are chosen from comments received from families through the Family Contact Program. This year’s winners had a lot to say about the type of service they strive to provide and how they deliver great funeral service.
Their advice for being exemplary? See below.
Seven Ways to Reach Out to Your Local Hospice
Funeral directors may see hospice as competition, but this shouldn’t be the case. Developing a relationship with your local hospice can be a rewarding endeavor. In my conversations with funeral directors, I’ve come across several ways to connect with these end-of-life caretakers.
Bridge the gap with your local hospice and see how you can work together to serve the families in your community. Here are some ways to get you started:
- Have someone from your funeral home be the main person that will develop the relationship with the hospice staff and volunteers. Read the rest of this entry »
