Need a casual weekend flick to watch with your honey? We recommend Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death available FREE on PBS website until this Monday, April 3rd 2018. Watch it Here! The film produced by Director Helen Whitney, explores the various ways we think about death — not death in general, but our own in particular. It is the great unanswered question. How do we live with death in our eye? What are the stories we tell ourselves as we go into the night — or into the light? Into the Night features nine fascinating men and women from all walks of life, all ages, believers and unbelievers, well-known and obscure. For them, death is no longer an abstraction. Whether through a dire prognosis, the imminence of their own death, the loss of a loved one, a sudden epiphany, or a temperament born to question, these are people who have truly awakened to their mortality. Watch the trailer below and go to pbs.org/program/into-night-portraits-life-death to view the documentary free until Monday, April 6th! The post Watch the New PBS Documentary “Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death” appeared first on Connecting Directors. Watch the New PBS Documentary “Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death” published first on YouTube via Tumblr Watch the New PBS Documentary “Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death”
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Gone are the days where client families automatically call up your funeral home to purchase a $8,000 casket because that’s the way they’ve always done it. Nope. The client families of today want guidance, support and options. They want to talk to you about how you can help them, and not in the same way […] The post 8 Things You Should STOP Saying to Grieving Families (And What To Say Instead) appeared first on funeralOne Blog. 8 Things You Should STOP Saying to Grieving Families (And What To Say Instead) published first on YouTube via Tumblr 8 Things You Should STOP Saying to Grieving Families (And What To Say Instead) The objective of the Death Cafe is “To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” It’s all about an interesting, unstructured conversation – open and free-flowing with no specific agenda. The Death Cafe concept was started in the United Kingdom by Jon Underwood. He was influenced by […] via Tumblr April 29: Share your thoughts at the next Death Cafe This is an interesting conversation that I have all to often with funeral directors all over the country. In one breath funeral directors are talking about how powerful social media is to the tune of overthrowing governments, changing entire generations, aiding in social uprisings, and influencing the most sophisticated elections but in the next breath say social media can’t sell a funeral. Doesn’t make any sense at all.
The post The Power of Social Media | DISRUPT60 appeared first on Connecting Directors. The Power of Social Media | DISRUPT60 published first on YouTube via Tumblr The Power of Social Media | DISRUPT60 DEERFIELD, Ill. — March 23, 2018 --Selected Independent Funeral Homes has announced the election of new Officers to lead the world’s oldest association of independently-owned funeral homes. Selected’s Board of Directors elected the new Officers who will be officially installed during the 100th Annual Meeting October 10-13 at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in Salt Lake City, Utah. Farris-Luke Elected as President and Jackson Named Secretary-Treasurer for 2019 Kimberly Farris-Luke, a fourth-generation funeral professional, has been elected to serve as Selected’s next President. Farris-Luke is President and CEO of Farris Funeral Service in Abingdon, Va., founded in 1952 as a branch of her great-grandfather’s funeral home in Saltville, Va. She is the representative for Group 3 and her firm has been a member of Selected since 1961. Kim’s father, David M. Farris, served as Board President in 1999, the year the organization changed its name from NSM to Selected. “It is an honor to be chosen to serve as President, especially as the first female Board President. As we shepherd in the next century of our association, I am excited about the potential for each of our members to grow and thrive in the changing world of funeral service,” said Farris-Luke. “Though some may say the future of our profession looks uncertain, I view these times as an opportunity for us to redefine our profession and to develop creative, compassionate ways to meet the various needs of the families we serve.” Farris-Luke obtained her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Richmond and her MBA from the University of South Carolina and completed graduate-level education in Social Work and Christian Counseling. She is a longtime active member of Woodland Hills Christian Church; is a member of the Abingdon Rotary Club; has served on the boards of several local non-profit organizations; is a frequent speaker about grief and end-oflife planning; and has earned certification as a Death and Grief Educator from Center for Loss. Farris-Luke said she looks forward to connecting with members, listening to their stories and gaining their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities they face. “Selected is an organization like none other, with exceptional members who exemplify the best of what our profession has to offer our communities. Our mission is to come alongside our members with training and resources to help them flourish,” said Farris-Luke. “If we accomplish that, our association will also thrive.” Joe Jackson, Jr., a third-generation funeral professional, has been elected as Selected’s next SecretaryTreasurer. He represents Group 5 and is President of Joe Jackson Heights Funeral Chapel in Laredo, Tex., a firm with family roots going back to 1918. Jackson attended Laredo Community College, Texas A&M International University, and Texas A&M University in College Station and in 1978 graduated from Commonwealth College of Mortuary Science in Houston. He has been actively involved in St. Patrick’s Church, the Laredo Noon Lions Club and a multitude of other civic organizations. In his free time, Jackson, Jr. especially enjoys golf and working with his audio equipment. “I have truly benefited from all that Selected membership has to offer and look forward to being part of the strategic planning efforts currently underway as we plan for the next century of independent funeral service,” said Jackson, Jr. Jackson believes that while each geographic area may face different challenges, the collective think tank that Selected membership provides offers solutions and opportunities for members to help one another no matter where they are located or what obstacles they face. “I really love the Selected Forum,” said Jackson, Jr. “Every discussion offers some insight or new perspective and that is so valuable for the independent funeral professional. It demonstrates that collectively we have what it takes to prepare and respond pro-actively to the changing market.” The entire Board of Directors includes President Charles “Chip” Billow, Akron, Oh., Group 2; SecretaryTreasurer Lisa Baue, St. Charles, Mo., Group 4; Arthur Erickson, Hamden, Conn. , Group 1; President-Elect Kim Farris-Luke, Abingdon, Va., Group 3; Secretary-Treasurer-Elect Joe Jackson Jr., Laredo, Texas, Group 5; Jake Johnson, Sun City, Ariz., Group 6 and Ex Officio Neil O’Connor, Laguna Hills, Calif., Group 6. For more information on Selected’s programs, becoming a member of Selected Independent Funeral Homes or to locate a member, visit Selected’s website at selectedfuneralhomes.org or call 800-323-4219. About Selected Independent Funeral Homes Selected Independent Funeral Homes (selectedfuneralhomes.org) delivers innovative and pertinent resources, solutions and ongoing support necessary for enduring excellence to its international network of independently owned death-care providers who aspire to be the very best in their profession. Members of Selected operate according to specific standards and best practices in order to provide the public with reliable, high-quality funeral services and funeral-related information. 2017 marked the organization’s 100th anniversary and a legacy of dedication and support to the death-care profession. The post Selected Independent Funeral Homes Announces New Officers for 2018 appeared first on Connecting Directors. Selected Independent Funeral Homes Announces New Officers for 2018 published first on YouTube via Tumblr Selected Independent Funeral Homes Announces New Officers for 2018 According to Twitter, the website and an e-mail bulletin sent out yesterday, the Good Funeral Awards will be taking place this year in Bournemouth in September. We think it worth noting that the Good Funeral Guide is no longer involved with these events and will not be attending. We ended our involvement with the awards as joint organisers last year, having been very much part of the awards since they began in 2012. The decision was taken for various reasons, but in essence, we feel that the time for competing against one other in funeralworld has come to an end and that progressive, intelligent people working together and collaborating in best practice is the way forward. Across the UK, good people serving bereaved families face the relentless pressure of large corporates seeking ever larger ‘market share’, the growing issue of unregulated funeral planning, negative media coverage of the funeral industry, the race to the bottom in pricing, ‘ ‘disruptive’ online ‘experts’ adding their two penn’orth to information in the public domain – and the ongoing stress of working daily directly with death and the aftermath. We feel that all who are trying to improve the way we do funerals in the UK are stronger together, supporting each other and sharing fellowship, rather than competing against each other, and allowing themselves to be set apart by judgements of who is the best in each field. We also feel that the role of the GFG is done when it comes to awards within the funeral industry. We want to concentrate on what we think essential. Reaching out from inside the funeral bubble of talking to each other about each other and actually talking to the people who matter most. The public. The role of the Good Funeral Guide is, and always has been, to support, empower and represent the interests of dying and bereaved people, and we will continue to do our best to do so in the future, rather than getting sidetracked with event planning. Collaboration not competition. published first on YouTube via Tumblr Collaboration not competition. Over the last year, Berardinelli Funeral Home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has been making a shift in their product showroom (now a “gallery”) to something unique in the funeral industry. They have made the transition to 100% local-handmade and eco-friendly cremation merchandise as well as introduced the similar options for burial. The Initiative, lead by funeral director Jody Herrington, was a inspired by a desire to be more environmentally conscious and support the local Northern New Mexico economy. She saw the value that the diverse southwest community places on creativity and their connection with place and designed her funeral merchandise showroom to reflect the focus of the community. Her intuition for a local/eco-friendly showroom has paid off as Herrington reports an increase in merchandise revenue for Berardinelli Funeral Home since eliminating the usual Batesville and Mathews merch, although she wouldn’t reveal actual sales figures. Herrington comes from a background in film, hairstyling and cosmetics as well as being a bartender at some of LA’s hottest nightclubs and ultra lounges. She notes, “I entered the field of death care a little later in life, but it was good for me because this career requires that you know yourself and what you are capable of.” She is a Certified Funeral Celebrant, Mortician Licensed in 3 states (NM, ID, DC), and CANA Certified Crematory Operator. We interviewed Herrington about her experience building a local and eco-friendly funeral merchandise gallery at Berardinelli Funeral Home. During the interview we made a list of her favorite products… CD: What Inspired you to make the shift to all local/handmade products? JH: When I moved to Santa Fe, it quickly became apparent that this town associates itself heavily with art and craftsmanship. It seems no matter where you go or who you talk to, you will be talking to an artist of some kind. When I first went to the Contemporary Clay Fair (Santa Fe), it really hit home that these artists were not just making lovely pieces of art, but were creating pieces that could serve to honor the dead as urns. These art pieces that are so abundant can speak for the dead in a way that mass produced urns cannot. They can show the values and the ideals of their inhabitants in a way that a machine made metal piece from India can’t even touch upon. When we spoke to the artists and discovered that they were excited about the prospect of their pieces taking on a higher significance, the decision was made. CD: What is the typical response from customers to the gallery ? JH: Usually, before people go into the selection they think they know what they will see. When we enter our gallery, they are surprised by the unique pieces, and the beauty of what we have to offer. When we tell them about our one of a kind handmade pieces and how they are made by local craftspeople, their faces almost brighten up. The families we serve are often art collectors or creators. They see the pieces as lovely artwork with a higher purpose and they appreciate our support of the artists who create them. To the people who we serve, supporting local art is an extension of how they live and lived their lives. CD: What changes have you noticed since the shift? JH: I have definitely seen that families are buying more items. When everyone can choose a keepsake that speaks to them about their loved one, they will do it. I have also noticed that people are actually apprehensive about cardboard. When they see the handwoven options they relax a bit and have often said to me that the handwoven feels “softer” in their minds. It’s less industrial and less “anonymous.” Their loved one is not anonymous, why choose something anonymous for them? CD: What are your top selling products at the Berardinelli Funeral Home Gallery? JH: Easily, our best sellers are by a local gentleman named Dylan Weller. His pieces are a perfect balance of simplicity and obvious craftsmanship. We sell his pieces for $695.00 -$795.00, and not once have I had a family balk at the price when looking at his urns. CD: Do you do this with caskets as well? JH: We have not made the full switch to handmade caskets. There are multiple reasons for this, but the big one is that people who choose traditional burial are usually looking for what they perceive as traditional. Coffins are no longer “traditional”, but “caskets” are. We do still offer our families the Batesville line of caskets, and we definitely stand by the quality and craftsmanship of Batesville. But we also offer a beautiful Willow Mastercraft Casket that is as close to “handmade” as we are likely to see. To supplement this, we do offer a line of handmade coffins. They are made of willow, seagrass, bamboo, or local pine and are beautiful. We want people to know their options without overwhelming them. We believe that we offer a nice and reasonable amount of selections no matter what a person’s taste. CD: What do you do if a customer does not want a woven casket? JH: When it comes to cremation containers, we stand firm by the woven options. We do this for their eco-friendly aspects. Cardboard is generally not eco-friendly and especially the kind used in cremation containers. There is usually a waterproof outer layer on the cardboard itself as well as a plastic sheet liner. The purpose of this is obvious, but it all adds to smoke and toxic chemicals coming out of our stack. With the woven cremation containers we do not have this issue. This funeral home is in a residential neighborhood, and we care about our neighbors. This is one way that we can show that we care. CD: What was the biggest challenge with a local/handmade focused gallery? JH: The biggest challenge is stocking it! We don’t go online for pieces or choose from a catalog. We go to art shows of all shapes and sizes. We also will be holding an art show in March and we just might purchase more then. CD: Where do you source the products from? JH: Our artist pieces are all from Northern New Mexico. With so many artists in residence, we have no shortage of talent to pull from. Our eco-friendly options come from as far away as South Africa (Biotree), Spain (BiosUrn), Germany (Alder and Birch Urns), and our own backyard, Albuquerque (Gourd Urns). If the pieces are beautiful and soundly eco-friendly, I will purchase from almost anywhere. CD: What has been the best part of this transition? JH: The best part of this transition has been opening people’s eyes to opportunity for memorializing their loved ones. People can easily get stuck in the “this is how it’s always been done” mentality and I feel that we are shattering that. We offer such beautiful and unique pieces (some of or eco-friendly urn options come from halfway around the world), and it’s unlike anything people are used to. We tell people that each urn is as unique as the person whose cremated remains are housed within, and it’s true! CD: What advice can you give other Funeral Homes that what to include local products in their showrooms? JH: I would say the first question you should ask yourself is “Does this community want locally made urns?” I almost had it easy when we made the decision to switch over, but I don’t think every community will feel that way. Look at the people in your community. Are there a lot of artists? Are there a lot of galleries? How many shops in your community sell original art? In Santa Fe, these numbers are all very high, but they may not be in another community. If however, your numbers are high as well, I say go for it! It never hurts to help support the local economy, local artists, and local values. —————————————————————————————————-- Have you carried local artisan-made urns like Berardinelli Funeral Home has? Tell us about your experience int he comments! // window.addEventListener('LPLeadboxesReady',function(){LPLeadboxes.setExitIntent('JifXqhGzxnAPB5bvbcoJYZ',{dontShowFor:'2d',domain:'disruptmedia.lpages.co'});}); // The post Berardinelli Funeral Home Increases Revenue with Local and Eco-friendly Showroom appeared first on Connecting Directors. Berardinelli Funeral Home Increases Revenue with Local and Eco-friendly Showroom published first on YouTube via Tumblr Berardinelli Funeral Home Increases Revenue with Local and Eco-friendly Showroom Dying Matters, the former NCPC coalition, now under the wings of Hospice UK, sent out an e-mail bulletin this week with an update on this year’s Dying Matters Awareness Week, presumably to most of their 32,000 members. Top feature in the bulletin was the large Co-op logo and blurb shown above. The neat hook of offering those hoping to extend their Dying Matters activities throughout the year omits to mention that you can’t apply for a grant from the Co-op’s Local Community Fund if your organisation is run for private profit, nor to pay for general running costs or that successful applicants will receive a share of the funding starting in May 2019, which won’t be much help with your activities this year. Pop in to see your local Co-op funeral arranger and find out more, and ask about their Start the Conversation campaign, the website for which helpfully leads you to information about Co-operative Funeralcare’s Funeral Plan. Nice one Co-op marketing team. The GFG has long standing views on Co-operative Funeralcare – select it as a category in the search bar on the right and you’ll find 112 other posts, few of them flattering. We aren’t keen at all on the carefully crafted illusion that your local Co-operative Funeralcare funeral home is part of a virtuous, publicly minded organisation providing working people with a good quality funeral at a fair price. The TV and radio campaigns to convince Joe Public of this must be costing millions, so we’re mystified why they can’t chuck a few bob at their website and get all their prices online, nor why their much touted Simple Funeral costs £1,995 for their services alone and the day and time is arranged to suit them not you. Hat tip to Holly Clarke, member of the Good Funeral Guild who brought this to our attention. We missed our copy of the e-mail bulletin, but found it in the spam folder.
Other funeral ‘homes’ are also available… published first on YouTube via Tumblr Other funeral ‘homes’ are also available… You’re a deathcare company (funeral home, cemetery, crematory, etc.) does your social media content always need to relate to death? Ryan answers this question in-depth and provides multiple content examples you could be using to engage your community. Content should focus more on what your goals are and what the consumer wants to hear and less on what you want to say. Ryan also talks about how to give new life to those crappy TV commercials most funeral homes have lying around. Ryan lays out a great formula for leveraging those commercials in a Facebook ad campaign and pinpoints precisely how to build a story theme around them using additional content and Facebook ads. Download a free 2018 social media content calendar: http://www.disruptmedia.co/calendar Learn more about DISRUPT Media: http://www.disruptmedia.co Ryan Thogmartin is a death care entrepreneur and the CEO of DISRUPT Media and creator of ConnectingDirectors.com. | Follower of Christ | Husband | Father | Entrepreneur | Host of #DISRUPTu! and #FUNERALnationtv | Lover of Skittles About DISRUPT Media: Most deathcare companies struggle with Facebook marketing. We provide a process for creating personalized Facebook content that will drive community engagement and measurable leads ensuring growth and profitability. The post GIVE NEW LIFE TO CRAPPY TV COMMERCIALS | DISRUPTu! 042 appeared first on Connecting Directors. GIVE NEW LIFE TO CRAPPY TV COMMERCIALS | DISRUPTu! 042 published first on YouTube via Tumblr GIVE NEW LIFE TO CRAPPY TV COMMERCIALS | DISRUPTu! 042 BROADVIEW, IL, MARCH 23, 2018 – Pierce Mortuary Colleges is pleased to announce the promotion of Wayne Cavender to President of Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Dallas, Texas. Cavender has been with Dallas Institute for twenty-four years in various instructional and administrative capacities, most recently serving as Dean of the college for the last ten years. A licensed funeral director and embalmer, Cavender began his career in funeral service in 1987 after receiving his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Funeral Service from Dallas Institute, initially working in the Kansas City area and then as an embalmer for the SCI Dallas metro embalming service. Joining Dallas Institute in 1994 as an instructor, he has taught Chemistry, Pathology, Funeral Service Ethics, General Psychology, Embalming Lab, Written Communications, Funeral Directing, Psychology of Grief, and Funeral Service Microbiology. He also served as the Director of the Clinical Program for over fifteen years. Cavender earned his master’s degree at Amber University and is a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP). He has also served on committees with the accrediting agency for schools of mortuary science, the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE). He has participated in multiple curriculum outline reviews for them and also served on several visiting teams that are a part of the reaccreditation process for all mortuary schools. He has previously served on the National Board Liaison committee and currently holds the position of chair of the curriculum committee for the ABFSE. “Dallas Institute of Funeral Service is a top funeral service college and I am confident that Mr. Cavender has the necessary creative approach, qualifications and experience to lead the college to an even higher plateau of excellence,” said Jill Karn, Chief Operating Officer of Pierce Mortuary Colleges. “He already has a deep understanding of the mission, vision and values of Dallas Institute, which will help accelerate his leadership as the next DIFS president.” “I look forward to collaborating with faculty, staff and students to continue to build upon the excellent work that is already taking place on campus,” Cavender said. For more information on Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, visit www.dallasinstitute.edu. The post Dallas Institute of Funeral Service Welcomes Wayne Cavender as President appeared first on Connecting Directors. Dallas Institute of Funeral Service Welcomes Wayne Cavender as President published first on YouTube via Tumblr Dallas Institute of Funeral Service Welcomes Wayne Cavender as President |
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