On Saturday, December 1 at 2:00 p.m., pioneering death educator and Before I Die NM Festival coordinator Gail Rubin will be interviewed on KKOB News Radio. She’s scheduled to be on the Jeffrey Candelaria Show for an hour. You can find KKOB News Radio at 94.5 on the FM dial, or 770 AM in Albuquerque, NM, […] via Tumblr Listen to Gail Rubin on KKOB Radio this Saturday
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Cash Check Credit or Crypto? Meet the Only Funeral Service in North America Accepting Bitcoin.11/29/2018 Verlin Stoll sighs when he’s asked about Bitcoin. As the co-founder of Crescent Tide Funeral and Cremation Services in St. Paul, Minnesota, Stoll is among a handful of small business owners to offer cryptocurrency as a payment option. In fact, Crescent Tide is the only deathcare provider in the United States to be listed in registries of Bitcoin-friendly merchants (the only other funeral service listed as accepting cryptocurrency is located in the Philippines). Once known as the preferred payment method for illegal activity due to its anonymous, unregulated network, Bitcoin and other virtual currencies have now gone mainstream. A May 2018 survey found that nearly eight percent of Americans own some form of cryptocurrency, while another seven percent plan to buy soon. Worldwide, only 13,922 businesses accept crypto as of this writing (check out this very cool cryptocurrency heat map that updates daily as more venues are added). Major retailers, including Overstock, Expedia, Shopify, and Subway are open to payment with Bitcoin, and there’s strong speculation that Amazon and Starbucks will make the leap in 2019. Crescent Tide is Ahead of the Curve
Although the option “sparks their curiosity,” says Stoll, only one customer has actually paid using Bitcoin. “Most people have heard of it, but they don’t know what it is. ‘Internet money’ is all they know.” This is a common dilemma among merchants accepting cryptocurrency, but it doesn’t mean they’re scrapping the option. Even though Bitcoin payments typically make up a fraction of revenue, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for businesses. There are no fees to receive Bitcoin, payments are irreversible and secure, and most companies see value in being a “symbolic gesture to the young, techy customers.” In the deathcare industry, many of those young, techy customers are the same people who will be funding services for their older loved ones. Crypto and CremationAccepting cryptocurrency was a no-brainer for Stoll, who opened Crescent Tide in March 2011 with the tagline, “The New Generation of Service.” As a business owner, he’s very open to innovative ideas that will increase sales, appeal to a wider range of customers, and make doing business make more economical sense. Crescent Tide’s business model is very unique; in addition to simple a la carte pricing, they do not have a facility that can hold funeral and memorial services. Instead, they coordinate with churches, chapels, and other facilities to hold services, and utilize their office for arrangements, preparation, and viewing for immediate family. Stoll says that of the 1600 or more families they serve each year, most opt for cremation and the majority request services be held at their places of worship. As a personal believer in the viability and benefits of cryptocurrency, Stoll is doing his best to promote its use by offering a three percent discount for customers who choose to pay with Bitcoin. Still, he’s frustrated by the current perception of virtual currencies.
Article by Connecting Directors’ contributor Patricia Hartley The post Cash, Check, Credit, or Crypto? Meet the Only Funeral Service in North America Accepting Bitcoin. appeared first on Connecting Directors. Cash, Check, Credit, or Crypto? Meet the Only Funeral Service in North America Accepting Bitcoin. published first on YouTube via Tumblr Cash, Check, Credit, or Crypto? Meet the Only Funeral Service in North America Accepting Bitcoin. WHEELING, IL— The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) and the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories (IAOPCC) are excited to announce that the Certified Pet Crematory Operator Program (CPCO) is available online! This prestigious and sought-after certification is now readily available to pet crematory operators everywhere. The new Certified Pet Crematory Operator Program (CPCO), a collaboration between the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories and the Cremation Association of North America, was first released in 2016 as an in-person course. “We are thrilled with the partnership with the IAOPCC. Moving the IAOPCC/CANA CPCO course online extends the reach to pet cremation providers from both associations and fulfills our mission of providing excellent member benefits,” says Barbara Kemmis, CANA Executive Director. Participation in the CANA/IAOPCC CPCO Program assures the public that organizations are committed to safe pet cremation practices and that the utmost respect and care is a priority. Utilizing the core standards set forth in the IAOPCC’s Accreditation Program, the industry’s only accreditation program, the class addresses major topic areas such as an overview of the pet cremation process, equipment and operations, and standards and ethics. This self-paced and highly interactive online class is available for registration at any time, allowing learners to complete the course on their schedule and from the convenience of their office or home on any device. IAOPCC Executive Director Donna Shugart-Bethune is excited about the opportunities the new online CPCO program brings to its members and all pet aftercare professionals. “This program really answers a need in our industry for relevant, mobile, self-paced learning. Pet aftercare professionals can now access the benefits of on-line learning for themselves and their employees, learning at their own pace within their environment. This is a game-changer for our Members and the pet aftercare industry. Anytime you can put best practices and accreditation standards directly into their environments, everyone benefits. We are excited to be doing just that!” The online course will be hosted on CANA’s Learning Management System. Both CANA and IAOPCC members receive discounted pricing. Visit http://gocana.org/cpco for more details or to register. Please note: the CANA/IAOPCC Certified Pet Crematory Operator program is not interchangeable with the certification received through the CANA Crematory Operations Certification Program. This program is only open to those directly involved in pet cremations. About CANA Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,300 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization. About IAOPCC The International Association of Pet Cemeteries & Crematories (IAOPCC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the standards, ethics, and professionalism of pet cemeteries and crematories around the world. With members in more than 15 countries, IAOPCC is the recognized leader in the pet aftercare profession. The post Certified Pet Crematory Operator Program Now Available Online appeared first on Connecting Directors. Certified Pet Crematory Operator Program Now Available Online published first on YouTube via Tumblr Certified Pet Crematory Operator Program Now Available Online The Competitions and Markets Authority are proposing a major funerals probe after identifying serious concerns in the funeral sector. It’s a long read – 133 pages – find the full interim report here We publish this morning’s press release in full below: ‘Today’s interim report presents the issues the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has identified since launching a Market Study into the funerals sector 6 months ago. Its initial work indicates problems with the market that have led to above inflation price rises for well over a decade – both for funeral director services and crematoria services. The scale of these price rises does not currently appear to be justified by cost increases or quality improvements. Given the nature and significance of the issues the CMA has identified, it believes the full powers of a Market Investigation – carried out by an independent group of CMA panel members – are required. Issues include that:
Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said:
The CMA will now be consulting on the potential market investigation reference and welcomes any views on the issues identified in its report by 4 January 2019. It would also like to hear from people involved in the industry and others, who may have observed instances of poor quality standards in the back-of-house facilities of funeral directors. Details on how to respond are available on the funerals market study page of the CMA website’
‘Serious concerns in the funeral sector’ identified by CMA published first on YouTube via Tumblr ‘Serious concerns in the funeral sector’ identified by CMA Designer Will Mullins has a fresh vision for the future of caskets. Inspired by observing a niche with little change in manufacturing methods, design, and functionality he’s conceptualized a new casket from production to burial. His Time Capsule design is apart of the Abydos collection and it looks like a stylish car or shiny modern product you might come across at the Design Miami exhibit.
Mullins comes from an engineering background in the automotive field working with Nissan, Honda and Toyota as a tier one supplier before persuing caskets. The inspiration for the design itself came from a variety of places including a visit to a mold-making company, Excedrin headache capsules, replacing the batteries of a TV remote, and finally, Spock’s death and his space casket. The Time Capsule’s lid slides forward for viewing and can also be completely removed. Mullins’ explains why:
The casket itself is made of fiberglass and the long-term production goal is for each made-to-order casket to be 3D printed, painted, and shipped to the funeral home. Mullins is currently gauging public and industry interest with hopes to move forward with production once an order threshold is met. Design concepts like Mullin’s Time Machine are compelling and important for death care professionals to consider. The design gives perspective to exactly how old-school some of our methods and aesthetics are and ask us to think about why we landed here – at the status quo. I’m not suggesting we have arrived at a moment of imminent change (it will be pretty clear when we get to that point), but considering alternatives and imagining the future is a healthy thought exercise in every industry. Do you think your customers would purchase the Time Capsule? Let us know in the comments and get in touch with Will Mullins at [email protected] for more information and availibitly. The post “Time Capsule” Modern Casket Rethinks the Burial Container from Manufacturing to Function appeared first on Connecting Directors. “Time Capsule” Modern Casket Rethinks the Burial Container from Manufacturing to Function published first on YouTube via Tumblr “Time Capsule” Modern Casket Rethinks the Burial Container from Manufacturing to Function Take a long-time funeral director, a cemetery owner and a psychologist who specializes in grief counseling, put them together, and what do you get? An unconventional idea that just might be the future of cemeteries. At this year’s NFDA expo in Salt Lake City, Lynn Gibson and Jason Troyer of Grandview Cemetery hosted a seminar […] The post Cemeteries ARE Dying — And Here’s One Cemetery’s Bold Response appeared first on funeralOne Blog. Cemeteries ARE Dying — And Here’s One Cemetery’s Bold Response published first on YouTube via Tumblr Cemeteries ARE Dying — And Here’s One Cemetery’s Bold Response The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will be held Sunday, December 16, 2018, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It will take place in the Fifth Floor Lounge at Manzano del Sol Village, 5201 Roma NE, Albuquerque. This is located just south of Lomas Blvd. and just west of San Mateo Blvd. The objective of the Death Cafe […] via Tumblr December 16: Albuquerque Death Cafe “Millennial Morticians with ABQ Brews” was an innovative part of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival, held October 30 to November 4, 2018. Four funeral directors in their 30s participated in a panel discussion held at Tractor Brewing Company in Albuquerque. Among the topics discussed: funeral service and autopsies done at the Office of the […] via Tumblr Video: Millennial Morticians with ABQ Brews 4 UK Funeral Ads Banned for widespread offense Amidst Government Investigation into Pricing11/27/2018 The British online funeral planning website Beyond recently had 4 advertisements bound for the UK subway system banned by Transport for London. The playful ads parodied pop-culter ad-styles like those for headache medicine, asking viewers:
Transport for London responded to the ban saying, “Running advertising that is seen by millions of Londoners every day is a serious responsibility and our advertising partner was advised by the Committee of Advertising Practice that the original posters proposed by Beyond were likely to cause serious and widespread offense.”
Indeed, Beyond’s ad scandal comes at a perfect time to catalyze a national conversation about funeral prices in the UK. Last June, 2 separate UK government organizations announced probes into funeral pricing. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is reviewing funeral costs in order to “to ensure that people are not getting a bad deal” and The Treasury is considering tougher regulation of pre-paid funerals and has opened a consultation process. Following the announcement of investigations in June, Dignity (the UK’s largest death care corporation) released a statement. Dignity ‘s head of insight, Simon Cox, commented:
Despite Cox’s pleasure for the investigations, Dignity’s share price fell 14% following the Treasury and CMA announcements re-highlighting its 70% low for the year reached in March… Beyond has worked with Transport for London to revise the ads to be more sensitive and subway-appropriate (and incredibly boring) but the originals still decorate billboards around London. The public outlash surrounding the ads has been shocking because the ads are legitimately funny… although it’s not clear if the media coverage has played up viewer disgust to spice up the story or if fear-of-mortality actually trumps sense-of-humor? From the outside, it appears Beyond has successfully executed a brilliant scheme to simultaneously promote their services far beyond the subway systems (NY Times, Metro UK, BBC News, etc.) and raise awareness for the potential need for UK funeral price reform (which would benefit their business) and the current government investigations looking into it. The UK is consistently about a decade ahead of the United States in terms of funeral care trends which gives us a head start on resolving these issues stateside before we see similar problems of government price investigations, plummeting death care stock prices (Dignity fell 70% this year), and religiously unaffiliated customer needs in a country with a 77% cremation rate. What do you think about Beyond’s ads? Funny or insensitive? The post 4 UK Funeral Ads Banned for “widespread offense” Amidst Government Investigation into Pricing appeared first on Connecting Directors. 4 UK Funeral Ads Banned for “widespread offense” Amidst Government Investigation into Pricing published first on YouTube via Tumblr 4 UK Funeral Ads Banned for “widespread offense” Amidst Government Investigation into Pricing The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will be held Sunday, December 16, 2018, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It will take place in the Fifth Floor Lounge at Manzano del Sol Village, 5201 Roma NE, Albuquerque. This is located just south of Lomas Blvd. and just west of San Mateo Blvd. The objective of the Death Cafe […] via Tumblr December 16: Albuquerque Death Cafe |
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