“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

— Helen Keller

Are you happy with how many client families you work with per day, week, year?

Would you like to see yourself and others helping more people, doing the work that you love?

Well guess what, there’s a fast lane to getting more client families, and it has nothing to do with sales or marketing. Nope.

It has to do with community. Yes, comm-unity.

Community creates unity. Unity creates harmony and trust. Trust creates more client families. Sounds new-age, but it’s true.

By collaborating with local businesses in your community, your funeral home has the opportunity to reach larger audiences, scale your capabilities, and increase your invisibility.

Trust us, this collaboration is the future. Want to give it a try? Here are 6 local businesses we recommend starting with:

Idea #1: Yoga & meditation teachers

There is yoga for just about every kind of person these days. Yoga with beer, yoga on rooftops… heck, even yoga with baby goats! But what about yoga for grief? You’d be surprised by how many people would be interested in this type of workshop. So many, that this could potentially be a long-term, regular class – either at your funeral home or a local yoga studio.

Collaboration idea: You could partner up with local teachers and put on a yoga + grief workshop that includes a talk with you, the expert, on grief, followed up by some asana designed for those who are grieving.

Idea #2: Coffee shops & cafes

A Death Cafe gathering in January 2016 at the Ziferblat cafe in London. (Courtesy of Ziferblat)

Death Cafes are more than a thing now… they’re almost a standard in every city around the globe. If your city hasn’t tapped into the unprecedented power of community that exists in Death Cafes yet, why not start the revolution yourself?

Collaboration idea: Find a local cafe to partner up with that’s a favorite in your town, and see if they’re open to the idea. It’s a win-win for both parties, because you’ll get a chance to connect with your community, and the coffee shop will support a good cause and earn some sales along the way.

Idea #3: Holistic personal chefs

Holistic chef Claire Phelan carefully plans every ingredient in each course to “assuage anxiety, boost mood, treat depression, or even relieve obsessive worrying”.

What happens when people grieve the death of a loved one? People come in and help out. Neighbors deliver lasagna, friends drop some dessert off.. It’s a sort of community collaboration. What if you tapped into that community effort and offered families a third-party service that could take that support a little further?

Reach out to local personal chefs to create a service that offers a weekly meal plan for mourners. It’s especially helpful to find a chef  who specializes in holistic food & nutrition. They’ll likely know some recipes specifically helpful for the grief and anxiety that takes place after a loss.

Collaboration idea: Host a grief dinner like this one called “Eat Your Grief” with a therapeutic twist.

Idea #4: Artists

The Morbid Anatomy Library popup at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Who said death needs to be absent of art? In the West, it tends to be… but this is not the case in Eastern and indigenous cultures. Art installations and tours like Morbid Anatomy are slowly beginning to pop-up. These are designed to get people interested in talking about death, and to also take away the shame for those who are already interested in talking and thinking about it.

Collaboration idea: Hitch up with a local artist to create an installation in your town center on death. Have an inclusive community event to “launch” the installation where you talk about death in a way that gets people interested and invite people to join the death positive movement that’s happening everywhere.

Idea #5: Soul midwives

The Soul Midwife’s most important role is to provide comfort, continuous support and reassurance in helping a dying person to experience the death he or she wants.

Soul midwives might be a new term, but it certainly is an old concept. The function of helping others comfortably pass on, fulfilling their emotional, physical, mental and spiritual needs as they prepare for their journey on is ancient. For millennia these practices have been used, and that’s why we’re happy to see soul midwives making waves in the funeral profession. If you don’t already have a soul midwife friend in town, we highly recommend making this valuable connection for your funeral business.

Collaboration idea: Team up with a Soul Midwife to create a pre-planning package for your funeral home that encourages full mind/body/soul support for your potential families.

Idea #6: Local fairs & markets

Does your community really know who you are? Have you taken the time to step outside of your funeral home doors to introduce yourself? Local fairs are a great way to do just that, without asking people to come to you. You’d be surprised how many weekly, monthly and seasonal fairs that are happening all around you. Ask around, and choose 1-2 to start.

Collaboration idea: Send one of your charismatic employees to engage and network with potential client families and forage collaborative possibilities by creating a booth at an event. Create a booth that is inviting and friendly. Make sure the signage you choose really speaks the language of the attendees.

Collaborate with the team at funeralOne

funeralOne helps funeral professionals innovate, connect with their families in new ways and become more profitable. Our solutions include:

• f1Connect, the profession’s leading website platform
• The Sympathy Store eCommerce plugin
• Life Tributes All-In-One  Personalization Software

If you’re interested in collaborating with us, click here to speak to one of our Funeral Success Specialists.

What kinds of local businesses has your funeral home collaborated with in the past? What kinds of businesses would you like to collaborate with? Tell us in the comments below!

Joe Joachim

funeralOne

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