Partnering with Funeral Directors

Many funeral directors work closely with both local and national charities, and often take on events or fundraising to support a charitable cause.

It's not common for a funeral director to recommend a particular charity to a bereaved family, as they will normally already have chosen which cause to support. However, funeral directors do often choose to support their own 'charity of the year' and raise fund through sponsored events and collections, so it's worth trying to build relationships with them.

How to build relationships with funeral directors

Say thank you
Downloading your Tribute report will show you which funeral directors consistently raise significant sums for your charity. Once you've got their names you could consider thanking them via social media (don't forget to tag them).

If they are local to your office and you can pop in to say thank you in person this will be welcome, although you may need to call in advance as staff are often with families or at services.

Dedication pages
Like charities, funeral directors like to mark significant times of the year and offer support to their families and communities during these periods.

Our Dedication Pages are increasingly popular with funeral directors, with pages that share messages and collection donations on special occasions such as Christmas or Remembrance Day. If you have a local funeral director with tributes raising money for you, you could ask them to consider this on your behalf.

Family focus
Don't forget to thank families that are collecting donations via tributes created by a funeral director - you can view these on MuchLoved via the 'Tributes Fundraising for You' tab. Tributes created by funeral directors can be moved across into your own service so you can connect with the family and offer them any support they need.

If a family has been particularly active on a tribute created by a funeral director it's a good opportunity to get in touch and thank them directly. You can speak to them about moving their tribute to your own service, and begin to move them to your stewardship plan, to secure their long-term support.