Does your funeral home want to improve your aftercare efforts? Or, maybe you want to become more involved in your community but don’t know where to start. Don’t worry, we’re here to help.

Brainstorming community support ideas as a whole for your funeral home can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve broken it down into three categories: grief resources, support groups and programs, and community events.

Let’s go over some community support ideas for each category!

Grief Resources Ideas

One easy way your funeral home’s staff can help families grieve is to suggest grieving methods based on their hobbies. If someone likes being outdoors, they can take walks or plant a tree in honor of their loved one. Or, if someone is into crafts, they can make a memorial scrapbook or photo wreath.

You also can share online grief resources like blog posts. One example is the For Families category on our blog that’s filled with grief articles. Additionally, share information about organizations for specific grief situations. For instance, if someone is grieving the loss of a loved one who died while serving or as a result of serving in the military, tell them about The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS).

For those who have a Frazer-powered website, take advantage of our grief tool: 365 Days of Healing. It’s an email subscription families can sign up for to receive a daily email during the first year of their grief. It’s as simple as having this feature on your website and informing your families about it.

Support Groups and Program Ideas

Suggesting support groups and programs is great, but you can take it a step further by starting your own! To help families cope with grief, host educational workshops. They can focus on specific topics such as an unexpected death or anticipatory grief. You also can host remembrance programs, such as an annual holiday remembrance program or one for different grief years like year one after a loss.

For support groups, you can start them for certain types of losses, such as the loss of a spouse or child. A member of your funeral home’s staff can run the group, or you can recruit an outside source. After you decide who will run it, determine the group’s overall goals and agenda. Once you have the plans in place, you can share the information with those who may be interested in joining.

Community Event Ideas

While it’s important to support grieving families, it’s also important to just get involved and provide some just-for-fun community events. An easy and effective idea is to host events associated with specific holidays.

You can do the well-known holidays like an Earth Day park clean up, or you can promote awareness days like National Cancer Survivors Day. Show your support for the cause by starting a fundraiser or sharing educational resources on your funeral home’s social media pages.

To make event planning easier, consider partnering with local businesses and organizations. Reach out to schools and colleges, hospice centers, and other potential partners that can relate to your event’s cause.

To learn more community support ideas for your funeral home, download our free eBook!