Five Ideas for Recognizing National Grief Awareness Week in Your Community

Helping families navigate the complicated and highly-individualized journey through grief and loss is a natural extension of the services you provide as a deathcare professional. Sometimes, though, the simple act of just recognizing that it’s okay to grieve can be as important as providing the proper tools to help them deal with their loss.

National Grief Awareness Week, which is observed during the first week of December, presents a powerful opportunity for deathcare professionals to show your community that grief is normal, unique, and perfectly acceptable. Sponsored by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the week is designed to “raise awareness about grief and loss” and — and it’s a perfect time for funeral homes to deepen family support and strengthen community outreach. 

Here are some ideas gleaned from SAMHSA’s plethora of grief and loss resources:

Normalize grief and encourage conversation

SAMHSA reminds us that grief is “a natural response to loss” and emphasizes that many people experience it differently and may feel isolated. The deathcare community is uniquely positioned to open respectful dialogue during pre-arrangement meetings, service planning, or aftercare/follow-up. Encourage clients and families by reminding them that “there’s no wrong way to grieve” and provide them with resources like SAMHSA’s tip sheet How to Support a Person Who Is Grieving a Loss of Life. By framing grief as expected and shared rather than something to hide, you create an environment of trust and affirmation.

Offer tangible resources and recommendations

Many families may feel lost in the days and weeks after a funeral. Consider creating or curating a short “grief support guide” specific to your community. List local support groups, faith-based grief ministries, grief-informed counselors, and online resources. Include guidance on when grief may require additional support (for example, complicated grief or long-term, intense reactions) and provide contact info for 988, the US crisis line, if urgent help is needed. Embedding this into your aftercare communication acknowledges the ongoing nature of bereavement.

Mark National Grief Awareness Week within your organization

Use this designated week as a moment to show your team’s empathy and community leadership. Simple actions could include sharing social-media posts using the hashtag #NGAW with the graphics and messaging from SAMHSA’s toolkit, which we’ve shared here; hosting a small remembrance event (e.g., a light-a-candle vigil or memory tree for those lost) in your chapel; or offering a brief no-cost “grief check-in” meeting with families served earlier in the year. Engaging in this way reinforces that the relationship doesn’t end with the service.

Train staff in grief-sensitive communication

Behind the scenes, your team plays a vital role. Encourage staff to become familiar with foundational grief concepts: that grief may involve emotional, mental, and physical responses; that it does not follow a linear path; and that cultural, faith, and individual factors shape reaction. Role-play simple supporting statements and cues to listen more than speak. Such preparation ensures all client touchpoints—from funeral directors to administrative staff—demonstrate consistency and compassion.

Follow up long-term and build a memory-focused engagement strategy

The service may be over, but healing continues. Consider scheduling a follow-up call or sending a handwritten note on the anniversary of the loss (or during holidays, which SAMHSA recognizes may trigger reflections). Offer a quarterly email or print mailing with short grief-education content, or partner with local grief support organizations to deliver workshops or webinars. Demonstrating ongoing presence helps families feel less forgotten and reinforces the role of your practice as a pillar of support.

National Grief Awareness Week offers funeral professionals a meaningful occasion not only to raise awareness but to actively enhance care. By normalizing grief, providing resources, marking the week with intentional support, training your team, and maintaining long-term engagement, your practice can make a lasting difference in how families navigate their loss and healing.

Americans Embrace Digital Funeral Planning While Still Seeking Professional Guidance, New NFDA Consumer Awareness and Preferences Study Reveals 

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, has released its 2025 Consumer Awareness & Preferences Study, revealing significant shifts in how Americans approach death and funeral planning. The comprehensive research shows consumers are increasingly embracing digital solutions while simultaneously demonstrating growing reliance on funeral directors’ expertise. 

The research continues NFDA’s ongoing effort since 2012 to track evolving consumer attitudes and help funeral service professionals better serve families. 

Key findings include: 

● Digital adoption surges: Nearly 30% of families now complete all funeral arrangements online, while 40% of consumers have used the services of a funeral home they found on Facebook—nearly doubling from 21% in 2023. 

● Professional expertise increasingly valued: 44.4% would feel not very confident or not at all confident planning a funeral without a funeral director’s help—up 7.1% since 2024, despite growing digital adoption. Additionally, of those consumers who planned a funeral online, nearly 48% still needed the assistance of a funeral director and more than 15% felt the online planning process was either impersonal and lacked the level of compassionate service they would have received had they planned with a funeral director. 

● Religion remains central: 75.7% consider religious components very important or somewhat important in funeral services, while nearly 64% would arrange livestreaming for distant relatives. 

● Green options gain appeal: More than 61.4% of consumers are interested in exploring “green” funeral and natural burial options. 

● Economic pressures shape choices: 55.4% of respondents earned less than $50,000 annually, compared to 38.5% in 2024, influencing demand for value.

● Pre-planning preferences evolve: While 19.4% have pre-planned and prepaid for arrangements, primarily to guarantee prices and relieve survivors of financial burden, 31.8% prefer a hybrid approach combining online planning with direct funeral director consultation. 

“This research demonstrates that while technology is transforming how families access funeral services, the fundamental value of professional guidance remains irreplaceable,” said Dutch Nie, NFDA Immediate Past-President and Nie Family Funeral Home & Cremation Services owner, CEO/President and funeral director . “Funeral directors are successfully adapting to digital expectations while maintaining their essential role as trusted advisors during families’ most difficult times.” 

The study also reveals that consumers increasingly view funeral directors as valuable experts, with growing recognition of their professional expertise in navigating complex arrangements and providing essential support during grief. 

About the Study 

The 2025 NFDA Consumer Awareness & Preferences Study continues NFDA’s ongoing research tracking consumer attitudes since 2012. The study is designed to help funeral service professionals better understand and serve evolving family needs while maintaining the highest standards of care and professionalism. Conducted in the spring of 2025, 1,126 Americans age 40 and older were surveyed. 

About NFDA 

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit NFDA.org.