Fortitude Research and Marketing Launches Guidant – the First Technology Platform to Enable Online Cemetery Property Sales

Patented platform goes live with Milestone Funeral Partners, marking a major step forward in the digital transformation of the deathcare profession

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Oct. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Fortitude Research and Marketing today announced the launch of Guidant, a technology company pioneering digital commerce solutions for cemeteries and funeral homes. The patented platform enables families to purchase cemetery property and related services directly from cemeteries, completely online — a first for the deathcare profession.

While several companies have made it possible to arrange funerals and cremations online, Guidant is the first to bring direct cemetery property transactions — traditionally an offline, in-person process, requiring customers to meet with a sales professional — into a fully digital, secure, environment.

Guidant’s patented technology integrates interactive mapping, inventory management, and e-commerce functionality, allowing cemeteries to showcase available property, streamline purchasing, and enhance the consumer experience. According to industry research, thirty-five percent of consumers say they would purchase cemetery property online if they had the option.

“For too long, cemetery property sales have been one of the last major purchase categories still tied to a completely offline process,” said George Owens, Founder of Fortitude Research and Marketing which incubated Guidant. “Guidant changes that. Our platform brings the transparency, convenience, and accessibility that today’s consumers expect — while empowering cemetery operators to grow their business in a digital-first world.”

The company’s first live implementation launched at Brooklawn Memorial Park in Portland, Maine, a partner of Milestone Funeral Partners, a forward-thinking funeral, cemetery, and crematory company serving funeral homes and cemeteries across multiple states in the Northeast.

“We’re proud to be the first to bring Guidant’s technology to market,” said Mike Martel, President of Milestone Funeral Partners. “This platform makes it easier for families to make meaningful, informed decisions — and it gives our locations a new way to reach people where they are. Guidant represents the kind of innovation our profession has needed for years.”

Guidant’s technology is patented, with 11 additional partner locations currently in pre-launch. The company is now entering an active growth phase, seeking to add new locations to the platform as well as seedinvestment to accelerate deployment, expand its engineering team, and scale adoption across North America.

“This isn’t just a digital tool,” added Owens. “It’s the foundation for how the next generation of cemetery commerce will operate — built with respect for tradition, and the innovation needed for the future.”

About Guidant

Guidant is a technology company transforming the way cemeteries sell property and services. With a patented digital platform that enables families to browse, select, and purchase cemetery property online, Guidant empowers cemeteries to modernize their sales process and meet the expectations of today’s digital consumer.
Learn more at: OurGuidant.com

About Milestone Funeral Partners

Milestone Funeral Partners, led by experienced funeral directors Michael Martel and Timothy “TJ” Smart, focuses on supporting community-based Managing Partners and fostering entrepreneurship. With a dedication to people and local caregivers, the company ensures its businesses are led by the best caregivers in each community they serve.
Learn more at: Milestonefuneralpartners.com

Premier Preneed Marketing Welcomes Adam Land 

Premier Preneed Marketing, a leading preneed marketing company, has announced the hiring of Adam Land as Director of Sales. In his new role, Land will expand and strengthen the Premier’s sales team’s relationships with funeral homes, agents, and agencies, while driving continued growth in pre-need funeral services.

Land brings nearly two decades of proven success in sales leadership, marketing, strategic planning, and business development within both the preneed and insurance marketing sectors. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Preneed Sales for National Preneed Company, LLC, where he guided sales and marketing operations, developed new business strategies, and managed significant growth initiatives. Under his leadership, sales more than doubled in five years, with consistent year-over-year increases.  Before National Preneed Company, Land served as Director of Sales & Marketing at Premier Preneed Marketing.

Land will join the Premier team to offer recruitment, training, and mentoring of preneed sales professionals; implement strategic sales plans; and ensure that funeral homes and the families they serve receive exceptional support. He will also play a key role in community outreach and compliance oversight, helping to uphold Premier’s commitment to integrity and performance in the preneed marketplace.

“Our goal in bringing Adam on is to expand Premier’s capacity to deliver outstanding service, support, training, and technology to our funeral home partners,” said Jeff Wright, Vice President – Preneed at Premier Preneed Marketing. “His track record of growth and leadership allows us to expand our ability to work with larger groups, as well as individual locations that want to nurture and protect their communities with preneed.” 

“I’m excited to join Premier Preneed Marketing at such a pivotal time in our profession,” said Land. “I look forward to partnering with funeral homes and agents to create meaningful solutions that not only grow business but also serve families with compassion and integrity.”

Land holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas and is licensed in life insurance across multiple states.

About Premier Preneed Marketing:   Premier Preneed Marketing, an Integrity Company, has provided support, training, and leading insurance solutions to funeral homes since 1968. By consistently designing innovative, consumer-friendly products, Premier has earned a reputation as one of the most respected insurance brokerages in the country. In addition to strong commission schedules and outstanding product offerings, Premier also provides value-added services to help their funeral home partners grow their businesses. To learn more, visit www.premierpreneed.com.

OGR and Premier Preneed Marketing Launch Partnership to Strengthen the Independent Funeral Home Community

INDIANAPOLIS (August 28, 2025) – The International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR), the leading professional association dedicated to independently owned funeral homes, is proud to announce a new strategic partnership with Premier Preneed Marketing that will help expand OGR’s reach and strengthen the voice of independently owned funeral homes across the US and Canada. This generous incentive removes financial barriers to joining OGR, allowing more funeral home owners to connect with a supportive network, access industry-leading education, and benefit from exclusive member resources.

Through this partnership, Premier Preneed Marketing will fully sponsor the first year of OGR membership dues for funeral homes that become Premier Preneed Marketing customers and join OGR. Current Premier Preneed Marketing customers who join OGR will also have their first year of dues covered. In addition, the company will continue to subsidize dues in the following two years, allowing members to receive a significant reduction in their second and third years of membership.

“This partnership reflects OGR’s commitment to strengthening our relationship with our supply partners and ensuring that independent funeral homes can more easily access the resources and support they need to prosper,” said Wendy King, CAE, CVA, Executive Director/CEO of OGR. 

Program Highlights:

New Members: If a non-member funeral home is a current customer of Premier Preneed Marketing – or becomes one – Premier will pay for their first year of OGR membership in full, then contribute $1,000 toward their second year, and $500 toward their third year of membership.

Current OGR Members: Because Premier Preneed Marketing values and supports OGR’s current members – and not just new ones – the company is making it easier for member funeral homes to attend PROGRESS, OGR’s signature annual event, by offering a partial reimbursement of registration fees.

“Premier Preneed Marketing is proud to partner with OGR in supporting the mission of independently owned funeral homes,” said Jeff Wright, President of Premier Preneed Marketing. “By making OGR membership more accessible, we’re not only helping funeral homes connect with valuable resources and a trusted network, but also ensuring that the independent voice remains strong in our profession for years to come.”

Funeral homes can take advantage of this partnership by contacting Gary Del Vecchio, OGR Director of Member Development, at GDelVecchio@OGR.org or 512-334-5504, ext. 145, or Michelle Fong, Premier Preneed Marketing at michelle.fong@premiersmi.com or 330-697-9343.  

About the International Order of the Golden Rule

The International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR) is an association of independently owned and operated funeral homes dedicated to ethical service to all. Founded in 1928, it is our mission to make independent funeral homes exceptional. We do this by building and supporting member interaction, information exchange and professional business development through a wide range of programs, services and resources. For more information, visit www.ogr.org.

About Premier Preneed Marketing

Premier Preneed Marketing is a leading provider of preneed solutions, helping funeral homes grow their businesses and serve families with thoughtful pre-arrangement options. For more information, visit www.premierpreneed.com. 

10 Powerful Insights & Ideas from the 2025 Funeral (Un)Conference Marketing Experts

Just in case you missed Day Two of DISRUPT Media’s Funeral (Un)Conference in June — and didn’t click to watch the FREE recordings (SMH) — here is some of the very best marketing advice from some of the very brightest in the business.

Use your reviews ~ John Lefrandt, Elevia

John recommends regularly reading the reviews families leave on your Google business page, evaluating the information, and launching a campaign to follow up with them.  “There’s so many insights that they can glean,” John says. “That is a billboard. Basically, each one of those testimonials that’s there helps just the general health of the Google business page.”

Plug into your community’s continuum of care ~ Welton Hong, Ring Ring Marketing

Welton believes that engaging with the senior living and hospice providers in your area can be a valuable endeavor. “Senior living, hospice, and funeral homes are very intertwined,”Welton says.  “I was able to host a small dinner, with hospice sitting at the same table as my funeral home client, ‘You guys talk,’ and now we start taking home care. You guys all got to be in the same room. Just talk, and help each other out. It’s the same family, same set of data.”

Leverage your suppliers’ marketing content ~ Jenn Parvin, Batesville

The popularity of Batesville’s newly ungated product pages is an indication of how interested your potential families may be in seeing what products are available. “The traffic on that page is unreal.”

Offline marketing is not dead ~ Ryan Thogmartin, DISRUPT Media

Non-digital marketing — billboards, direct mail, and even radio — should still be included in your omnichannel approach. “I don’t think that radio is dead,” Ryan says. “I don’t think that direct mail is dead. Actually, we have a ton of success with clients when we partner strategically targeted social ads with a mail drop with memorable creative. There’s a way to partner social and direct mail and then retarget with social in those zip codes with a much higher conversion, where now you can spend less on a very targeted mail drop.”

All incoming calls aren’t created equal, Scott says, so listening to and categorizing your calls is crucial to evaluating the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. “Record your calls, listen to them, find out what’s working with your marketing,” Scott says. “Leverage AI to transcribe some of those calls and then automatically categorize. Is this a qualified lead, or is this a logistics call? You’ll be able to see how many leads and actual cases we’re getting versus just clicks and impressions.”

Don’t assume what your families know ~ Jenn Parvin, Batesville

Jenn has proof that there’s a huge gap in what you believe families understand and what they actually know about deathcare. It’s up to you to provide the answers to the questions they may not even know how to ask. “Education, education, education,” adding that according to a recent Batesville survey, “90% of people in the profession assume that families understand preneed, but less than 30% of families actually know preneed is available.”

Audit your Google business profile ~ Welton Hong, Ring Ring Marketing

Your Google page should be much more than your address and phone number. It can provide all sorts of details that help to educate and inform the public, says Welton. “These days when you look at your Google listing. You get to put in products and services,” he says. “Let’s say, you are a Jewish funeral home. If you don’t even put a description inside your Google business profile that you’re a Jewish funeral home, how does Google know? Study your Google business profile, login, click all the pencils, and make sure everything’s updated.”

Even small budgets can produce phenomenal results ~ Ryan Thogmartin, DISRUPT Media

What if you could (or would) only devote $500 to your marketing efforts? Would that even be worth the trouble? That depends on how wisely you use that money. Ryan recommends recording quick, but super educational and engaging, video content to really exceed your customers’ expectations. “It’s free to create content, so I would sit down with an iPhone, I would record a 30-second video that is answering a simple question about, let’s say, preneed,” he explains. “Then I would put $500 towards a targeted ad with that to people over the age of 55, and get really dialed in to the right consumer with that message.” 

Take a video camera into every part of your business ~ Ryan Thogmartin, DISRUPT Media

Following up on the value of creating no-cost video content, Ryan adds that those videos don’t have to be perfect, or scripted, or even edited. He recommends thinking about all the parts of your business that families may be curious about, then shooting video while you explain it. And believe it or not, it’s nearly impossible to run out of ideas. “You could create one video 30 different ways, and it would still be valuable,” Ryan says. “And people would still ask questions, because not everybody sees every piece of content. Video content. It gets 71% more engagement.”

BONUS: Here are some of Ryan’s suggestions for educational video content: 

• Three things families should know about preneed.
• Prep room tour: Show the embalming machine or talk about embalming fluid, “What’s the purpose of embalming fluid? Why do you need to be embalmed?”
• Unpack a casket, fluff up a pillow
• Show how a female funeral director uses a mortuary lift to help with heavy bodies
• “Did you know that we have pink caskets?”
• “Hey it’s 3am – this is what a first call looks like.”

Dramatic Funeral Home Marketing Effort | FFFW 231

Welcome to April! We’ve arrived at Spring, which is amazing, because Spring feels inherently better than winter. It’s a season of new beginnings and fresh starts, blooming flowers and green grass. If you ignore the horrid allergies that take away your ability to breathe, it’s almost heaven!

And we love new beginnings, but at the FFFW we’ll keep on doing the same thing: bringing satire, GIFs, and a handful of chuckles.

Let’s keep it rolling!

“The announcement that Facebook will delete live streams older than 30 days reveals a critical disconnect between platform policies and the reality of grief. Grief doesn’t follow a 30-day timeline. Our data shows 30% of funeral viewings happen after that 30-day window. For an average funeral home, that’s over 2,500 families annually who will seek comfort in a service recording only to find it gone. This should serve as a wake-up call for funeral professionals to invest in solutions where they maintain ownership and control of their content, rather than entrusting these precious memories to platforms with competing priorities.” – Shane White, CTO of MemoryShare

MemoryShare is here to help.

Funeral homes affected by these changes can schedule a call with MemoryShare to receive 3 months of unlimited streaming and recording. Their team will handle all training, transfer your existing videos, and provide a complimentary 20-minute training session for your staff. MemoryShare is committed to funeral homes and ensuring a smooth transition with zero disruption for the families you serve.

Call 469-983-4832 to learn more and meet with a MemoryShare professional who will guide you through the process. Mention Disrupt/Connecting Directors to claim a bonus gift!

Funeral Home Unveils Ambitious 2025 Strategy To Increase Font Size On General Price List

In a sweeping move set to redefine how the public interacts with printed death care materials, Bracken & Sons Funeral Home has officially announced its 2025 modernization initiative: a 2-point increase in the font size on its General Price List.

The announcement was made during the funeral home’s quarterly strategy meeting, where laminated mission statements were passed out and promptly ignored. According to leadership, the shift from 10-point to 12-point Times New Roman represents a bold step into the future.

“For years, we’ve heard feedback like ‘I can’t read this’ and ‘Is that a 5 or an 8?’” said Marketing Director Linda McShale. “This strategic enhancement will make our GPL not only easier to read, but also more emotionally accessible. We’re not just raising font sizes—we’re raising standards.”

The upgrade comes after months of internal discussion and a brief trial run involving Arial, which was quickly abandoned after being described by staff as “visually aggressive.”

Other initiatives discussed during the meeting included adding QR codes to laminated urn catalogs (“so people can scan something, even if it does nothing”) and introducing a new slogan: “Transparency, Dignity, Serif.”

Not all staff were convinced.

“I don’t know, it’s just… bigger letters?” said pre-need counselor Todd Kinsey. “We spent 90 minutes on this. I thought we were going to talk about AI or cremation trends, but then someone opened a Word doc and everyone just kind of clapped.”

In addition to the font change, the funeral home plans to implement a more “user-centric” design, which includes left-aligning bullet points and changing the color of section headers from charcoal gray to “slate-inspired blue.”

At press time, the revised price list was printing in the office, where it immediately jammed the paper tray and triggered a system-wide reboot.

Trivia

Choose the correct answer and you’ll see a puppy. Get it wrong and you’ll see someone hurting themselves.

Which of the following unusual materials has actually been used to manufacture a commercially available casket?

Answer Choices:
A) LEGO bricks
B) Banana leaves
C) Felted wool
D) Compressed dryer lint

You Otter Be Proud

Here’s some good news going on in the profession.

1. I work in a job nobody wants and do it with my dad, it’s brought us closer than ever
2. People Magazine Covers Funeral Profession Story
3. Fifth-generation funeral director Jeff Monreal helps families grieve, celebrate loved ones

Leigh Klemencic joins NGL as Assistant Vice President, Marketing Communications

Madison, Wis. (February 17, 2025) – National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is pleased to announce the addition of Leigh Klemencic as Assistant Vice President, Marketing Communications. Klemencic will lead the marketing team in the development of strategic external marketing communications initiatives to further enhance NGL’s position as a leader in the Preneed insurance industry.

Klemencic has experience in developing marketing campaigns and collateral, writing editorial content for industry publications, and building strong relationships to further enhance partners’ ability for future growth. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Leigh to our team. With her extensive experience in the Preneed profession, we are confident she will play a key role in advancing our vision to work with strategic clarity, creativity and operational excellence as NGL focuses on being a leader in chosen insurance markets,” said Jeremy Ragsdale, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer at NGL. “Drawing on her skills in marketing and communications, with her background in Preneed, she will work to strengthen our marketing services for everyone who collaborates with us.”

Prior to joining NGL, Klemencic held a variety of roles at Physicians Mutual Insurance Company, including Director-Preneed, and Preneed Marketing Manager. During her tenure with the organization, she helped funeral homes find and amplify their strategies for growth, designed and managed tradeshow sponsorships and exhibits, and implemented marketing campaigns.

“NGL is a leader in Preneed insurance and I’m excited to join the team and continue building on the foundation to grow in the marketplace,” said Klemencic. “I thrive on discovering opportunities to innovate through Preneed marketing and making a notable difference for the funeral homes that serve our communities.”

Klemencic earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Brooklyn College. She is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

Klemencic is a native of Ashland, Neb. and resides in Omaha, Neb., with her husband and three dogs.

About NGL

Established in 1909 National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is an insurance company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products. Information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company.

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

Harness the Power of Digital Marketing and Technology with Welton Hong

Leverage Technology to Grow Preneed at the 2025 CANA Symposium

WHEELING, IL— Your preneed program doesn’t just give you the opportunity to support your firm, it also gives you the opportunity to connect to your community. While it’s true that people often discover potential death care services through family connections or old-fashioned word of mouth, that’s changing rapidly as we progress farther into the technological advances of the 21st century. Managing and optimizing your preneed strategy is key to your continued success, but it isn’t always easy to handle without guidance from the experts. Join Welton Hong at the Cremation Association of North America’s 2025 Cremation Symposium in Las Vegas this February 26-28 to learn how to leverage the power of technology to drive your business’s preneed growth.

Detailed audience targeting, engaging lead magnets, personalized email marketing, cost-effective pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, and monitoring and measuring the results can be overwhelming for the average funeral home. That’s why Welton Hong will share a practical example of a nurturing sequence you can implement in your own CRM. He can show you how to reach the right people at the right time and foster valuable leads by Leveraging Technology to Grow Your Preneed Program, an education session sponsored by Ring Ring Marketing. 

A leading expert in helping funeral homes and cemeteries convert leads from online directly to the phone line, Welton Hong is the author of the book Making Your Phone Ring with Internet Marketing and Founder & CEO of Ring Ring Marketing. Join us and learn how to effectively target the 65+ demographic with tailored social media content and ads, and discover how email campaigns and remarketing tools can nurture leads into long-term clients.

“As the owner of a funeral home, you have a number of potential marketing outlets available to you, but in today’s digital age, one thing is irrefutable: If you’re not promoting yourself online, you’re losing critical exposure with every month that passes,” emphasizes Welton. “No longer are only the young or especially tech-savvy looking for product or service information on their phones or tablets. Now, everyone, from a preteen to a great-grandmother can do this quickly and easily.”

Welton is joined by these other experts in sessions designed to further your success:

• Kicking off the event is Greg Grabowski, Partner at Hospice Advisors, who explores how funeral professionals can work toward Bridging Hospice and Funeral Services: A Compassionate Continuum of Care, fostering a seamless transition for families as they navigate end-of-life. Each registrant will receive a free copy of his book Engaging the Heart of Hospice, co-authored with Lacy Robinson.
• Danielle Burmeister, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Homesteaders Life Company, reveals key insights into Preneed Motivators: Cremation Edition about why families decide to prearrange.
• A panel of experts share actionable insights for Cremation Preneed Success: Strategies, Insights, and Innovation in Sales and Marketing. Discover how to communicate the value of pre-planning with Tyler Anderson, VP, Business Development at Precoa; William Bonacorda, President of Trust 100; Rob Goff, Regional Director, PreNeed Northwest, for United Heritage Life Insurance; and, Joshua Rae, CEO of Golden Considerations.
• Aftercare industry leaders continue the discussion on enhancing your relationship with families while driving business growth in an Aftercare Panel: Supporting Families and Growing Your Business. Greg Grabowski of Hospice Advisors; Jon Lefrandt, Founder and CEO of Elevia; and, Matthew Van Drimmelen, Founder of Full-Circle Aftercare offer practical strategies for crafting a successful aftercare program.
• Lindsey Ballard, Owner of Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation, leads an interactive session to showcase attendees’ most effective strategies in Preneed Spotlight: Lessons and Ideas from Real-Life Success Stories.
• Wendy Russell Wiener, Managing Member of WRW Legal, PLLC, and Bill Williams, former President/CEO of Funeral Services, Inc., wrap the event with The Great Debate: Trust vs Insurance with the tools you need to determine, or confirm, which is right for your business.

Harness the power of digital marketing and technology with Welton Hong! Register for CANA’s 2025 Cremation Symposium February 26-28, 2025, at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Visit cremationassociation.org/success. 

About CANA

Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.

Funeral Director Daily learned last week that well-know Death Care industry executive Jared Dance has formed a business that intends to help funeral homes and cemeteries with marketing and management.

In an e-mail press release we received this announcement, “J. Dance Consulting LLC is excited to announce its launch as a specialized consulting firm serving funeral homes, cemeteries, and the broader death care industry. Led by founder Jared Nash Dance, whose career spans more than 20 years, including extensive work in the death care space, the firm provides customized solutions to help these vital organizations grow their reach, enhance operations, and build stronger connections with their communities.”

We also learned of the following services that J. Dance Consulting LLC plans to offer to its clients:

• Strategic Go-to-Marketing Planning
• Digital Marketing and Lead Generation
• Community Engagement & Event Support
• Operational Excellence Consulting

Jared Dance

Dance has indicated that he plans to take a tailored appoach with his future clients. . . . . That approach will include J. Dance Consulting LLC’s  “hands-on, customized approach ensures that every strategy aligns with the specific needs and sensitivities of the death care profession. Jared’s deep understanding of the industry makes J. Dance Consulting a trusted partner in driving measurable growth and meaningful impact”.

In his own words about his newly created company Dance made this comment, “I deeply respect the funeral and cemetery profession and its critical role in supporting families during some of their most challenging times. My mission with J. Dance Consulting is to help these organizations thrive by enhancing their marketing efforts, improving operational efficiency, and building stronger relationships within their communities.”

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

If you operate a funeral home, crematory, cemetery, or other Death Care business you are approached with a lot of marketing opportunities.  Every business owner or manager has to look at the opportunities and weigh the cost of the particular marketing with the potential exposure available and the image it will bring to your Death Care brand.

One of the people that I have found to have a great deal of insight with marketing opportunities is Joe Weigel.  Joe has decades of experience in the Death Care public relations and marketing areas and espouses his wisdom twice a month in an email blast.

Recently I read one of his marketing emails and then asked him if I could publish the short message in Funeral Director Daily.  With Joe’s permission, here is a recent article of his titled, “Special Opportunities are often Not so Special”:  

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  When I read this marketing message from Joe Weigel the other day it immediately put two historical campaigns into my thoughts.  The following two marketing decisions turned out to have great benefit for the companies that promoted them and at the same time empowered employees to be able to make a difference in the communities they work in.

The Servant Attitude contribution —  I’ve shared in this space before that I feel a part of my spiritual belief is that of helping others, especially those whom I deem less fortunate than myself.  I continue with that belief today and it is not restricted to financial situations —  I’ve been more than blessed by offering my entrepreneurial and business experience services to several non-profit organizations.  And, I’ve really enjoyed mentoring young people when given the chance.

I’ve also lived in Minnesota which is where Target stores first appeared and the corporate headquarters of Target still remain.

At some point in the 1990’s I learned that the Target Corporation gave a percentage of their profits to charitable organizations.  I found that business extension to philanthropy a challenge to me and pondered how I should put our funeral home into that Target philanthropy category.  (You can read about Target’s philosophy here.)

After much thought in the 1990’s, what I decided to do was give a minimum of 1% of all top-line service revenue to charity over and above our marketing and charity budgets at the time.  At the time we probably did about $1.5 million in services revenue so 1% would equal about $15,000 annually.  I sent out quarterly business checks, with the total equal to that 1% of revenue we had decided on, to 501(c)3 organizations that my wife and I selected.

We did that for about 2 years and included a letter with the donation to the organization that requested that outside of who had to know, that the donation was to be anonymous.  Interestingly enough, word always got out about our donations anyway.

After about two years my wife and I realized that we were not knowledgeable about all the organizations that could use funds in our area.  At that point I instituted a policy that we would divide the donations by our number of full-time employees and each employee would be allowed to send the donation to the charity of their choice.  We had only a couple of rules — such as the receiving organization had to be an organization that was “helping people”.  So, places like Habitat for Humanity and the Red Cross qualified but such things as local sports booster clubs and the like didn’t.

Our employees took this charge serious and, in my opinion, were excited to be able to push philanthropic money over and above their own giving to organizations that they saw as desireable to our community’s well-being.  I also think it created a situation where they believed that “their opinions mattered” to management and that increased staff cohesiveness.

It turned out to be a great way to help fund various needed services in our community and a way to bring staff and employees together.

The Pay it Forward method —  One of the great success stories in our region is that of Bell Bank.  From modest beginnings it has grown from one family-owned bank in Fargo, North Dakota, to a bank company operating in many states with $14 billion in current assets and employee ownership.  It happens to be the bank where Funeral Director Daily banks at.

Bell Bank has a program titled “Pay it Forward” for all of its employees.  According to the company website about Pay it Forward, which you can access here, the program works like this, “Every year, each Bell Bank employee receives funds to give as they choose to individuals, families and organizations in need.”

So, there you have it.  Public relations and marketing guru Joe Weigel states that one way to get more for your buck is “establishing a committee to review opportunities”.  I agree and believe that it could even lead to better decisions and happier employees.

Finally, I would challenge all of you business owners and managers to find a way to increase your charitable giving.  I’m a big believer in “What goes around, comes around” and I would bet that the more you give, the better you will feel, and the more you will be blessed.

For More:  If you are interested in receiving twice monthly marketing ideas from Weigel Strategic Marketing you can take his advice that he gave me. . . .you can get on the mailing list to receive his bimonthly Morning Joe newsletter by sending him an email at

we**********************@gm***.com

More news from the world of Death Care:

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”