Last week I attended a Blue Ocean Tour seminar planned and produced by Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson.  It was my first time on one of these events and it was an incredible learning experience including tours of Death Care facilities, a National Cemetery, discussons, learning experiences, and simple brainstorming of ideas with a group that included funeral home owners, retired funeral home owners, non-funeral director funeral home business executives, and funeral home supply company executives.

During one of our brainstorming discussions the group touched on what I call “funeral poverty”.  That being the fact that sometimes at the time of an unexpected death families are simply strapped for cash and do not have savings in place or the ability to secure credit in such a short time period.

The discussion led to the thought of crowdfunding vehicles as a way to bring in some money to pay for services.  At least one funeral director in the group said that he has had clients who do crowdfunding but the funeral home received none of the proceeds and he was still left with a really tough to collect receivable.

That’s when I mentioned that a friend of mine in funeral service, Jimmy Altmeyer, had created a program that can crowdfund for funeral expenses but is much more than that.  It is a funding device created by funeral directors for funeral directors that can help funeral homes assist members of their community for projects of all types.

I wasn’t familiar enough with the concept to speak in any great capacity at the Blue Ocean Tour about it but the discussion led me to reach out to Treasured Memories Community Funding (TMC Funding) to get more information and pass that information on to the readers of Funeral Director Daily.

The following is an article I received from the good people at TMC Funding for publication in today’s FDD.  I hope you enjoy it and learn about another product that may be able to help your business.

Many funeral homes have experience with a  young child passing away in their community. 

 

The family  inquires about services after this sudden, tragic death of a loved one.  Many funeral homes offer to donate goods and services, but the funeral home still needs to cover cash advance items like published obituaries, cemetery open and close, death certificate filing, and more. Then the family and friends, with good intentions, set up a fundraiser using an online crowdfunding platform. 

 

A genuine action to help the family  inadvertently begins to reflect negatively on your funeral home, making it appear as if you didn’t help them out at all. All this, while the real story is that the funeral services have been donated.  The general public most likely doesn’t know this and doesn’t consider what is happening behind the scene.

 

“When a community is coming together to help a family in need, that’s good.   However, they should consider all needs of the family, not just the cost of the funeral”,  shared Jimmy Altmeyer, President of Altmeyer Funeral Home and Founder of Treasured Memories.

 

Similar scenarios encouraged Jimmy and his team to create Treasured Memories Community Funding (TMC Funding): an online fundraising platform created for funeral professionals, by funeral professionals. TMC Funding allows funeral homes to bring crowdfunding in-house while securing funds for families in need to better serve their communities. 

 

Ultimately, this demonstrates your commitment to providing exceptional care while enhancing your firm’s public image.

 

Other community funding platforms exist by taking a portion of the funds raised. Treasured Memories has a 0% platform fee and we provide our services through donor tips.   100% of the donations will go to the family or charity of choice.

 

Treasured Memories Community funding not only helps a family pay for their loved one’s services, it can also be used to raise money for memorial donations, charitable events, sponsorships and other community organizations. 

 

“When we built the platform, we were focused on families in need,” explained Jimmy. “What we actually found out is that only 30% of the fundraisers are for families in need. 70% of the funds raised are for successful community outreach and memorial donations.” Crowdfunding can help funeral providers with all types of fundraisers:

 

Family Support – Funds can be raised for families in need of assistance with funeral, medical and other unexpected expenses.

Memorial Donations – Charities and organizations in someone’s name or in support a family.

Charitable Events – Raise funds for a specific event happening in your community.

Community Fundraisers – For a local organization in need of support.

Support for Veterans – Raise funds for Veterans’ medical assistance, housing or other necessities.

Loving Pets and Animals – Raise money towards furry friends that require medical assistance, shelter or other efforts.

 

Community fundraising  opens the door for many funeral homes to support their communities.  When a fundraiser is created, the funeral home has the opportunity to help share the family’s story. 

 

Both the family and funeral home can begin sharing the fundraiser on social media.  Once the fundraiser is complete, the funeral director can present the check to the family or the organization of their choice.  

 

“Treasured Memories Community Funding has helped us build relationships in our community.  It has given the funeral home an opportunity to show how families impact the charities in their loved one’s memory,” shared Craig Roe, Vice President and General Manager for Michigan Memorial Funeral Home in Flat Rock, MI.

 

The increased  publicity will impact your funeral home’s reputation in a positive way .

 

Treasured Memories Community Funding presents opportunities to follow up with charitable organizations creating community engagement.  Outreach events have the potential to create a cycle of education, community involvement and positive attention for your funeral home.

 

You can learn more by looking at the Treasured Memories Community Funding website here.

 

For more information regarding community fundraising or getting started on the TMC Funding platform, you can click here. 

 

A Little About the Founder of Treasured Memories Community Funding:

Jimmy Altmeyer

Jimmy Altmeyer, President of Altmeyer Funeral Home & Founder of Treasured Memories, graduated from Villanova University (BA, 1988) and Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science (Associate’s, 1989). He and his wife, Jocelyn C. Altmeyer, have three children: Simon Cameron, James Elijah, and Justine Virginia.

Funeral Director Daily take:  We are happy to provide information on another “tool in the toolbox” for those that work to satisfy Death Care clients’ needs.  This type of platform, controlled by the funeral home, is a much needed addition to what is presently available to funeral homes.

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

Last week it seemed that every time I turned around I heard a news story about debt. . . . Here’s one that’s titled “Over nine million student loan borrowers could see their credit scores tank as delinquencies are poised to hit record highs“.  Or this one from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York titled “Household debt balances continue steady increase; Delinquency transition rates remain elevated for auto and credit cards”. 

Even our nation’s financial well being is in the news — here’s a story about that titled “U.S. could run short of money to pay its bills by August without a debt limit deal, CBO says.”

Any way that you look at it I think you will find a certain portion of our society living in a world where one missed paycheck or one bad incident could spiral their financial well-being down.  And, according to this article from Great Britain, it’s a problem in Death Care there — that is families not having enough resources to fully pay a loved one’s funeral bill.

If you are operating a funeral home there are times when compassion reigns and you have to make the decision to provide services without a guarantee of payment.  It may not be the best business practice but it just is the way that most Death Care practitioners are wired.

However, if you are not getting paid what you deserve for conducting funeral services the long-term consequences over time are not good.  Here’s an article titled “Is continuous accounts receivable a problem?”  I suggest you read it just for a little reminder that growing accounts receivables can sink a great business.

So, I think it behooves every funeral home and cemetery to have many tools in their toolbox for helping clients pay for the services that they are provided.  Those tools should include pre-arrangments with financial arrangements tied to them, down-payments, the use of credit cards, the acceptance of insurance funding, and more.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

And, in the world we live in today, one option for families to pay their obligations may be through community funding — most often referred to as “crowdfunding”.  When you think about it, online community funding today is not so much different than what happened for decades when friends, relatives, and acquaintances stuffed cash or checks into memorial cards to be used by the family.

For sure, many of these donations were for “memorials” and expected to be used “in memorium” of the deceased.  But, I conducted enough funerals over the years where friends and relatives hoped that the money they put forward would go towards the family paying a funeral bill that might have been out of their current reach without help.

I recently became aware of a community funding product that can be used for this purpose.  Take a look at what Treasured Memories Community Funding has been able to do for people by clicking here.  They can help families collect funding for “Memorial” projects or other uses.

As a matter of fact, Treasured Memories Community Funding can be used by funeral homes and aligned with others in their communities to raise funds for a variety of uses — memorials, family help, charitable events, community fundraisers, and more.

Take a look at this page on their website and you will see some stories where Treasured Memories Community Funding helped children whose mother passed away, helped start an education fund for children whose father passed away, and, yes, even helped families raise money to pay for funeral costs.  You will also find a “Memorial Fund” music foundation started to raise money in memory of a person who loved the arts.

I’m in the Baby Boomer generation and our generation has grown philanthropical giving.  Generally, we give to organized causes, especially those we can get a tax deduction from.  It’s how we grew up.

However, if we look to the Millenial generation (born between 1980 and 1999) who are between 25 and 45 years of age at this time, we see that they are already making their mark in charitable giving.  According to this article from Foundation Source over 85% of Millenials give charitably.  In addition, they are tech savvy and probably more likely to give to causes through social media campaigns, such as those that can be offered by Treasured Memories Community Funding, than other generations.

If I still ran my funeral home I would look into how Treasured Memories Community Funding could become a part of it. . .not only to help my client families but my community as well.

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

Anthem Partners Announces Alliance with Treasured Memories® and FDLIC

October 15, 2024 – Anthem Partners, a leading operator of funeral homes and cemeteries throughout North America, is excited to announce its recently developed strategic partnership with Treasured Memories® and Funeral Director Life Insurance Company (FDLIC).  This relationship provides Anthem Partners’ locations in the eastern United States with the critical resources and extensive support to substantially expand its preneed business.

“This new partnership with Treasured Memories and FDLIC brings together a strategic vision that builds our preneed competencies, expands our service capabilities, and enhances the operations for our Tennessee locations,” stated Jim La Mar, Anthem Partner’s Director of Business Development.  “We look forward to leveraging their expertise as engaged strategic allies as we continue to help families navigate the continuum of care.”

Treasured Memories has been a beacon of support for funeral homes across the U.S. since its inception in 1988.  The company has grown to epitomize excellence and dedication within the funeral service profession and features two innovative offerings – Treasured Memories® Community Funding and Treasured Memories® Travel Protection.

 “We are excited about our new venture with Anthem Partners as we share the same vision of delivering exceptional service to families,” said James E. “Jimmy” Altmeyer, Jr. President of Treasured Memories. “This association will drive our mutual success in helping more families preplan.”

Funeral Directors Life (FDLIC) was founded in 1981 by a group of funeral directors who wanted to provide the best possible service to their families, including safe and secure options for their prepaid funerals. Since then, FDLIC has grown to be one of the leading preneed providers in the nation.   For more than forty years, FDLIC has been helping funeral directors grow their businesses and increase profitability in a rapidly changing marketplace.

“We’ve had a long-standing relationship with Anthem Partners in Tennessee, and we are excited to welcome a partnership with Treasured Memories,” commented Paul Lovelace, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at Funeral Directors Life.  “We look forward to continuing our mission to provide the best, most respected service to our customers.” 

About Anthem Partners:   Anthem Partners is a privately-held operator of cemeteries and funeral homes.  Founded by industry professionals and backed by long-term, patient investors, Anthem Partners actively seeks opportunities to grow with like-minded professionals and firms who share their vision. The founding principles of Anthem Partners are respecting the unique history of the family businesses and acknowledging the lives lived in the communities they serve.  To learn more, visit www.anthempartners.com.

About Treasured Memories: Treasured Memories creates solutions for caring funeral professionals serving today’s families. They also hold memberships in funeral establishments across the country.  Whether a professional looking to use their tools or a funeral establishment looking to join them, they are here to help in any way they can.  To learn more, visit www.treasuredmemories.us.

About Funeral Directors Life:  Funeral Directors Life (FDLIC) is focused on being the best, most-respected service provider to the funeral profession with preneed funeral solutions, financial services, and technology offerings. The company helps funeral homes improve their businesses and grow their profitability through full-service solutions. For more information, visit www.funeraldirectorslife.com.

Tribute Technology and Treasured Memories® Partnering to Elevate Funeral Service

WAUNAKEE, WI — Tribute Technology, a leading provider of technology solutions for funeral directors, is proud to announce its partnership with Treasured Memories®, a premier consultancy and benefits provider for independent funeral homes.

This collaboration marks a pivotal moment in making advanced technology more accessible and meaningful for funeral directors and the communities they serve across North America.

Treasured Memories has been a beacon of support for funeral homes across the U.S. since its inception in 1988. Led and championed by Jimmy Altmeyer Jr., a fourth-generation funeral director, Treasured Memories has grown to epitomize excellence and dedication within the funeral service profession. Jimmy’s commitment to exceptional service is mirrored in the legacy of Altmeyer Funeral Homes & Crematory, which has expanded to serve numerous communities across Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida since its founding in 1917.

The partnership heralds a new era of enhanced support for funeral directors, with Treasured Memories clients gaining access to Tribute Technology’s cutting-edge software and resources. The initiative will begin with introducing Tribute Technology’s Premier Partner, Legacy Touch, to Treasured Memories clients, allowing them to offer beautifully crafted Fingerprint Keepsakes to families seeking to memorialize their loved ones in a uniquely personal way.

“Deciding to partner with Tribute Technology was the best choice for us. Tribute Technology stands out as the premier provider of technology solutions in our profession. Their commitment to innovation, combined with a deep understanding of the needs of both funeral directors and the families they serve, aligns perfectly with our values at Treasured Memories,” Altmeyer said. “This partnership is not just about enhancing our service offerings; it’s about setting a new standard in the profession.”

This partnership ensures that all members of the Treasured Memories network benefit, reinforcing both organizations’ commitment to supporting funeral directors in offering compassionate, personalized services to families during their time of need.

“Jimmy is an incredible leader within the profession, and we are honored to partner with Treasured Memories. This partnership is poised to deliver the finest technology solutions for funeral directors, and we are excited for what the future holds,” said Tribute Technology Chief Customer Officer Courtney Gould Miller.

Members of the media with questions about Tribute Technology or any of the company’s products and services are asked to contact press@tributetech.com.

About Tribute Technology: Tribute Technology’s mission is to bring the best technology to all funeral homes, to help communities around the world celebrate life, and to pay tribute to loved ones. Over 9,000 end-of-life providers already use Tribute Technology’s software and product offerings, including websites, marketing services, management software, online planning, personalized memorial keepsakes, payment processing, and other solutions. Tribute Technology is focused on innovating to help funeral directors save time on tasks, so they can focus more on connecting with the families who have lost a loved one. The company’s goal is to give funeral directors everything they need to run their business in one place, making their lives easier.

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