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The Obituary Business
is Changing - Are You
Going to Be Part of It?
pg 4
Lifetime Membership -
A Convenient Alternative
to Annual Renewals pg 9
Compass
Spring 2011
The A publication of the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice
2 APFSP The Compass
Where can I get continuing education?
Thanos Institute
Continuing Education for Funeral Directors -
Approved by the Academy of
Professional Funeral Service Practice
10 continuing education hours per course in Category A.
Also approved for ceu's in 32 states - Offered Online & In-print
Thanos Institute
www.thanosinstitute.com mrizzo@thanosinstitute.com
APFSP The Compass 3
When one examines ancient maps of the world,
some, at the edge of then-uncharted waters, had drawings of dragons with the warning, Beyond here there be dragons." rough our modern eyes this seems humorous, but it calls to mind, for me, that most famous seaman, Christopher
Columbus. Now, Columbus, of course, didn't
actually sail over the edge of the earth. In fact, the well-recited tale that Columbus stood alone in his belief that the world was round while others thought it was at is just, well, a well- recited tale. e Bible spoke of the circle of the earth." As many as 500 years before Columbus, the Greeks knew the world was a sphere, and in
Columbus' day, many educated Europeans knew
that as well. Columbus most certainly was among that group. While some uninformed and unedu- cated seamen might have clung to the outdated myth of a at world, what was probably truer is that most understood the world was a sphere and that traveling beyond the horizon did not mean plummeting into an abyss. eir concern was that beyond the horizon lay the unknown, and in the unknown, as the ancient maps warned,
ere be dragons." It was fear of the unknown
world, not of falling o the world, that kept ships hugging the coastline.
But not Columbus. Evidence shows that
Columbus believed that Asia was wider than it is
and the ocean not as broad as it is, and when con- fronted with charts or maps that suggested other- wise, he simply either discarded that information or changed the data. Columbus was not fearful of the unknown. He may have been worried about the dragons and been apprehensive about what he might nd on the far side of the globe, but he was determined to sail o, even into the frightening unknown, and probably took courage from the realization that he was taking something of the known with him. e waters into which he was sailing may have been uncharted, uncer- tain, unknown, but sailing he did know. e basic principles would still hold true no mat- ter how far into the western
Atlantic he ventured. Wind
would still drive the boat for- ward, the rudder would still turn the ship away from the rocks, and the anchor would still hold them fast when they reached shore again.
We all know the outcome of Columbus's
famous voyages. In relevance, funeral service today, in many ways, stands in stark contrast to that of our profession even two decades ago. Like Columbus, there are times when we may feel that the profes- sional waters we sail are uncharted, uncertain and unknown. Societal and attitudinal shifts have created many signicant changes in the land- scape of our businesses; yet, the basic rudiments of what we do remain constant. Winds of change will only drive the boat forward. e rudder of education and ethical practice will still turn the ship away from the rocks. e anchor of skill, empathy and heartfelt service will still hold us fast through the waves of shifting opinion.
When waters are rough, stay the course. When
winds are seemingly too strong, hold fast to the rudder. When it may seem that all is slipping away, drop anchor in the knowledge that what you do is vitally important in the lives of those whom you serve. All the while, never stop learn- ing. ere will always be dragons on the map.
Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice
Meet the 2010-2012 APFSP Board of Trustees
?e Compass Innovative Publishing Ink specializes in creating magazines for associat ions and businesses. Please direct inquiries to Aran Jackson at ajackson@ipipub.com. www.ipipub.com
President"s Message
Arvin W. Starrett, CFSP
APFSP President
President's Message ........................................................................
e Obituary Business Is Changing - Are You Going to Be a Part of It? .................................4
Congratulations to the New CFSPs! ........................................................................
..................6
Five Members Honored as Legacy Fellows ........................................................................
APFSP News & Notes ........................................................................
Technology Tips: Twitter for Funeral Homes ........................................................................
....8
Lifetime Membership - A Convenient Alternative to Annual Renewals ..................................9
Contents
President
Vice President
Secretary/Treasurer
Immediate Past President
Board Members
Education Consultant
Executive Director
4 APFSP The Compass
e professional goal of death care is to provide com- prehensive and compassionate customer service to those in your community who call upon you in the darkest moments of their lives; the business goal of death care is to generate revenue. ese two diverse goals are not mutu- ally exclusive. You or someone on your sta may well remember the days when it was simply enough to provide ample parking, an air- conditioned facility and up-to- date livery equipment.
Many people think that being successful" in
building Internet presence for their funeral home is a dicult task to undertake, but regardless of your knowledge of technology and the Internet, I"m here to tell you that it"s not as hard as you think.
In recent years, tech-based products that improve
the quality of your service have been introduced to the death care profession and have helped improve the way you serve your families and conduct your business. For instance, consider your capacity to print personalized service items like register books and prayer cards or to create multimedia DVDs to be featured at visitations or services. ink of the many tools at your ngertips that facili- tate the tasteful presentation and personalization of revenue-generating merchandise like caskets, urns, vaults and related products. Technology in the funeral home is the undeniable link between providing exemplary service and running a suc- cessful business. Having technology at work for you through your website is crucial as your online image and reputation become equally as important as your direct relationship with the community you serve.
With the obituary section of the newspaper being
the laggard classied section in the migration to the Internet, there is opportunity for you to use the obituaries that you place as a way to help fur- ther your reach and brand across the Internet. e inherent limitations of the print obituary in telling the full story of a person"s life has opened the doors wide for alternative online oerings that provide a better means of preserving someone"s memory and communicating obituary news to extended family and friends while, at the same time, provid- ing funeral homes with opportunities to generate new revenue streams and new ways to market their businesses online.
Consider the enormous loss of revenue that news-
papers have sustained as a direct result of the continued migration of paid print materials to the
Internet. is is clearly evidenced in the growing
number of classied job ads, personal ads and for- sale ads that are being posted online. In addition, newspapers nationwide are in fast decline, as sub- scriptions are dropping at an ever-increasing rate as more and more people are turning to the Internet for news, entertainment and other information
including obituaries. Due to this phenomenon
and dwindling oine readership, newspapers have resorted to charging exorbitant and ever-increasing fees for the placement of the printed obituar- ies and/or death notices that they do publish.
Undoubtedly, you have witnessed this to at least
some extent in your funeral home"s service area. Perhaps your clients are choosing to forgo spending their money on a brief print insertion that is avail- able for only one day.
With the trends in social networking showing that
older demographics are now actively participating, it growth each quarter on Facebook alone, it is easy to see how tech services (blogs, memorial websites and online obituaries) are changing the way people grieve and experience the death of their loved ones. ese digital destinations are quickly becoming the hub for family and friends especially distant and extended family to be involved in the support and grieving process. Many have some form of a guestbook for online condolences, support photos and video, and allow for the online purchase of sympathy items. It is critical, as these online trends continue to develop, that funeral homes are able to meet the growing demands of families for quality online products and that they retain a meaningful role in online memorialization. To ensure that the online obituary remains the digital hub where families and friends gather around the death of the loved one, the funeral home needs to be in position to provide and control that destination in a way that can also benet their businesses something that was never possible with the traditional print obitu- ary. Enhanced online obituaries and tributes allow funeral homes to help families to create a special destination, which preserves the rich stories of their loved ones lives in full multimedia with unlim- ited copy, photos and video. At the same time, the funeral home can leverage these enhanced oerings to generate new streams of revenue, drive trac to their websites, market their brands and promote their product and service oerings.
As a funeral-home provider in a service business,
you should truly take the time to explore the mar- ket trends occurring in both obituary classieds and social networking and how these things are coming together to create opportunities for you to continue to enhance your oerings while growing your business. Also, without having to invest mil- lions of dollars into your website, take advantage of what may already be out there like Tributes. com, a media company that helps distribute the obituary locally and nationally. Tributes.com is helping funeral homes harness the power of the
Internet for their families and their businesses.
John M. Heald is a fourth-generation funeral director and embalmer with 14 years of experience. He is a partner at Heald & Chiampa Funeral Directors in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. John has served as the head of sales and busi- ness development for Tributes.com since 2005. Tributes.com is the online resource for current local and national obituary news, lasting tributes celebrating the lives of loved ones and an online community that provides support during times of loss and grief. To reach John, e-mail john@tributes.com, or call (617) 913-6122 to speak to him directly. e Obituary Business Is Changing -
Are You Going to Be a Part of It?
How to Provide Value-Added Service and Generate Revenue by John M Heald
APFSP The Compass 5
6 APFSP The Compass
Michael Scott Bryant, CFSP (Michael)
omas McAfee Funeral Homes
PO Box 14068
Greenville, SC 29610
Brian K. Burton, CFSP (Brian)
E. Blake Collins, CFSP (Blake)
E. Blake Collins Funeral Home
159 George Avenue
Walter Lee Crox Jr., CFSP (Walt)
Covenant Funeral & Cremation Service
Brandy Lynn Harwood, CFSP (Brandy)
Strode Funeral Home
204 Columbia Avenue
Jordan C. Hockey, CFSP (Jordan)
Sands Funeral Chapel
Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 4B8
Eric V. Pare, CFSP (Eric)
20 Lexington Avenue
Kenneth Peele Jr., CFSP (Kenneth)
Carthage Chapel Funeral Home, Inc.
929 West Beaver Street
Karen A. Reardon, CFSP (Karen)
Matthews, NC 28104
Robert E. Rue, CFSP (Rob)
Littleton & Rue Funeral Home
Edward Jerome Soles, CFSP (Edward)
B. Steven Spann, CFSP (Steve)
John A. Gupton College
1616 Church Street
Erin Christie Whitaker, CFSP (Erin)
Whitaker Funeral Home
Newberry, SC 29018
Carl Michael Williams, CFSP (Carl)
Carl M. Williams Funeral Directors
492 Larkin Street SW
Lance Monroe Wimberly, CFSP (Lance)
omas McAfee Funeral Home
Greenville, SC 29610
Make it your goal to be in the list of
new CFSPs in the next issue!
Here's how:
Check out the continuing education pro-
grams on our website
Complete your Career Review if you
haven't already done so
Tell us about any activities you
have completed that do not appear on your transcript
Congratulations to the New CFSPs!
Five Members Honored as Legacy Fellows
Congratulations to the following APFSP members, who achieved the designa tion of Certified Funeral Service Practitioner since our Winter 2010 issue. Please help us congratulate these members for their hard work!
APFSP The Compass 7
Congratulations to the New CFSPs!
Five Members Honored as Legacy Fellows
e Academy of Professional Funer- al Service Practice Board of Trustees established the Legacy Endowment
Fund to accept donations from all
eligible sources for the purpose of promoting education in funeral ser- vice and mortuary science in No- vember of last year.
Any donor who gives $1,000 or more to the
Legacy Endowment Fund, either in a lump
sum or through installment payments, is rec- ognized as a Legacy Fellow and has received a Legacy Fellow pin that signies the donor's generosity and commitment to continuing education and lifelong learning. e following Academy members are the rst in- dividuals to become Legacy Fellows:
Daniel H. Becker, CFSP
Dan is a Lifetime member and an APFSP ambas-
sador. Dan owns the Becker Funeral Home in
Struthers, Ohio.
Kathleen M. Berry, CFSP
Kathleen is a Lifetime member, an APFSP am-
bassador and the immediate past president of the
Academy. She is employed by Wilbert Funeral
Services in Forest Park, Illinois. In addition, Kath- leen serves on the board of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Jay W. Boulanger, CFSP
Jay is a Lifetime member, an APFSP ambassador
and a past president of the Academy. Jay owns the
Spengel-Boulanger Funeral Home and Dauder-
man Mortuary in Highland, Marine, Alhambra and Hamel, Illinois.
Edward J. Fitzgerald, CFSP
Ed is a Lifetime member and past president of
the Academy. He is a retired funeral director and served as president of the National Funeral Direc-
NFDA president, Ed worked tirelessly with the
NFDA Board of Governors to found the Acad-
emy and establish the organization's certication process and guiding principles. In fact, Ed was the very rst recorded member of the Academy after
Henry M. Gutterman, CFSP
Henry is a Lifetime member, a past president and
an honorary life member of the New Jersey State
Funeral Directors Association, and he serves on
the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan (NYC)
Funeral Directors Association. Henry owns the
Gutterman Funeral Directors in New York City.
e Board of Trustees of the Academy will grant scholarships and make bequests from the income, appreciation and any other earnings generated by the Legacy Endowment Fund for the purpose of funding mortuary science and funeral service edu- cation for mortuary science students and funeral service practitioners.
Visit apfsp.com/legacy.htm for online donations,
about the APFSP Legacy Endowment Fund. & APFSP News Notes
Have You Seen Someone
Using the CFSP Designation
Who Shouldn't?
e Academy Board of Trustees considers the unauthorized use of the CFSP designation by non-members and non-CFSPs a serious mat- ter. e current list of CFSPs is published each week on Monday mornings. If you discover someone has used the CFSP designation, but he or she does not appear on the published list, would you please let us know so we can address the situation immediately?
In order to continue to use the CFSP
designation, a member must either be a Life- time member of the Academy or pay his or her renewal each year and meet the required continuing education requirements.
Renew Quickly Online
For your convenience in paying your renewal, we
accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American
Express or transfers directly from your bank ac-
visit apfsp.com/renew.htm to pay online.
Has Your Address Changed?
Don't forget to notify us of any changes in your
address, phone number, fax number or e-mail ad- dress. For your convenience, please call or e-mail your changes to our oce at kgehlert@apfsp.com.
Watch For Our New Series of
Ads/Press Releases
e Board of Trustees wants to develop an adver- tising campaign that focuses on What It Means to Be a CFSP.
We recently asked the APFSP ambassadors to
tell us what it means to them to be a CFSP to gather rsthand testimonies. We will use them to produce ad copy for major trade publications and press releases with this theme in a campaign to get the word out about the value of the CFSP desig- nation throughout funeral service.
8 APFSP The Compass
TECHNOLOGY TIPS
Twitter is on re. Oprah came on Twitter a few months back, and it just went crazy. Lance Armstrong is really active on Twitter. People really get a sense of what he is up to. As a warning, you can get lost in there, so let yourself go in there in doses. Many people are active on Twitter. Some people use Twitter more than they use their cell phones because that is the way they communicate with in their network. With the obit Twitter account, there are some real advantages for exposure, especially for some of you who are near the Canadian/U.S. border, where there are tough winters, and a lot of the people may snowbird and spend their winters down in Florida, California or Arizona. ey may come to your website o and on to see who died over the winter, and now the hip people can say, I can fol- low the funeral-home obituaries on Twitter? Awesome!" You may think that you would rather have them visiting your website, but re- ally, you want to communicate with them the way they want to be communi- cated with. Don"t force them to do anything; instead make it easier for them, because you are going to be driving people back to your website in that way.
Step-by-Step Instructions
that you reserve your funeral home. You may also want to claim your town"s name and obits. neralHome and @[YourTown]Obits
Twitter itself.
All the media people will be there, like reporters. You now have a direct link with them, so you want to follow those people, and then they might be follow- ing you back again. Do the same with other business and other people in your network. It shows that you are up with the times. More people will probably follow the funeral home account than the obitu- ary account, but it is just another way to convey that information to your community. ere is also a website called www.Twellow.com. You can go there and sign up for a free account. Login using your Twitter account, and you can nd people with your hobbies and in your area. It is just a little easier to use than Twitter. To view an example, go to the Twitter obituary account of Amos Family Fu- neral Home at http://twitter.com/shawneeobits. It is called ShawneeObits. is business is following 150 people. e sta members are pretty active. Every time they upload an obituary to their website, it shoots out a ping so that it is formatted in Twitter. e link takes visitors back to the funeral home website. e Amos Family Funeral Home Twitter account at http://twitter.com/amos- familyfh is following the same amount of people, but as you can see, there are more followers. Here is where the sta members post news about their website, their newsletter and what they are doing in the community. Robin Heppell, CFSP, combines his expertise in technology and pre-need, his formal business knowledge and his deep-rooted legacy in the funeral profession so that he can help funeral homes and cemeteries be more competitive, be more profltable and provide the best possible service for the families they serve. For more information on Funeral Futurist Websites, visit http://www.FuneralFuturistWebsites.com by Robin Heppell, CFSP
APFSP The Compass 9
Duane Adams
Ernest Carlton Adams Jr., CFSP
E. Gene Allen, CFSP
Sean Patrick Ambrose
Randy P. Anderson, CFSP
Terrance Denson Andrews
Scott B. Anthony, CFSP
Harry N. Antram, CFSP
omas E. Antram, CFSP
Lynn Armstrong-Patterson, CFSP
quotesdbs_dbs17.pdfusesText_23
[PDF] “A Trusted Name When Caring Counts - Plan a Funeral