—Special thanks to the Consumer Federation of America for making this brochure possible.
Making funeral arrangements at the last minute can be stressful, expensive, and disappointing in terms of services received. Planning ahead can provide the following benefits:
—Significant cost savings, quite possibly cutting funeral costs by half. Read more
Senate Bill 1424 would require any funeral home manager to be a licensed embalmer. This restriction serves no consumer protection purpose. Instead, it protects and favors embalmers (as compared to non-embalmer funeral directors) who do not want job competition from non-embalmers. Read more
How to save hundreds of dollars on funeral expenses
With the unemployment rates still on the rise and household incomes decreasing, access to affordable funeral services is more important than ever.
A comprehensive survey of funeral home prices in Washington State shows that a family can save hundreds to thousands of dollars on funeral services by simply shopping around. Read more
David Morrison is an attorney and longtime activist on funeral consumer issues. He served several terms on the FCA national board. Morrison has spent more than 30 years helping various individuals and religious congregations perform funeral and burial work themselves without the involvement of a funeral home. Read more
Going to the capital: how to lobby your state’s regulatory agencies and lawmakers—Jim Bates, FCA of North Texas
Handout
Making your newsletters make more money—Ruth Bennett, FCA national board
The Grief Dialogues—Elizabeth Coplan, playwright, past-president of Peoples Memorial Association
Handout
Essential Basics: how to complete a funeral cost-comparison survey—Ginny Farney, FCA of Greater Kansas City
Handout 1
Handout 2
7 ways to die with dementia: some thoughts about advance directives—Lamar Hankins, FCA of Central Texas
Handout 1
Handout 2
Fundraising 201: Fundraising online with email and social media—Amanda Stock, Peoples Memorial Association
Fundraising 101: A one-year, direct mail plan with templates for FCA affiliate groups—Josh Slocum, Executive Director, FCA
Handout
Tell everyone in town: how to get your FCA’s best speaker invited to present at allied organizations— Nancy Petersen, FCA of Greater Kansas City
Handout
The Urge to Merge:how three struggling FCA groups combined into one stronger, statewide organization—Sara Williams and Rebecca Taylor, FCA of North Carolina
FacebookTwitterLinkedinPinterest Read more
One of the parts of consumer advocacy that many don’t know about is monitoring laws and regulations that affect consumers. Sometimes the connection between consumer advocacy and regulations isn’t immediately obvious.
Funeral director licensing laws are an example. Read more
Past FCA president and social worker Laurie Powsner’s presentation has everything you need to know about basic funeral planning. Whether you want burial or cremation, ceremony or simplicity, these tips will help you keep costs in check. Read more
