By Kate Walker, Manager, Funeral Director Websites
The funeral profession, however, has always worked differently. Many funeral homes are long-standing family businesses, rooted in their local communities and built on trust, familiarity, and reputation.
When a family needs a funeral director, they are rarely looking for the most visible advert — they are looking for someone they recognise, someone they feel they already know, and someone they trust to care for them at a difficult time.
That’s why engaging with your local community remains one of the most effective - and cost-effective -ways to build awareness and connection over the long term.
It’s a good idea to engage with your local area and remind people who you are and where they can find you when they need you. David from Wedlake Funeral Home explains:
“When people are looking for a funeral director at that time of need, they want to reach out and be supported by someone they know, and who they know is going to look after them. Being seen and visible in the community is a big part of that."
In this article we share a number of ideas to inspire meaningful community engagement, while remaining mindful of professional standards and regulations, including those of the CMA. Community activity can also provide valuable, appropriate content for your website and social media which helps you communicate who you are, what you care about, and how you support the people around you.
7 Ideas for community engagement
Death cafes are growing in popularity in the UK. These friendly gatherings offer a place for people to talk about death, bereavement and grief, usually over tea and cake. Your funeral home could be a welcoming place for people to share their worries and experiences, but the event could equally take place at a community hall or similar public venue. Be mindful that these events should be open and inclusive, without promoting your services or soliciting business. If you are nervous of CMA guidelines then it’s actually reassuring for your audience if you say to them “I’m not here to promote our service, I just enjoy meeting people and encouraging them to share their experiences”. If you have not attended a death cafe, read this short article from The Times which explains what to expect.
Creating art can be a wonderful way to process grief because it allows people to express feelings that may be too painful or overwhelming to put into words. You may know a local artist who could help you put on an event for bereaved people to do drawing, painting or collage making. Just remember to ensure that any partnerships you form are with independent artists or charities not affiliated with hospices or care homes.
If you are keen to raise awareness and understanding of the funeral sector, you could host a Q&A event for your local community. Invite celebrants, bereavement services, and charities, who can answer people’s questions. By encouraging open conversation, you can help families to talk to each other about death and dying. Opening the conversation with professionals ensures your families access guidance under the right supervision. You should however avoid inviting representatives from hospitals, hospices or care homes in a way that could imply endorsements or referral arrangements, as per CMA regulations.
Sponsor a stall or competition at your local village fete or town carnival. This will show people that you are friendly people and that they should not be worried about interacting with a funeral home. You might even fill your hearse with balloons or let people ‘sit up front’ in the driver’s seat.
Public events such as these and country shows are ideal for visibility, for showing you are friendly and approachable. You should not use them to solicit business or promote exclusive relationships.
Hosting a Christmas dinner is a wonderful thing to do for people who are on their own. You can provide companionship for people who might be feeling lonely, whilst reinforcing your role as a caring presence in the community.
Charitable acts like these are a lovely idea, and the right thing to do provided they are not tied to any promotion or referral incentive.
Work with a local historian to offer guided heritage walks. These could include local graveyards and cemeteries where you can show the graves of interesting local figures. Afterwards, offer people tea and conversation at your funeral home.
This is an educational event and helps break down the barriers of people not knowing what funeral directors do. They are permissible according to the CMA and can be a fantastic way to engage without commercial intent.
David from Wedlake Funeral Home in St Austell gives two examples:
“Brass music is a big thing in Cornwall so when the band had their Last Night of the Proms it was a great opportunity to be seen and get to know people.”
"I'm often asked to call bingo for charity events and be the auctioneer at our harvest festival"
You can build trust in your brand and familiarity with yourself and your team without crossing regulatory boundaries when you get involved with areas of the community where your time and skills are called on. After all, that is what great networking is about.
To do list
A reminder of the CMA guidelines
While navigating regulations and guidelines while trying to build strong community connections might sound restrictive, there is a lot you can do.
You can:
Unlike paid advertising, community engagement doesn’t switch off when the budget runs out. It builds familiarity gradually, reinforces your presence over time, and helps ensure that when someone needs a funeral director, your name already feels known and trusted.
Good community work is a reflection of the care and commitment that defines your profession. If you have an idea for a community activity, we would love to hear from you about what you are doing.
Useful links and references
Funeral Director and Crematorium Operators Guidance – for rules around pricing, transparency, and disclosure of interests
CMA’s work in the Funerals Sector – compliance checklists, explanatory notes, enforcement updates
CMA Funerals Market Order 2021 – NAFD overview – a comprehensive breakdown including templates and FAQs
Funeral Market Outcome Review and Enforcement plans. Details on how the CMA is monitoring compliance and what actions are taken.
Kate has 15 years’ experience in creating search-engine optimised websites and has worked with the Funeral profession for over five years. She has a long-established background in IT Training and Technical Project Management and enjoys sharing her knowledge with Funeral Directors and Funeral Arrangers and our MuchLoved team.
