Why building personal connections with supporters will help them and benefit you

In the funeral profession, personal touches can make a huge difference to a bereaved family as they say goodbye to their loved one. Charities can play an important role in caring for those families after the funeral. 

The importance of contact and connections

Humans have carried our funeral rituals for thousands of years. These traditions can be comforting and cathartic, and vital for helping bereaved families and friends to move forwards. We were joined on a recent MuchLoved webinar by funeral director, John Adams, who is also presenter of the podcast Death: A Changing Industry.   

John shared some powerful stories of the personal touches and connection points that he, and other funeral professionals, provide for bereaved families.

Many families choose a funeral service to bring people together to remember and celebrate. For others, a small personal act provides a precious moment of contact with the deceased, such as helping to prepare them for cremation. John strongly believes that having contact and connection with their loved one is essential to enable families to grieve. 

What charities can learn from the funeral profession 

It’s well known that many bereaved people find comfort in getting involved with a charity that helped their loved one, or a cause that they believed in.  Charities can care for bereaved supporters and help them to remain connected with their loved one as they move forwards, just as funeral directors do immediately after a death. Ultimately, you will reap the rewards through more volunteering, fundraising and future support. 

Think about what personalisation you can offer your in memory supporters. That personalisation needs to take into account not just the supporter, but the person who has died.   

What does this mean in practice?

• Offer your condolences in the most personal way your resources will allow. A hand written card, a personalised letter or a phone call.  
• Take time to find out about the person your supporter is remembering, for example if they were keen gardeners, invite them along to a summer garden event.  
• Gather information on your supporters so you can tailor your stewardship journeys to the bereaved person and their loved one to help maintain the connection 
• Offer support with their tribute page, would they like any help using or amending the page? 
• Bereavement care - would your supporter benefit from speaking with a specialist? If you don't have your own resources to point them to and you are a MuchLoved Optimum Partner, you can refer them to GriefChat where they can receive instant bereavement counselling through a chat box.   
• Remember that even small gestures will show that you care  

Listen to the webinar for more ideas   

Our webinar with John Adams got a fantastic reaction. If you were not able to join, please listen to the recording. We think it will spark ideas for how you can care for your supporters and build long term engagement.  

Don't just take our word for it. The comments below are from people who joined in the webinar.

“It’s so important to be reminded of how differently we all process bereavement, especially when dealing with supporters” 

“Some incredibly powerful stories - thanks so much for sharing, and what an amazing thing to have had such a positive impact on families’ grief journeys”. 

If you have questions about the MuchLoved service, or our webinars, please contact our Support team.  Email support@muchloved.com or call our team on 01494 722818.