Florists Sound Off About "In Lieu of"

Last week's SAF E-Brief story, "Newspaper Rethinks In Lieu of," struck a chord with readers concerned about their local newspapers and funeral homes who consistently use the phrase in obituaries. In response to the story, florist John H. Partridge of Martina's Flowers in Martinez, Ga., writes:

"Being a funeral director turned florist, I am very aware of this problem. However, while in some cases it is the newspaper that writes the obit, I find that it is the funeral home that causes the problem. They usually write the obit and put what they want in it, not always what the family had in mind. Having just had a death in the family, I had the opportunity to read the "worksheet" used by the funeral home during the arrangement meeting and it actually had a line item that looked like this, 'What charity in lieu of flowers?'... I say all of this to point out that while we work on the newspapers, we should make a concerted effort to educate the funeral directors. "

Florist Lynn Pellaton of Bolton Hill Blossoms in Baltimore also wrote in, asking for alternate phrasing florists could put in front of newspapers and funeral directors. Here are a few examples from SAF's Web site:

• "The family suggests memorial contributions be sent to..."
• "Should friends desire, contributions may be sent to..."
• "Memorials may be made to the charity of your choice."

Get more information by visiting www.safnow.org/Ebrief/Lieu_Steps.pdf. To read last week's story click here.
If you're looking for more ways to expand your sympathy business and enhance relationships with funeral directors, see this week's Product Spotlight (below).

Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org

Product Spotlight: Funeral Director Outreach Kit

With the ongoing use of the "in lieu of flowers" phrase, it's important to educate funeral directors about the benefits of sympathy flowers. To help with that effort, SAF brings you the Funeral Directors Outreach Kit.

This kit includes ideas for building positive relationships with funeral directors and suggests alternatives for the "in lieu of" phrase. Also included: a sympathy business evaluation brochure, six funeral director "thank-you" cards, and survey results on the benefits of sympathy flowers.

To order -- and to see SAF's full line of sympathy-related materials -- visit the SAF Market on www.safnow.org and click on "Marketing Materials."

For more information, contact SAF Member Services at (800) 336-4743; memberinfo@safnow.org.

-- Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org