Why Funeral Home Co-operatives are Different (and why you should care)
Photo Credit: Fundy Funeral Home Co-op
Saying our final goodbyes to a family member is perhaps one of the most difficult times of our lives.
Having to make funeral arrangements and entrust the care of our loved one to strangers can seem positively overwhelming. However much of this stress can be avoided when you are a member of a funeral home co-operative.
“Members don’t have to worry about being upsold for expenses they don’t need or want because nobody is profiting from their grief.”
On the surface funeral home co-ops may seem just like any other funeral home - they provide the same services, have professional staff, and offer comfortable facilities. The difference lies in the experience people have when they are a member-owner.
Funeral home co-ops are nonprofit organizations with a mission to provide the highest quality services to their members at the best possible price. As the members themselves own the co-op, they have a say in the way it is run and the quality or types of services provided. Any surpluses generated go directly towards decreasing the costs for members and increasing the quality or range of services.
Is it any wonder funeral home co-ops are growing so quickly across the country? We’ve had them our province since the 1990s and two of CECNB’s members - Fundy Funeral Co-op Home and Passage Funeral Co-op - together have more than 3000 members across southern New Brunswick!
There Are Already Co-op Funeral Homes in New Brunswick
For great examples, we don’t need to look far! In New Brunswick we already have a number of co-op funeral homes who are servicing communities by providing more benefits than a traditional business model.
Two of our CECNB members are fine examples from right here in our own province:
Coopérative Funéraire PASSAGE Funeral Co-op Ltée./Ltd has existed since 1992. It has 2 locations serving Westmorland-Albert and Kent and the Greater Moncton region.
Fundy Funeral home has been serving residents of Saint John and surrounding areas since 1995. Its beautiful chapel seats 200+ and recent renovations have made it one of the most modern facilities in the province.