2011 annual report - funeral service foundation · thanks to your generosity, the foundation was...
TRANSCRIPT
2011 Annual Report
2011 was a breakout year for the Funeral Service Foundation. After many years of establishing visionary and insightful groundwork for the foundation, the efforts and labor of foundation volunteers and staff have begun to bear fruit. More than any other year, 2011 afforded the foundation the ability to sponsor more meaningful programs, invest in significant research and award many grants and educational scholarships.
Since 2002, the Funeral Service Foundation has worked hard to become the leading independent charitable organization representing all of funeral service. Funds have been generously contributed through the Hand in Hand campaign, pledges, sponsorships and golf tournaments. With sound financial planning and solid direction from leadership past and present, the foundation is now set to be a major influence, ensuring a bright future for funeral service professionals.
During 2011, the foundation board of directors undertook a monumental task in restructuring the foundation investment portfolio. This was done with the vision that funds should be available each year in the future for foundation investment in research and education regardless of fluctuations in the stock market. I anxiously look forward to the results of several research studies that have recently been funded by the Funeral Service Foundation, including the FAMIC study for a high-impact, positive funeral service media campaign, and the NFDA “Formaldehyde-free Embalming Chemical” research project currently being completed at several institutions of funeral service education.
I hope the foundation can ignite your passion for giving, sharing and building for the future with myriad Funeral Service Foundation projects and programs. Some of the most progressive and inspiring people who have entered funeral service have been recipients of foundation scholarships. You may want to examine the results of insightful studies or our research for recruiting and retaining high-quality funeral service professionals, also sponsored by the foundation. I recommend that you secure your copy of the recently published Screening and Hiring: An Expert Guide to Making the Right Hire. Additional foundation projects have included efforts to care for victims of disasters and financial support of programs for grieving children.
It is particularly gratifying to watch the foundation truly become the positive and unifying voice that represents the compassion, generosity and care of our noble profession. Much has been done, yet there is much more to be done. For this reason, I am excited for the future of the Funeral Service Foundation.
Through generous gifts, strategic planning and the wonderful volunteer work from the Board of Trustees, an exciting course has been charted for future action. I invite you to help with this noble cause by giving back to our profession through a contribution to the Funeral Service Foundation.
Thank you for your support! You make our work possible.
Shaun Myers, Chair
It’s a Wonderful Life. Give Back.
Message from the Chairman
$500,000Aurora Casket Company
$400,000Batesville Casket Company
$250,000Pontone Family
$100,000 - $249,999Assurant PreneedBroadcast Music, Inc.Carmon Family, Carmon Community Funeral HomesForethought Financial ServicesHomesteaders Life Company Keystone Group Holdings, Inc.John and Connie Morrow FamilyRuck Family, Ruck Funeral HomesDarby Family, TrigardWilbert Funeral Services, Inc.
$50,000 - $99,999Ralph Buckner Funeral HomesFerno-Washington, IncFlanner & Buchanan Funeral Centers Funeral Directors Life Insurance CompanyHeritage Family Funeral Services in honor of Don TetrickHolmes Family, Holmes-Watkins Funeral HomeMeadow Hill, Inc. (Thumbies)Patterson-Barclay Foundation Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation ServiceThe Whitmore Group
$10,000 - $49,999Ad Direct
ASCAPGuy Anderson FamilyAnderson-McQueen Funeral HomesAnthony Funeral ChapelsBaue Funeral HomesBeinhauer FamilyBillow Funeral Homes and CrematoryBrashears Family, Brashears Funeral HomeBurr Funeral Home and Cremation ServiceBusch FamilyCarriage Services, Inc.Carson-McLane, Inc.Terry Smith, Christy-Smith Funeral HomeCrescent SalesCypress Funeral Services, Inc.Federated Funeral Directors of America, IncFrench MortuaryTim and Kay Miller and Michael S. Fuller, Fuller Funeral Home and Cremation ServiceGeib Funeral HomesGilligan Law OfficesGuerra-Gutierrez MortuariesHepburn-SuperiorDavid & Lynn HirtEarl HodgesJohn Horan, Horan & McConaty Funeral HomeFred Hunter Funeral HomeIles Funeral Homes and Preneed SystemsThe Independent Funeral Group of TennesseeJohnson Consulting GroupKeystone Advisory BoardKrause Funeral Homes and Cremation ServicesKrill Funeral ServiceLeavitt Funeral Home, Inc.
Porter Loring MortuariesJohn MarsellusD.O. McComb & Sons Funeral HomesWilliam Mercer, Nationwide Funeral ServiceRosa MontgomeryNelsen Family Funeral ServicesOhio Funeral Directors AssociationKen Knauss, Palm MortuariesPreneed Funeral Programs, IncJames and Kimberly PricePSI Funds Rose MortuaryRoutsong Funeral Home, IncJerry RunnelsShackelford Funeral DirectorsSmith Funeral & Cremation ServiceDwayne R. Spence Dan StevensT M Ralph Plantation Funeral HomeTennessee Funeral Directors AssociationTennessee Funeral SecurityTiedemann-Bevs IndustriesW & M ManufacturingWalker Funeral HomeBob Rosson and Beth Waller Rosson, Waller Funeral HomeWappner Funeral DirectorsDoggett & Christie WhitakerWilliamson MemorialWilson St. Pierre Funeral Service & Crematory
In-Kind SupportMKJ MarketingNational Funeral Directors Association Funeral Service Foundation Trustees
The Foundation would like to thank all its generous donors, and recognize those major donors who have fulfilled their pledges to the Hand in Hand endowment through 2011.
Thank you for your support!
Please join us in supporting the Funeral Service Foundation.
Amount of my/our gift:
o $50 o $100 o $250 o $500
o Other ___________________________________________
Name _____________________________________________
Firm ______________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________
City/State/Zip ______________________________________
Phone/Fax _________________________________________
Email _____________________________________________
Signature __________________________________________
This gift is in: o Honor of o Memory of______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Form of Payment:
o CheckMake check payable to Funeral Service Foundation.
Credit Card:
o American Express o Discover
o MasterCard o Visa
Account No. _______________________________________
Expiration Date _____________________________________
o Please bill me or donate online at www.funeralservicefoundation.org
Please mail or fax to:
13625 Bishop’s Dr. • Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005877.402.5900 (t) • 262.789.6977 (f)www.funeralservicefoundation.org
Your gift to the Funeral Service Foundation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
From the Executive DirectorOne of my favorite movies is It’s a Wonderful Life. What would the world look like if you never had a presence in it? The story makes one want to live life to its fullest every day.
In my recent tenure as executive director, I have found funeral service professionals to have that same zest for life… understandably, as you help honor and memorialize the lives of families’ loved ones during one of the
most difficult times in their lives. And you do this every day.
When a philanthropist seeks the value of a nonprofit institution to determine whether it is a worthy cause, they only have to ask, “What would happen if the charity/foundation didn’t exist tomorrow?”
In the case of the Funeral Service Foundation, it would have been a sad 2011 for the recipients who were given grants and scholarships. Discover in the following pages of this annual report what a difference you made in the lives of those in funeral service and on behalf of funeral service.
The foundation was able to grant more than $170,000 because you value its mission. You are the reason the Funeral Service Foundation exists today! You, who have dedicated your lives to this noble profession and experienced such gratitude and satisfaction in caring for others, have found a way to give back through a gift to the foundation.
Thank you for living life to the fullest. Thank you for all you do for grieving families. And thank you for making the foundation your worthy cause.
Together we are ensuring that the foundation – established by funeral service for funeral service – lives up to the philosophy that it truly is a wonderful life… every day!
In gratitude,
Kathy WisnefskiExecutive Director
Board of Trustees
Charles AndersonAnderson Funeral HomeFranklin, OH
Ralph BucknerRalph Buckner Funeral Homes and CrematoryCleveland, TN
Alan Creedy Immediate Past PresidentAlancreedy.org Raleigh, NC
Linda Darby-SempsrottTrigardDanville, IL
Mike DiBeaseBatesville Casket CompanyBatesville, IN
Jake JohnsonJohnson Consulting GroupScottsdale, AZ
Diana KurzNewington Memorial Funeral HomeNewington, CT
Steve LangHomesteaders Life CompanyDes Moines, IA
Ed MazurKapinos-Mazur Funeral Homes Inc.Ludlow, MA
Shaun Myers ChairpersonMyers MortuariesOgden, UT
Scott PontoneTrust 100 LLCRye, NY
Jerry Reichert Chair-electAurora Casket CompanyAurora, IN
Randy SchoedingerSchoedinger Funeral and Cremation ServiceColumbus, OH
Gerard “Jerry” Schoen IIILake Lawn Metairie Funeral HomeNew Orleans, LA
Steve ShafferFoundation Partners GroupTampa, FL
Sheri Richardson Stahl, CFSPThe Island Funeral Home and CrematoryHilton Head Island, SC
Kenneth VarnerCypress LawnColma, CA
Sumner “Jay” Waring Secretary/TreasurerService Corporation InternationalHouston, TX
Financial Highlights 12/31/09 12/31/10 12/31/11
Total Assets $5,093,538 $5,706,889 $5,878,139
Investment Income $971,452 $606,310 $261,262
Operating Expenses $134,374 $196,144 $217,519(exclusive of in-kind donations)
For a complete copy of the Funeral Service Foundation’s audited financial statements, please contact Kathy Wisnefski at 877-402-5900.
Our MissionTo raise awareness of the importance of funeral service through the development and application of new knowledge that results in more meaningful services for families, friends and their loved ones.
Women in Funeral ServiceThe Funeral Service Foundation awarded five scholarships for the 2011 NFDA Professional Women’s Conference, held April 1-3 in Alexandria, Virginia.
Recipients of the 2011 scholarships were Joanna Brief, Brooklyn, NY, a mortuary science student currently attending American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service; Elizabeth Chambers, Jeffersonville, IN, a mortuary science student at Mid-America College of Funeral Service; Nicole Partin, Dunlap, TN, a mortuary science student at John A. Gupton College and apprentice at Ewton Funeral Home; Aubry Sartori, Dallas, TX, a licensed funeral director with Restland Funeral Home; and Kristy Lee Witt, Syracuse, NY, a licensed funeral director with Krueger Funeral Home.
Supporting the Professional Women’s Conference has long been a priority of the Funeral Service Foundation. This conference gives women from across the profession the opportunity to network and learn from leaders in funeral service.
Screening and Hiring: An Expert Guide to Making the Right HireThe foundation is pleased to offer, at no cost, a manual designed to help funeral directors with recruiting, hiring and screening employees. The guide contains job descriptions, hiring processes, new-hire orientation checklists, pre- and post-interview forms, and recruiting and screening information.
Download a copy of the manual by visiting our website, www.funeralservicefoundation.org, and clicking on What We Do, Foundation Research. To receive a copy by mail, please email [email protected] or call 877-402-5900.
Major Gift HighlightThe Funeral Service Foundation was honored to announce a major gift from current trustee Ralph Buckner and his wife, Chari, of the Ralph Buckner Foundation and Ralph Buckner Funeral Homes of Cleveland, TN. The $100,000 gift memorializes their daughter, Shipley Buckner, who died at age 18 in a car accident. Shipley’s dream was to follow in her father’s footsteps by one day becoming a funeral director. Ralph Buckner’s continued major support of the foundation demonstrates his commitment to helping move the funeral service profession forward while honoring Shipley’s memory. Thanks to his ongoing generosity and leadership, we will be able to continue to support groundbreaking research and other grant opportunities that benefit funeral service.
2011 Annual HighlightsThanks to your generosity, the foundation was able to publish and grant:
• Screening and Hiring Manual: An Expert Guide to Making the Right Hire Download a copy on our website, www.funeralservicefoundation.org, or request a copy by mail by emailing [email protected] or by calling 877-402-5900.
• $25,000 Sponsorship of NFDA’s Meet the Mentors Program Fifty under-40 funeral directors learn from seasoned veterans in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
• $75,000 Funeral and Memorial Information Council High-impact, positive funeral service media campaign
• $40,000 NFDA Formaldehyde-free Embalming Study
• $25,000 Comfort Zone Camp A healing camp for grieving children that has served more than 6,700 children from 44 states
• $3,000 Songs of Love Personalized songs written for terminally ill children
• $2,500 Joseph Hagan Scholarship for students of mortuary science
• $5,000 in scholarships for the Professional Women’s Conference
From the Executive DirectorOne of my favorite movies is It’s a Wonderful Life. What would the world look like if you never had a presence in it? The story makes one want to live life to its fullest every day.
In my recent tenure as executive director, I have found funeral service professionals to have that same zest for life… understandably, as you help honor and memorialize the lives of families’ loved ones during one of the
most difficult times in their lives. And you do this every day.
When a philanthropist seeks the value of a nonprofit institution to determine whether it is a worthy cause, they only have to ask, “What would happen if the charity/foundation didn’t exist tomorrow?”
In the case of the Funeral Service Foundation, it would have been a sad 2011 for the recipients who were given grants and scholarships. Discover in the following pages of this annual report what a difference you made in the lives of those in funeral service and on behalf of funeral service.
The foundation was able to grant more than $170,000 because you value its mission. You are the reason the Funeral Service Foundation exists today! You, who have dedicated your lives to this noble profession and experienced such gratitude and satisfaction in caring for others, have found a way to give back through a gift to the foundation.
Thank you for living life to the fullest. Thank you for all you do for grieving families. And thank you for making the foundation your worthy cause.
Together we are ensuring that the foundation – established by funeral service for funeral service – lives up to the philosophy that it truly is a wonderful life… every day!
In gratitude,
Kathy WisnefskiExecutive Director
Board of Trustees
Charles AndersonAnderson Funeral HomeFranklin, OH
Ralph BucknerRalph Buckner Funeral Homes and CrematoryCleveland, TN
Alan Creedy Immediate Past PresidentAlancreedy.org Raleigh, NC
Linda Darby-SempsrottTrigardDanville, IL
Mike DiBeaseBatesville Casket CompanyBatesville, IN
Jake JohnsonJohnson Consulting GroupScottsdale, AZ
Diana KurzNewington Memorial Funeral HomeNewington, CT
Steve LangHomesteaders Life CompanyDes Moines, IA
Ed MazurKapinos-Mazur Funeral Homes Inc.Ludlow, MA
Shaun Myers ChairpersonMyers MortuariesOgden, UT
Scott PontoneTrust 100 LLCRye, NY
Jerry Reichert Chair-electAurora Casket CompanyAurora, IN
Randy SchoedingerSchoedinger Funeral and Cremation ServiceColumbus, OH
Gerard “Jerry” Schoen IIILake Lawn Metairie Funeral HomeNew Orleans, LA
Steve ShafferFoundation Partners GroupTampa, FL
Sheri Richardson Stahl, CFSPThe Island Funeral Home and CrematoryHilton Head Island, SC
Kenneth VarnerCypress LawnColma, CA
Sumner “Jay” Waring Secretary/TreasurerService Corporation InternationalHouston, TX
Financial Highlights 12/31/09 12/31/10 12/31/11
Total Assets $5,093,538 $5,706,889 $5,878,139
Investment Income $971,452 $606,310 $261,262
Operating Expenses $134,374 $196,144 $217,519(exclusive of in-kind donations)
For a complete copy of the Funeral Service Foundation’s audited financial statements, please contact Kathy Wisnefski at 877-402-5900.
Our MissionTo raise awareness of the importance of funeral service through the development and application of new knowledge that results in more meaningful services for families, friends and their loved ones.
Women in Funeral ServiceThe Funeral Service Foundation awarded five scholarships for the 2011 NFDA Professional Women’s Conference, held April 1-3 in Alexandria, Virginia.
Recipients of the 2011 scholarships were Joanna Brief, Brooklyn, NY, a mortuary science student currently attending American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service; Elizabeth Chambers, Jeffersonville, IN, a mortuary science student at Mid-America College of Funeral Service; Nicole Partin, Dunlap, TN, a mortuary science student at John A. Gupton College and apprentice at Ewton Funeral Home; Aubry Sartori, Dallas, TX, a licensed funeral director with Restland Funeral Home; and Kristy Lee Witt, Syracuse, NY, a licensed funeral director with Krueger Funeral Home.
Supporting the Professional Women’s Conference has long been a priority of the Funeral Service Foundation. This conference gives women from across the profession the opportunity to network and learn from leaders in funeral service.
Screening and Hiring: An Expert Guide to Making the Right HireThe foundation is pleased to offer, at no cost, a manual designed to help funeral directors with recruiting, hiring and screening employees. The guide contains job descriptions, hiring processes, new-hire orientation checklists, pre- and post-interview forms, and recruiting and screening information.
Download a copy of the manual by visiting our website, www.funeralservicefoundation.org, and clicking on What We Do, Foundation Research. To receive a copy by mail, please email [email protected] or call 877-402-5900.
Major Gift HighlightThe Funeral Service Foundation was honored to announce a major gift from current trustee Ralph Buckner and his wife, Chari, of the Ralph Buckner Foundation and Ralph Buckner Funeral Homes of Cleveland, TN. The $100,000 gift memorializes their daughter, Shipley Buckner, who died at age 18 in a car accident. Shipley’s dream was to follow in her father’s footsteps by one day becoming a funeral director. Ralph Buckner’s continued major support of the foundation demonstrates his commitment to helping move the funeral service profession forward while honoring Shipley’s memory. Thanks to his ongoing generosity and leadership, we will be able to continue to support groundbreaking research and other grant opportunities that benefit funeral service.
2011 Annual HighlightsThanks to your generosity, the foundation was able to publish and grant:
• Screening and Hiring Manual: An Expert Guide to Making the Right Hire Download a copy on our website, www.funeralservicefoundation.org, or request a copy by mail by emailing [email protected] or by calling 877-402-5900.
• $25,000 Sponsorship of NFDA’s Meet the Mentors Program Fifty under-40 funeral directors learn from seasoned veterans in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
• $75,000 Funeral and Memorial Information Council High-impact, positive funeral service media campaign
• $40,000 NFDA Formaldehyde-free Embalming Study
• $25,000 Comfort Zone Camp A healing camp for grieving children that has served more than 6,700 children from 44 states
• $3,000 Songs of Love Personalized songs written for terminally ill children
• $2,500 Joseph Hagan Scholarship for students of mortuary science
• $5,000 in scholarships for the Professional Women’s Conference
2011 Annual Report
2011 was a breakout year for the Funeral Service Foundation. After many years of establishing visionary and insightful groundwork for the foundation, the efforts and labor of foundation volunteers and staff have begun to bear fruit. More than any other year, 2011 afforded the foundation the ability to sponsor more meaningful programs, invest in significant research and award many grants and educational scholarships.
Since 2002, the Funeral Service Foundation has worked hard to become the leading independent charitable organization representing all of funeral service. Funds have been generously contributed through the Hand in Hand campaign, pledges, sponsorships and golf tournaments. With sound financial planning and solid direction from leadership past and present, the foundation is now set to be a major influence, ensuring a bright future for funeral service professionals.
During 2011, the foundation board of directors undertook a monumental task in restructuring the foundation investment portfolio. This was done with the vision that funds should be available each year in the future for foundation investment in research and education regardless of fluctuations in the stock market. I anxiously look forward to the results of several research studies that have recently been funded by the Funeral Service Foundation, including the FAMIC study for a high-impact, positive funeral service media campaign, and the NFDA “Formaldehyde-free Embalming Chemical” research project currently being completed at several institutions of funeral service education.
I hope the foundation can ignite your passion for giving, sharing and building for the future with myriad Funeral Service Foundation projects and programs. Some of the most progressive and inspiring people who have entered funeral service have been recipients of foundation scholarships. You may want to examine the results of insightful studies or our research for recruiting and retaining high-quality funeral service professionals, also sponsored by the foundation. I recommend that you secure your copy of the recently published Screening and Hiring: An Expert Guide to Making the Right Hire. Additional foundation projects have included efforts to care for victims of disasters and financial support of programs for grieving children.
It is particularly gratifying to watch the foundation truly become the positive and unifying voice that represents the compassion, generosity and care of our noble profession. Much has been done, yet there is much more to be done. For this reason, I am excited for the future of the Funeral Service Foundation.
Through generous gifts, strategic planning and the wonderful volunteer work from the Board of Trustees, an exciting course has been charted for future action. I invite you to help with this noble cause by giving back to our profession through a contribution to the Funeral Service Foundation.
Thank you for your support! You make our work possible.
Shaun Myers, Chair
It’s a Wonderful Life. Give Back.
Message from the Chairman
$500,000Aurora Casket Company
$400,000Batesville Casket Company
$250,000Pontone Family
$100,000 - $249,999Assurant PreneedBroadcast Music, Inc.Carmon Family, Carmon Community Funeral HomesForethought Financial ServicesHomesteaders Life Company Keystone Group Holdings, Inc.John and Connie Morrow FamilyRuck Family, Ruck Funeral HomesDarby Family, TrigardWilbert Funeral Services, Inc.
$50,000 - $99,999Ralph Buckner Funeral HomesFerno-Washington, IncFlanner & Buchanan Funeral Centers Funeral Directors Life Insurance CompanyHeritage Family Funeral Services in honor of Don TetrickHolmes Family, Holmes-Watkins Funeral HomeMeadow Hill, Inc. (Thumbies)Patterson-Barclay Foundation Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation ServiceThe Whitmore Group
$10,000 - $49,999Ad Direct
ASCAPGuy Anderson FamilyAnderson-McQueen Funeral HomesAnthony Funeral ChapelsBaue Funeral HomesBeinhauer FamilyBillow Funeral Homes and CrematoryBrashears Family, Brashears Funeral HomeBurr Funeral Home and Cremation ServiceBusch FamilyCarriage Services, Inc.Carson-McLane, Inc.Terry Smith, Christy-Smith Funeral HomeCrescent SalesCypress Funeral Services, Inc.Federated Funeral Directors of America, IncFrench MortuaryTim and Kay Miller and Michael S. Fuller, Fuller Funeral Home and Cremation ServiceGeib Funeral HomesGilligan Law OfficesGuerra-Gutierrez MortuariesHepburn-SuperiorDavid & Lynn HirtEarl HodgesJohn Horan, Horan & McConaty Funeral HomeFred Hunter Funeral HomeIles Funeral Homes and Preneed SystemsThe Independent Funeral Group of TennesseeJohnson Consulting GroupKeystone Advisory BoardKrause Funeral Homes and Cremation ServicesKrill Funeral ServiceLeavitt Funeral Home, Inc.
Porter Loring MortuariesJohn MarsellusD.O. McComb & Sons Funeral HomesWilliam Mercer, Nationwide Funeral ServiceRosa MontgomeryNelsen Family Funeral ServicesOhio Funeral Directors AssociationKen Knauss, Palm MortuariesPreneed Funeral Programs, IncJames and Kimberly PricePSI Funds Rose MortuaryRoutsong Funeral Home, IncJerry RunnelsShackelford Funeral DirectorsSmith Funeral & Cremation ServiceDwayne R. Spence Dan StevensT M Ralph Plantation Funeral HomeTennessee Funeral Directors AssociationTennessee Funeral SecurityTiedemann-Bevs IndustriesW & M ManufacturingWalker Funeral HomeBob Rosson and Beth Waller Rosson, Waller Funeral HomeWappner Funeral DirectorsDoggett & Christie WhitakerWilliamson MemorialWilson St. Pierre Funeral Service & Crematory
In-Kind SupportMKJ MarketingNational Funeral Directors Association Funeral Service Foundation Trustees
The Foundation would like to thank all its generous donors, and recognize those major donors who have fulfilled their pledges to the Hand in Hand endowment through 2011.
Thank you for your support!
Please join us in supporting the Funeral Service Foundation.
Amount of my/our gift:
o $50 o $100 o $250 o $500
o Other ___________________________________________
Name _____________________________________________
Firm ______________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________
City/State/Zip ______________________________________
Phone/Fax _________________________________________
Email _____________________________________________
Signature __________________________________________
This gift is in: o Honor of o Memory of______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Form of Payment:
o CheckMake check payable to Funeral Service Foundation.
Credit Card:
o American Express o Discover
o MasterCard o Visa
Account No. _______________________________________
Expiration Date _____________________________________
o Please bill me or donate online at www.funeralservicefoundation.org
Please mail or fax to:
13625 Bishop’s Dr. • Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005877.402.5900 (t) • 262.789.6977 (f)www.funeralservicefoundation.org
Your gift to the Funeral Service Foundation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.