Raffle Ideas for a Funeral Home

• Funeral homes are always needed, but that doesn't mean that your company is guaranteed business. The only time your funeral home makes business is when it's selling products to customers. Just like with any business, advertising is needed to ensure that potential customers know about your company. One community-friendly method of advertising involves hosting a raffle. For best results, use funeral home raffle ideas that are appealing to all types of customers.

Free Hearse Ride

• It may sound somber to give away a hearse ride, but the idea appeals to many different people, including children and those who have never seen the inside of a hearse before. It's helpful if you have access to an older-style hearse or if you offer the promotion around the Halloween season. You can even offer to let local businesses use a hearse for their own promotional uses, if you have more than one. For example, if a local haunted house wins the raffle, you can agree to display the hearse in front of the attraction for a few weeks during the season.

Give Away a Tribute

• Video tributes are a modern-day alternative to the traditional obituary. While many obituaries are still run in local newspapers, a video tribute gives the family something to show at the funeral, as well as something to keep as a reminder of the loved one. Offer a video tribute to the winner of the raffle. That person can either use the tribute in the future for a loved one or have a tribute made of someone who is already deceased. Tributes generally consist of photos and videos of the deceased throughout her life set to music.

Planning for the Future

• Give the grand prize winner of the raffle a free end-of-life planning session. This is known as a consultation and it's the time when an individual and a funeral home together review the options available for a funeral, such as casket styles, music, flowers and viewing information. Make the prize more memorable and worthwhile by donating a certain amount toward the funeral planning costs. For example, offer $1,000 worth of merchandise to the winner when he comes in for the initial consultation. The winner finds out exactly how much a funeral costs, receives free money toward the funeral and may even purchase a plan for the future.