An “In Lieu of Flowers” option that is a win-win-win
Win: Comforts families with a lasting memorial
Win: Restores fire-burned California forests
Win: Additional income for you with revenue share
**Click here to set up a new Grove for a family**
What it is:
Our Custom Memorial Groves are set up in the name of someone who has passed. Set up is free and the grove allows friends and family members to contribute trees at $10 each. Each grove includes:
- The planting of native species trees in a CA National Forest in an area destroyed by wildfire
- A personalized grove planting certificate in a beautiful frame with total tree number
- A card printed with messages from all contributors
- The honoree's name recorded on our Tree Gift Registry
- Online access to photos & info about where the trees were planted, including directions so family can visit
How it Works:
1) You register your funeral home with us (see below- it takes 2 minutes.)
2) When you work with families you offer a Custom Grove as an alternative option to flowers or other memorials. (We'll provide you with rack cards to share with families.)
3) If a family is interested, you just fill out this form giving us the deceased's name and family contact person info.
4) We set up the grove right away, and you share the info and this link in the obituary: www.treesforachange.com/products/custom-grove-of-trees
5) We email the family contact person the information to share with others on social media, at the service, etc.
6) We track the contributions that come in for each grove you open and we send you a check for a revenue share of 20% of sales when each grove closes (usually 3-6 weeks.)
Frequently Asked Questions:
**How is the Custom Memorial Grove through Trees for a Change different than the memorial trees offered through other websites and obituaries?**
~All tree contributions are gathered into one grove and one gift for the family so they don't get a bunch of random certificates from different people.
~We are the only tree gift organization that offers photos of the baby trees, location maps and driving directions.
~Our trees are planted in California fire-burned forests.
~We're a local Sonoma County company that opened in 2007, and we take great pride in comforting grieving people by providing meaningful and lasting gifts that live on. We operate with integrity, love and devotion.
**What is the funeral director's responsibility after the initial set up of the grove?**
Nothing! Once you've filled out the form with the deceased's name and the family contact info, we take it from there. We keep the family informed about the grove and answer any questions they have. You can refer any questions or issues related to the grove directly to us. (And we have excellent customer service!)
**What is suggested wording for an obituary?**
A Memorial Grove has been set up through Trees for a Change to celebrate ___'s life.
The trees will be planted in a National Forest to restore areas destroyed by wildfire. In Lieu of flowers, please consider contributing here: www.treesforachange.com/products/custom-grove-of-trees
**Who gets the framed certificate and messages from all the tree contributions?**
We send this package to the next of kin when the family is ready to close the grove. We can also include a couple of extra copies of the certificate at no charge for other family members.
**How long do the Custom Memorial Groves stay open for contributions?**
We open groves initially for 3 weeks, but we can extend the close date any time. Groves are often extended for several weeks. We never close a grove until the family is ready.
**Is there a set up fee for a Custom Memorial Grove?**
There is no set up fee, we just ask that families that want a Custom Memorial Grove agree to promote the grove and help get the word out so there is (hopefully) a minimum of 20 trees in the grove by the time it is closed. If there is not a minimum of 20 trees at the end, then the certificate we send the next of kin will be unframed.
2 Minute Funeral Home Registration (you only need to do this once):
We're excited to work with you to plant trees and comfort grieving families. Once you have registered, you can set up groves for families using the link at the top of the page.
