The Iowa Funeral Directors Association has established the Iowa Award of Funeral Service Excellence as a method of promoting the funeral service profession and a means of establishing an excellent relationship with the community and the people within it whom funeral directors serve. The Iowa Award of Funeral Service Excellence brings annual recognition to the best public relations efforts being achieved by Iowa’s funeral homes.
The Iowa Award of Funeral Service Excellence is IFDA’s way of paying tribute to the work funeral directors do as public relations ambassadors – offering public recognition from professional peers.
The Iowa Award of Funeral Service Excellence program consists of four categories of activity and accomplishment by IFDA member firms. Certification of achievement in four of these areas will qualify the individual funeral home for the Iowa Award of Funeral Service Excellence.
The period of participation is on a yearly basis from January 1 to December 31. Certification is on a yearly basis with awards presented at the annual IFDA Convention.
To apply, see the steps below.
In order to qualify for the Iowa Award of Funeral Service Excellence, you must:
1. Fill out the 2025 Application Form for the Iowa Award of Funeral Service Excellence by January 2, 2025.
2. Take the necessary steps by engaging in the qualifying activities. See detailed criteria here: IFDA Award of Excellence Criteria
3. File a written notice, on funeral home letterhead, of completion of the program to the IFDA office by February 1, 2025.
4. File documentation as evidence of our participation in the program, recording the activities on the FOUR MAIN AREAS (Basic Requirements, Community Outreach, Family Outreach, and Professional Development), which we have completed to qualify. This documentation must be at the IFDA office by March 1, 2025.
IFDA Office Address: 6909 Vista Drive, West Des Moines, IA 50266
Entry
Entry is made by documentation with supporting materials for the four criteria outlined and is due at the IFDA office by February 1st. Documentation may be done in a narrative form and with newspaper clippings, photographs or brochures. Be sure to include a brief description of the funeral home background, ways in which the funeral home staff may have assisted in the process along with letters or materials which demonstrate the firm’s efforts to complete the criteria. Please categorize each section. All entries will be displayed at the annual convention.
Recognition
For first time winners, as a recipient of the honor, the firm will receive a handsome sculpture commemorating the honor at the IFDA convention. Award recipients will be notified by April 1st, and the award will be presented to the funeral home as a group or to a designated person. Recipients will be publicized in local newspapers and other publications. The IFDA will notify other professional press.
Recertification
Funeral homes who were Iowa Award of Funeral Service Excellence recipients one year have the challenge of recertifying the next year through continued activities or initiation of new activities. To continue to receive recognition, funeral directors may enter and recertify each year and receive their award. Please not that winners will be awarded a certificate only in subsequent years as sculptures are reserved for a firm’s initial year.
