A TOUGH ECONOMY IS A (COLUMBARIUM) NICHE MARKET
Lisa Simmons, Architarium, Customer Service
February 13, 2008

Granted, the title of this article is a bad pun but it's necessary to find humor somewhere in the face of economic turmoil. It's also necessary to find new ways to secure cash flow and memberships. A columbarium is an emerging tool to accomplish both while fulfilling the ongoing community need for interment.

People faced with finding an immediate solution for interment are often motivated by convenience, cost and comfort. Because of the short notice involved, people seek a solution that requires minimal planning and decision making. Columbarium interment is very simple. Cost becomes an issue if the deceased had no finances set aside for a funeral. Cremation and columbarium interment are considerably less expensive than a traditional burial. Burial in a plot requires a casket purchase. It also requires purchase of a plot, a marker and perhaps a vault liner. Finally, when people have to plan for the interment of a loved one, they often seek a solution that has meaning to the deceased or to themselves. Interment at a church, school or civic organization provides that.

People planning their own estate have the same basic concerns as people with immediate need but with different motivations. Convenience is a factor because these people are planning not only for themselves but their surviving loved ones. They want a funeral plan that is easy to execute. Cost is always a consideration - one that increases as income becomes fixed after retirement. If the organization and columbarium allow double interment, it saves on cost and has the added benefit of allowing people to be interred together. Regarding comfort, a columbarium may give people reason to join an organization.

A columbarium is an affordable and manageable investment. Seed money can be generated through pre-sales or fundraising. For more information on the possibility of a columbarium for your organization, please contact Architarium.