Mission
The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Western Massachusetts (FCAWM) is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Our mission is “to promote and protect a consumer’s right to choose meaningful, dignified, and affordable final arrangements.”
We provide information to help consumers make choices and plan for their final arrangements. FCAWM is independent of the funeral industry. We are an affiliate of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, Inc. (www.funerals.org), which is a national federation of funeral consumer information societies. The area we serve is Western Massachusetts, encompassing Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties.
What we offer
We provide these services to the public at no charge:
- Knowledgeable volunteers who respond to inquiries by email, phone, or letters.
- Informative brochures
- Educational programs
- Newsletters twice a year
- Funeral Home Price Comparison Report every 2 years
- A Speaker for your group
- Staffed table displays at information fairs
- Voice mail system where consumers may leave questions 24/7. Volunteers respond in a day or so after gathering relevant information.
- Email address to request information, ask questions, comment or make suggestions for improvements to our website
- Informative website with search capability available 24/7.
What we don’t do
- Give money to pay funeral bills
- Plan your funeral service
- Conduct memorial services
- Prepare a body for burial or cremation
- Prepare wills or other legal documents
- Tell you what to do
- Interfere with your beliefs or traditions
We cannot provide money or any direct death-care services.
We can provide information to HELP YOU explore options. We welcome your questions.
Who We Are
We are a dedicated group of non-paid volunteers. We are interested in educating the public about affordable options for death care and ways to select meaningful and dignified services. We advocate for consumer rights and options at the state and federal level in partnership with the national Funeral Consumers Alliance. We like helping people understand and exercise their rights when shopping for death-care services.
We gladly welcome new members. FCAWM is a membership organization run by a Board of Trustees elected by the membership. Our bylaws “encourage the election of interested persons who have not served before”. We welcome people with perspectives from different cultures and experiences. Come join us.
FCAWM Board of Trustees as of October 22, 2023:
(L to R) Cecile Richard, Jim Couchon, Joan Pillsbury, Tom LaValley, Kate Mason, Sandy Ward, Alex Tinari, and Cheryl Funk.
Update October 2024: Pamela Shad has been elected as a new trustee. Kate Mason is stepping down, completing 6 years on the board. We thank Kate for serving as secretary for 4 years and gathering and processing our mail for 6 years.
[We do not yet have a group photograph of the new board.]
History
Our organization was founded in 1959 and incorporated in 1962 as the Springfield Memorial Society which later became known as the Memorial Society of Western Massachusetts. In 2001 we changed to our current name to emphasize our consumer focus.
Files documenting 50+ years of our history have been transferred to the Special Collections and Archives at University of Massachusetts – Amherst. Digital archives there include our previous website with links to our Newsletters 2010-2020 and descriptions of past Annual Meeting/Programs. In 2023 UMass archives staff prepared a Finding Aid listing the contents of the archived collection. The public can request specific documents and view them in the Special Collections Reading Room.