Independent Funeral Planning Alliance

What Independent Funeral Planning Alliance does

Independent Funeral Planning Alliance (IFPA), founded in 1989 and headquartered in Winchester, Tennessee, is a privately-held partnership that provides pre-need marketing, sales support, and training services to independently owned funeral homes across the United States. The company was built around a custom CRM and lead management database called MyLeadLink, in operation since 1997, which tracks prospects across direct mail, digital, seminar, and aftercare sources and sequences follow-up at the family's pace. Surrounding that core system is a broad ecosystem of add-on modules: digital advertising (programmatic display, OTT/CTV, geo-fencing with address matching, SMS marketing), traditional channels (direct mail, community surveys, senior solutions seminars), aftercare content (Pathways cards, Guidebook Series, Finding Hope booklets by Dr. Jason Troyer, Elevia estate settlement integration), and a structured agent training and recognition program (Roadmap to Success, IFPA Training Team, Conference Calls, Sales Scene newsletter, Meeting of Champions).

IFPA monetizes through a mix of subscription-based recurring services — digital marketing is publicly priced at $400 per location per month — and professional services including agent training, conference attendance, and consulting, with most other pricing quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution runs through a U.S. regional partner network of roughly twenty partner-trainers covering territories in the Southeast, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and East Coast, supplemented by field sales, on-site training, and an internal Facebook discussion group. The company operates without binding contracts and earns business month-to-month, positioning its core partnerships — Homesteaders Life Co. for pre-need insurance, The Independent Funeral Group for member benefits (founded 1995), and Mt. Hope Grief Services for aftercare content — as central to its offering. No revenue, funding, or financial disclosures are available, and IFPA runs without institutional investment or a parent company.

Name

Independent Funeral Planning Alliance

Legal name

Independent Funeral Planning Alliance

Website

https://ifpacare.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Independent Funeral Planning Alliance is a privately-held, Winchester, TN-based partnership founded in 1989 that sells pre-need marketing, lead management (MyLeadLink), aftercare content, and agent training services to hundreds of independently owned U.S. funeral homes, distributed through a regional partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Funeral Services Marketing and Consulting

NAICS

Death Care Services (8122)

akta.pro primary industry

End-of-Life Emotional & Spiritual Support (Chaplaincy/Counseling) In-Home (HSABAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO)

Keywords

• Pre-need funeral marketing
• Funeral home lead management
• Preneed sales training
• Funeral home relationship marketing
• Independent funeral services

Headquarters

HQ city

Winchester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Pre-Need Marketing Services: Marketing programs and services to funeral homes including digital marketing, direct mail, text marketing, and community surveys to generate pre-need leads and sales growth.
2. Agent Training Services: Training programs for funeral home advance planning advisors including Road Map to Success Zoom training, on-site training, and video bootcamps.
3. Conference and Event Access: Annual conferences and events including Homesteaders Conference and Meeting of Champions with exclusive attendance requirements based on sales performance.
4. Digital Marketing Services: Programmatic advertising including display ads, video ads (OTT/CTV), and digital campaigns for funeral homes at $400/month per location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IFPA partners with independently owned funeral homes to grow their pre-need sales through relationship marketing, community engagement, and structured training programs. Its core offering is a bundle of marketing services (digital, direct mail, text, seminars), a proprietary lead-management database (MyLeadLink), aftercare content, and agent training and consulting delivered by regional partners without binding contracts.

Product overview

IFPA offers a comprehensive pre-need sales and marketing platform with MyLeadLink as the central CRM/lead management system, supported by digital marketing tools (Evolve Media Group, eFuneral, Community Survey, Text Marketing, Digital Marketing), traditional marketing (Direct Mail, Seminars, Market Research), aftercare solutions (Guidebook Series, Grief Booklets, Pathways Cards, Elevia, Aftercare Series App), and comprehensive agent training and support (Roadmap to Success, IFPA Training Team, Conference Calls, Sales Scene, Meeting of Champions, Homesteaders Conference). The ecosystem is designed to help independently owned funeral homes grow pre-need sales through relationship marketing and community engagement with no binding contracts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyLeadLink: Custom-built relationship selling and lead management system for funeral industry professionals, providing data-based marketing tools.
• Community Surveys
• Text Marketing
• Digital Marketing
• Evolve Media Group
• eFuneral
• Pathways
• Finding Hope Aftercare Series
• Elevia
• Essential Planning Guide
• Home Assurance Travel Plan

Products and services

• MyLeadLink
• Digital Marketing
• Text Marketing
• Direct Mail
• Community Survey
• Seminars & Workshops
• Appointment Setting Assistance
• Market Research & Planning
• IFPA Training Team
• Roadmap to Success
• Guidebook Series
• Grief Booklets
• Pathways Cards
• Elevia
• Evolve Media Group
• eFuneral
• Essential Planning Guide
• Home Assurance Travel Plan
• The Independent Funeral Group
• Aftercare Series App
• Meeting of Champions
• Homesteaders Conference
• Sales Scene
• Conference Calls
• Recruiting

Quantifiable outcome

• Top producers achieve $575,000+ net sales in 12 months to qualify for Meeting of Champions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Independent Funeral GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995Since 1995, The Group has worked with independently owned funeral homes providing negotiated discounts, educational opportunities, industry-wide network, and evolving services based on member needs. Founded and run by experienced funeral professionals.
• Homesteaders Life Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFPA partners with Homesteaders Life Co. for pre-need insurance products. David Mowell from Carl J. Mowell & Son specifically noted this relationship as an enormous asset to their business. The partnership provides additional products and opportunities for funeral home clients.
• Dr. Jason Troyer / Mt. Hope Grief ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFPA partnered with Dr. Jason Troyer of Mt. Hope Grief Services to create Pathways, a compassionate aftercare system. The partnership includes greeting cards, booklets, and Finding Hope aftercare series personalized to widows, widowers, and bereaved families. Booklets customized with funeral home information.
• Evolve Media GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationEvolve Media Group provides social media management and custom advertising services for pre-planning seminars. Offers pricing packages and add-on options for funeral home marketing materials and online presence management.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Precoa (Pre-Need Company of America): One of the largest pre-need marketing companies serving funeral homes across the U.S. Precoa provides lead generation, sales training, and marketing support — directly overlapping with IFPA's core offering for independent funeral homes.
• Global Atlantic (Forethought Financial Group): Pre-need insurance and marketing services provider to funeral homes. IFPA's President and CEO both previously worked at Forethought, and Global Atlantic continues to compete in preneed funeral marketing with similar products.
• Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance: Provider of pre-need funeral insurance and Final Expense plans, with marketing services supporting independent funeral homes. Operates in the same preneed marketing space as IFPA with direct-to-consumer and funeral home channel offerings.
• Homesteaders Life Company: Provider of pre-need insurance products and preneed marketing services to independent funeral homes. While also a strategic partner to IFPA, Homesteaders runs its own preneed marketing programs competing for the same independent funeral home customers and overlapping in training and lead generation.

Broad incumbents

• Dignity PLC: Major funeral services company with operations in the UK and select international markets. Although geographically distinct from IFPA's U.S. focus, Dignity's vertically integrated preneed model represents an incumbent benchmark for funeral services marketing at scale.
• Carriage Services: U.S.-based provider of funeral and cemetery services with a portfolio of owned and operated locations. Operates preneed sales programs internally, representing a corporate alternative to IFPA's partnership-based model serving independents.
• Foundation Partners Group: Operator of funeral homes and cemeteries across the U.S., including acquisitions of independent firms. Provides its own preneed marketing infrastructure, directly reducing IFPA's addressable market as independents are absorbed into the platform.
• Service Corporation International (SCI): Largest funeral services company in North America, owning and operating thousands of funeral homes and cemeteries. Operates an in-house pre-need sales force and competes for the same end-customers, though with a corporate consolidation model rather than IFPA's independent partnership approach.

Others

• Tukios: Technology partner powering IFPA's websites via the TUKIOS platform. Provides website, video, and technology infrastructure for funeral homes — adjacent ecosystem player rather than direct competitor in pre-need marketing.

Emerging players

• Frazer Consultants: Provider of funeral home software, websites, and technology solutions including tribute videos and marketing tools. Competes with IFPA's technology layer (MyLeadLink, websites) for funeral home budgets and attention with a modern SaaS-oriented offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/490655541140587
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ifpacare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Independent Funeral Planning Alliance