09/22/2025
The McDougald Funeral Home Earns Prestigious 2025 NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award
ANDERSON, S.C. – The McDougald Funeral Home is proud to announce it has been honored with the 2025 Pursuit of Excellence Award from the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). This recognition places The McDougald Funeral Home among an elite group of just 271 funeral homes worldwide that exemplify excellence in service, innovation, and community engagement.
The Pursuit of Excellence Award is reserved for funeral homes that uphold the highest ethical and professional standards while delivering outstanding care to families and contributing meaningfully to their communities. Honorees demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement and must exceed stringent business standards across key areas, including compliance, staff development, family service, and public outreach.
To qualify for this prestigious honor, The McDougald Funeral Home met or surpassed comprehensive program criteria, including adherence to federal and state regulations, a strong focus on staff education, and active involvement in the community. The award also recognizes efforts to provide compassionate support to grieving families, share knowledge with peers in the profession, and communicate effectively through marketing, public relations, and educational outreach. All participants in the program must also commit to the NFDA’s Pledge of Ethical Practices, affirming their dedication to integrity, honesty, and accountability.
“We are honored to recognize The McDougald Funeral Home with the 2025 Pursuit of Excellence Award,” said Jessica Koth, NFDA Director of Public Relations. “This distinction reflects an unwavering commitment to integrity, innovation, and compassionate service. The dedication shown by this firm to their community and to continuous professional growth sets a powerful example for funeral services everywhere.”
“To receive this national award is a great honor,” said Max McDougald, funeral director and the fourth generation of McDougald to continue the family business. “We are very proud to be awarded the Pursuit of Excellence Award and remain committed to serving the Anderson area with compassion and dignity.” The McDougald Funeral Home team will receive the award in Chicago this October.
NFDA is the world's leading and largest funeral service association, serving nearly 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and more than 40 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics, and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities, and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit NFDA.org.
The McDougald family has been providing residents of Anderson and its surrounding communities with dedicated and compassionate funeral services for over a century. First established as the McDougald-Bleckley Funeral Home in 1924, the funeral home has grown and expanded in its more than 100 years of service – all while remaining a family-owned business. In addition to their central location in Anderson, McDougald Funeral Home’s full-service offerings include a family center, cremation center, and two memorial gardens. For more information about the McDougald Funeral Home, visit mcdougaldfuneralhome.com.
