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NFDA Arranger Training Courses

Welcome to deathcare’s newly expanded education solutions for valuably partnering with families to create memorable moments of memorialization that will be the keystones of hope on their grief journeys.

Over the past two years, 98.7% of participants said they would recommend NFDA’s Arranger Training Courses to others.

Who Needs This?

Whether you are a new or seasoned professional, you’ll benefit from our reinvented Arranger Training experience!

 

Top five reasons to attend an Arranger Training Course:

  1. Get to know what families really want.

The services families want today are very different and continue to change. For this reason, NFDA goes the extra mile to understand what consumers want through a variety of annual surveys.

During the Arrangement Skills Masterclass we make sense of the numbers and help you understand what today’s families really want and need.

We’ll help you translate the numbers into action so you can meet families where they are now – not where they were 10 years ago.

  1. Learn to talk the talk of your audience.

Words matter. While that seems obvious, sometimes the words funeral directors use inadvertently create barriers or are confusing to consumers. For example, consumers don’t always distinguish between funerals, memorial services, and celebrations of life. Nor do consumers use terms like “funeral coach” and “preneed” – “hearse” and “preplan” are much more familiar.

The Arranger Training Masterclass will give you the language you need to better – and more clearly – communicate with grieving families.

  1. Discover the right questions.

When families walk into an arrangement conference, regardless of whether they have had discussions about their loved one’s wishes, they can feel unsure of what they want. This is your cue to engage and encourage open conversation so you can provide expert guidance that will help them plan the very best service to honor their loved one. Helping them to open up starts with asking questions – and not just questions that will help you fill out the death certificates.

During the Arrangement Skills Masterclass you will learn the right questions to ask in order to dig deeper and discover what a family really needs – things they may not have the words to express.

  1. Grow your network.

Sometimes our greatest teachers are not just the instructors who lead continuing education workshops, but our colleagues. The Arrangement Training Masterclass is purposefully intimate, enabling you to connect with your peers and exchange meaningful ideas. 

For example, during a group discussion in a recent masterclass, an attendee asked about the kinds of information other firms include in first-call packets. Other attendees shared what forms and information documents are included in their packets. The attendees gathered great ideas and even followed up after the masterclass for more information. This is just one example of the kinds of connections that are built during NFDA’s Arrangement Skills Masterclass.

  1. The Workbook!

Some of our attendees have said the Arranger Training Workbook alone is worth the price of admission. The workbook is a handy reference with critical, up-to-date information you need to perform your job well including:

  • The legal lowdown from NFDA General Counsel Chris Farmer including FTC regulations, preneed laws, payment, other federal laws, and more.
  • Grief support information from Dr. Jason Troyer.
  • Guide to navigating challenging family dynamics and conflict.
  • Tips for understanding your market and resources for connecting with your community.
  • Resources by Dr. Sara Murphy to become a more attentive listener and empathic communicator.
  • Design inspiration guide for meaningful and memorable services.
  • Updated statistics and data.
  • And more!

Expanded options for Learning and Networking!

Course Descriptions

Student Arranger Training

Developed to complement institutional curriculum, this interactive program will reinforce how to connect with families, convey value through leadership, and deliver memorial experiences with a positive, healing impact.

Arrangement Solutions Academy

Join fellow funeral service professionals in a virtual setting to discover solutions to “real life” challenges in a 4-week series of 90-minute weekly instructor-led study groups. 

Arrangement Skills Masterclass

Spend a full day interacting with fellow funeral professionals discussing current trends, challenges, and solutions. Engage in facilitated education and problem solving that will better connect you with families, help you discover their needs and values, and give you tools to lead and support them through memorialization planning.

Discover what hundreds of your funeral service colleagues already know and make plans to attend an NFDA Arranger Training Course.

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State associations say it best!

"Program was absolutely amazing!  I've sat through several 8 hour classes before and they were boring beyond boring. I was engaged the whole time with this training and was very informative.  Took a lot of great ideas that I will start using at our funeral home. I highly recommend."

Chuck Robertson
Texas Funeral Directors Association

Our attendees say it best!

“NFDA's Arranger Training is a must do for any funeral professional. The interactive training along with the workbook, that you get to keep, will assist you with the tools and ideas to continually build relationships with families and convey the value of what we do each and every day to celebrate life.”

Gene Andrus, CFSP, CCO
Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors Clawson, MI

MEET YOUR PRESENTERS

Lanae Strovers has been a licensed funeral director for more than 12 years with Hamilton’s Funeral Home in Des Moines, Iowa. Hamilton’s collaborates with the Des Moines Area Community College Mortuary Science Program where she has mentored students coming through the program. Lanae is President of The Final Salute, a non-profit that helps ensure all unclaimed cremated remains are laid to rest respectfully.

Lanae has an associate degree in general studies as well as an associate degree in Mortuary Science from Des Moines Area Community College.

Robert has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer in New Jersey for over 40 years.  While owning and managing his multi-generational family funeral home, he has helped thousands of families create meaningful ceremonies using his funeral arranger methods, embalming expertise and funeral directing abilities.

He also has an extensive background in professional associations at the local, state and national level and has been a tireless advocate for their ability to engage, inform and educate their members to be the best professionals they can be.  A Past President of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), Robert has had the privilege of representing the funeral profession at speaking engagements around the United States.

Robert attended Rutgers University before graduating from the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in New York City.  He is a Certified Funeral Celebrant and has also received his Death & Grief Studies Certification training with Dr. Alan Wolfelt.

*State CE approval varies. All NFDA online courses are approved for continuing education by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice (APFSP) and most state licensing boards. Contact your state licensing board or NFDA for specific state CE information.

Presented educational material does not denote that NFDA endorses, recommends or supports the opinions expressed by the presenter or author. The content presented is informational only. For specific legal or compliance advice contact your firm's legal counsel. NFDA does not warrant the accuracy of any of the information presented, and NFDA shall not be liable for the actions or inactions of funeral establishment owners, managers or employees in respect to the information presented in this educational product.