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For Immediate Release: May 13, 2025

New interactive study group format builds on the success of NFDA’s Arranger Training to help funeral professionals better serve today’s families.

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is expanding its popular Arranger Training program with a new virtual offering designed to meet the evolving needs of funeral professionals. The Arrangement Solutions Academy is a four-week, live instructor-led course that brings real-world solutions, peer learning and expert guidance to your screen.

Participants will join a 90-minute Zoom session each week with a small cohort of colleagues and NFDA’s expert trainer Lanae Strovers, CFSP. This interactive series will help funeral directors make their business stand out while building relationships with families, conveying value through leadership and delivering memorial experiences that foster healing.

The inaugural cohorts of the Arrangement Solutions Academy begin in July:

• Wednesday Morning Cohort: July 9, 16, 23, and 30, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. CT
• Thursday Evening Cohort: July 10, 17, 24, and 31, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. CT

“Arranging a funeral or memorial service isn’t just about logistics; it’s about building a connection with a grieving family,” said Strovers. “This new virtual format for NFDA’s Arranger Training program gives us the chance to dig into the real challenges funeral directors face when working with families and share practical solutions that actually work. Whether you’re new to the profession or have been doing this for years, there’s something powerful about stepping back, hearing how others approach things, and picking up ideas you can use right away.”

Whether attending virtually or in person, NFDA’s Arranger Training helps both new and seasoned professionals better connect with today’s families by equipping them with tools to:

• Understand family needs: Discover what truly matters to families based on NFDA’s exclusive consumer research.
• Speak their language: Learn how to communicate in ways that resonate and build trust.
• Ask the right questions: Guide meaningful conversations that lead to memorable services.

NFDA’s Arranger Training offerings include:

• Arrangement Solutions Academy – Four 90-minute live Zoom sessions over four weeks
• Arrangement Skills Masterclass – A day-long, in-person experience with collaborative discussions
• Student Arranger Training Experience – A half-day interactive session tailored for mortuary science students

No matter the format, every session includes access to NFDA’s highly regarded Arranger Training Workbook, filled with legal guidance, grief resources, communication tools, service design ideas and more.

“NFDA's Arranger Training is a must-do for any funeral professional,” said Gene Andrus, CFSP, CCO, of Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors in Clawson, Michigan. “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.”

As the world’s leading funeral service association, NFDA has long been recognized for setting the standard in continuing education. From groundbreaking research to practical skills development, NFDA provides funeral professionals with the tools, insights and training they need to adapt and grow with confidence. The launch of the Arrangement Solutions Academy is another example of how NFDA is innovating to meet the evolving needs of its members, anytime, anywhere.

To register for the Arrangement Solutions Academy or any Arranger Training experience, visit NFDA.org/ArrangerTraining or call 800-228-6332 (262-789-1880). 

About NFDA

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 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. 

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Media Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536, JKoth@NFDA.org