Do you find yourself wondering why more and more families are asking for direct cremation? Do you find yourself stumbling over your words when you’re trying to explain the value of having a funeral or other memorial event? Is it harder for you to relate to the needs of families that walk through the doors of your funeral home today?
Mark your calendars! AFCCA is hosting the NFDA Arrangement Skills Masterclass on October 8, 2025 from 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM at Messinger Mortuary Indian School. During this day-long workshop, you will engage in a highly interactive atmosphere and activities designed to help you better connect with families, discover their needs and values, and give you tools to lead and support them through memorialization planning.
Whether you are a new or seasoned professional, you’ll benefit from our reinvented Arranger Training experience!
“NFDA’s course teaches everything needed to become an engaged and amazing funeral arranger,” said Mandy Butler, Smith Family Funeral Home, Little Rock, Arkansas. “You will gain a new, invaluable community to network with, and the workbook provided should be required reading for any funeral director meeting with families.”
Not convinced? Here are the top five reasons why you should attend.
- Get to know what families really
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
Discover what hundreds of your funeral service colleagues already know and make plans to attend the NFDA Arrangement Skills Masterclass on October 8, 2025 at Messinger Mortuary Indian School. To register, click here.