Continuing Education

July 23

Building Strong Online Community - Be Part of Their Lives, Not Just Their Loss

Your community is already out there — on Facebook groups, neighborhood pages, and local forums — talking to each other, asking for recommendations, and sharing their lives. They're online, and they're active, and the funeral homes that earn their trust are the ones that are already part of those conversations long before anyone picks up the phone.

Building Strong Online Community – Be Part of Their Lives, Not Just Their Loss is a workshop designed to help funeral professionals move beyond traditional outreach and show up where families already are, long before the time of need. The families who come to you already trusting you didn't find you in a moment of crisis. They found you in the ordinary moments in between.

Psychological barriers keep families from seeking you out — grief avoidance, fear of mortality, discomfort with planning ahead — which means the responsibility falls to you to bring warmth and guidance to where they already live their lives. And part of that responsibility is broader than logistics or planning. Funeral professionals have a genuine opportunity to normalize the conversation about death and dying, and to help communities understand what memorialization actually offers: a way to honor a life, hold a story, and give the people left behind somewhere to grieve together. That work is significant, and your online presence is one of the most accessible ways to do it.

This session explores how to build a meaningful presence across two lanes of online outreach: your funeral home's voice and your community's voice. You'll also discover how your personal brand becomes one of your most powerful tools for connection, and how engaging the professionals already serving your families — hospice workers, senior care staff, chaplains — multiplies your reach in ways that feel organic rather than orchestrated. Presence goes deeper than posting. Consistency, authenticity, and genuine investment in the people you serve are what make families feel like they already know you when loss arrives.

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August 6

The ROI of Safety and Compliance: How to Lower OSHA Fines and Insurance Premiums

We hear versions of these two questions all the time: 1. Would I really be on the hook for a six figure OSHA fine? 2. How does safety tie into my day-to-day operations and insurance costs? In this session, Certified Safety Training (CST) explains how investing in your employees can return a more efficient company in full compliance with OSHA. CST will look at the top OSHA fines and distill complex technical regulations into plain English. CST will demonstrate how to use technology to increase efficiency and bridge generational gaps–Traditionalist and Baby Boomers all the way to Generation Z. Attendees will come away with:

1. A clear understanding of what they need to do to be in compliance with OSHA
2. How to empower their team to make a safer and more productive workplace
3. How to negotiate lower insurance premiums

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August 20

Foundational Funeral Law Cases

This presentation will cover several impactful cases that affected the case law regarding the funeral industry. The cases come from a variety of jurisdictions but form the basis of law that is reviewed by many courts and is taught in mortuary schools nationwide. Topics will include foundational cases that show the importance of jurisdictional laws, contractual obligations, Obligations imposed by statements, and the importance of observation and inquiry during the hiring process.

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September 3

Artificial Intelligence: Fact and Fiction

1. Introduction
2. What is AI, and how does it work?
3. Use in the Deathcare Field
4. Issues
5. Best Practices

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October 1

Can I Do that?

Presented By: Poul Lemasters

Can I require payment before services? Can I refuse to serve a family?

Can I charge a cancellation fee?

Can I refuse an outside casket?

Can I release cremated remains to someone other than the next of kin?

And what does the FTC actually require now?

Every funeral director encounters situations where the answer seems obvious—until it isn’t.

This fast-paced webinar puts attendees to the test with twenty real-world scenarios covering the legal and operational questions funeral professionals face every day. You guess the answer - before learning the practical legal answer, the reasoning behind it, and the best practices that can help avoid complaints, regulatory issues, and lawsuits.

From cremation authorizations and family disputes to payment policies, social media, documentation, and the FTC Funeral Rule, this engaging session will deliver practical guidance—not just legal theory—that attendees can immediately put to use in their funeral homes.

"The law isn't always about knowing the answer—it's about knowing when to stop and ask the question.”

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October 15

Funeral Service Ethics

Presented By: Joseph Finocchiaro

This presentation will review the topics of ethics, morals, and legal obligations in the funeral service industry. Emphasis will be placed on the benefits of adhering to ethical models and how integration of ethical behaviors can lead to increased business success and an increase in client satisfaction.

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October 29

Beyond the Transfer - Helping Funeral Professionals Answer the Questions Families Ask

Presented By: Joel Nagelbush

Families increasingly choose anatomical donation as part of their end-of-life wishes, yet many funeral professionals receive little formal education about what occurs after a donor leaves their care. This presentation combines a personal transplant story with practical education to help funeral directors confidently answer family questions while strengthening trust, transparency, and compassionate communication.

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November 12

Respect in Every Detail: Hair & Cosmetic Traditions in Communities

This webinar introduces funeral and cemetery professionals to the importance of honoring communities of color through culturally respectful hair and cosmetic care.

Attendees will gain awareness of how hairstyles, textures, grooming traditions, and cosmetic practices reflect identity, heritage, and family expectations. The session highlights common challenges, offers guidance for communicating sensitively with families, and emphasizes how culturally informed preparation enhances dignity and trust.

Designed as an introductory overview, this webinar encourages participants to deepen their understanding of culturally centered care and strengthen their ability to support all families with compassion and respect.

Objectives

1. Recognize the cultural significance of hair and cosmetics within communities of color.
2. Identify common challenges encountered when preparing textured hair and diverse skin tones.
3. Develop awareness of respectful communication practices with families regarding appearance preferences.
4. Understand how culturally informed care contributes to dignity and family trust.
5. Describe foundational steps professionals can take to improve their cultural responsiveness.

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