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Serving Funeral Professionals for Over 135 Years |
Continuing Education |
VFDA is pleased to offer continuing education courses for VFDA Members and Non-Members.Questions? Please contact VFDA at communications@vfda.net |
Wilbert Funeral Services supports funeral professionals seeking CEU hours with our complimentary online program, WilbertEDU. Biweekly webinars occur on Thursday at 1:00 PM Central. Register to attend scheduled webinars or sign-up to receive WilbertEDU announcements
July 2026July 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. | August 2026August 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:
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. | September 2026September 3 Artificial Intelligence: Fact and Fiction
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Register HereOctober 2026 | November 2026November 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
| December 2026December 3 Good People, Unethical Choices This one hour discussion is fun and interactive and professionals share situations and ethical choices they have had to make or have heard of others making in and out of the prep room. In this 1 hour talk Mr. Ray will review why ethics are important to the funeral profession, the 3 parts of bad choices and why we all have to work to keep ethics high in our business. |
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 About VFDA Founded in 1887, the Virginia Funeral Directors Association advocates for and elevates the funeral profession by providing members with relevant training, resources and networking opportunities; serving the citizens of Virginia with consumer support and education; and representing funeral service at all levels of local and state government. | Become a Member Join the Virginia Funeral Directors Association and connect with dedicated professionals committed to excellence in funeral service. Explore exclusive resources, continuing education opportunities, and a supportive community—together, we elevate our profession across Virginia. | Contact Us: 1403 Greenbrier Parkway Suite 150,Chesapeake, VA 23320 Phone: (804) 264-0505 Email: communications@vfda.net |
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