NYSFDA is committed to providing state-of-the-art education and training opportunities to New York State’s funeral services professionals. Our Webinar Series provides regularly-scheduled training sessions to help licensed funeral directors fulfill Continuing Education requirements and mandatory OSHA training. Webinars cover a range of topics, ensuring members stay on top of their profession.
Missed a webinar, or want a refresher? We now offer links to recorded programs (log-in required).
2025 Webinars
Wednesday, May 21 | 1-2pm
The Consumers Journey to Purchasing Funeral Services (1 CEU)
Presenter: Bill Johnston
When a funeral home experiences an increase in cremation rates alongside stagnant call volumes, the only logical outcome is diminishing margins. This trend poses a significant financial threat to the stability of funeral service providers. For those who recognize the urgency of this issue, change becomes imperative.
Defining change as an increase in both call volume and market share necessitates the adoption of innovative marketing and advertising strategies. This session is designed to introduce such transformative approaches, equipping funeral professionals with the tools to reverse negative trends and ensure sustainable business growth.
The seminar begins by introducing “The Funeral Sales Funnel”, a graphical marketing metaphor that maps the future funeral consumer’s journey to purchasing funeral services in five distinct phases: Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action, and Retention.
When attendees visualize the consumer’s journey, they will gain insights into the progression of consumer thinking, the influential role of their subconscious mind, and how they relate to funeral home marketing and advertising over time. The objective? When a consumer discovers they have a problem, and that problem is death, “your funeral home should be the only and obvious choice.”
The Roadmap for Growing Market Share and Revenue includes directions on defining a funeral home’s Ideal Consumer based on its funeral home type, how “The Informative Advertising Style” using real people establishes trust, and what media to use based on goals and call volume.
Thursday, May 22 | 1-2pm
Funeral Service Industry Statistics & Trends and What They Mean for Your Business (1 CEU pending)
Presented by the Northeast Funeral Service Partnership
Following on the second Northeast Funeral Service Partnership regional multi-state survey (first survey completed February 2020) reflecting the pre-pandemic state of the industry in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts, this one hour live webinar will provide attendees with the latest funeral industry trends in 2025 both at the national and state level to assist management and staff in effectively engaging in the business of mortuary science and generally furthering their understanding of the environment surrounding the funeral industry. Ownership, staffing structures, succession plans, benefit offerings, salaries, internships, preneed trends, business developments (websites, celebrants, cremation) and family inclinations (religious versus new traditions) will all be discussed and compared for the region.
Wednesday, June 18 | 1-2pm
Working with People with Dementia
Presenter: Mark Markell, professor of psychology at Worsham College of Mortuary Science
Dementia can be a difficult diagnosis to receive and a challenging life to live. When a person with dementia experiences the death of a significant person, the care providers, usually the family, may need support to decide how to tell the person, how to cope with possible intense emotional reactions, and even if they should have the person attend the funeral or memorial service. Ultimately care providers may decide not to tell the person and may not have them attend the service; the funeral director can be a resource as decisions are made.
Wednesday, July 16 | 1-2pm
Bona Vita Health Insurance Webinar
Presenter: Terry Gorman
Bona Vita Benefits Group is a new NYSFDA Member Advantage Partner. They specialize in health insurance and have already saved many of our members money! Join us as they explain health insurance as a whole, things you should be considering as you purchase health insurance, and how they might be able to save you money.
Please note, this is an informational webinar and not eligible for continuing education credits. Pre-registration is not required. Use this link to log in on July 16. If you're unable to participate live, a recording of the webinar will be available.
POLICY: Webinars provided by NYSFDA are intended to be viewed over a computer, smartphone, and/or tablet. In order to obtain credit for the webinar, you must be logged into GoToWebinar for at least 50 minutes of the webinar. If you are unable to log in and instead use the phone call only feature, you will need to notify NYSFDA AND provide proof of being on a phone call for at least 50 minutes. The phone call only feature does not allow you to ask questions of the presenter and therefore will be counted as a non-live credit.
Reminders: As of April 1, 2022, to receive credit for NYSFDA webinars you must pre-register through your membership portal or over the phone. If you do not, you will not receive credit. If multiple people from your funeral firm are looking for credit for any of the webinars offered, everyone should register individually. Or, if you'd like assistance processing a group registration, call Michelle at 800.291.2629. This will help NYSFDA process credits even faster, ensuring your profiles are up-to-date. Many thanks in advance for your help!
NYSFDA webinars are considered LIVE CEU credits.
*Please note, each course can only be taken once per biennium.
