Free Family & Community Support Resources
As a beacon of support and compassion for families and communities, a funeral director’s role extends beyond caring for the decedent. The Foundation offers free resources to help funeral directors build strong, trusted relationships, and help families understand that they are not alone in their grief. Whether you’ve been asked “Should my child attend the funeral?” (YES) or “Is my grief normal during a pandemic?” (YES), we are here to help.
Our Youth & Funerals and Grieving Alone & Together community resources are ideal to share with families in the arrangement conference. Created by funeral service and grief experts and offered in English and Spanish, the resources also serve as excellent tools to build support and compassion around grieving families. Share with hospice and grief organizations, take them to schools, or even keep copies with you share as needed when you’re out in the community.
Online store for professional resources sponsored by:
When a Child Dies
This resource, created with insight and expertise from bereaved parents, along with healthcare and bereavement professionals, helps families understand that funeral service professionals will be with them every step of the way to help them planning a meaningful goodbye for their child.
Youth & Funerals
The resources in the Youth & Funerals toolkit are designed to help you answer the question, “Should my child attend the funeral?” and help families understand the role of funerals and memorialization in the lives of youth.
Grieving Alone & Together
Written by Sara Murphy PhD, CT (foreword by Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD), Grieving Alone & Together helps families understand the challenges of grieving the death of a loved one during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Remembering a Life
From planning a tribute to mourning a loved one, NFDA’s consumer education initiative, Remembering a Life offers guidance to families about honoring a life well-lived.
Free Recruiting and Staff Resources
A dedicated and compassionate staff is the linchpin of many funeral homes. Whether you’re a funeral home owner looking for recruitment tools or staff support resources; a funeral service professional seeking help with work/life balance, career enhancement, or insight into consumer trends; or are simply wondering if a career in funeral service is right for you, our recruiting and staff resources are designed to help.
Caring for Families & Caring for Yourself
Handbook & Poster
Written by Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD, this self-care handbook (and complementing poster) stresses the importance of self-care, and offers tools and suggestions to support colleagues in their efforts to maintain healthy boundaries and work/life balance.
Caring for Families & Caring for Yourself
Self-Care Webinar
Offered in partnership with NFDA and featuring Alan Wolfelt, this 60-minute webinar takes a closer look at the unique stresses facing funeral service professionals, and the importance of making time for self-care.
Connection, Community & Compassion
Written and compiled by Kelly Manion, the booklet features a collection of lessons, observations, and wisdom from female and non-binary funeral service professionals serving families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Understanding the Value of Funerals for Children
This 90-minute program, created by the Hospice Foundation of America, and funded by a grant from the Funeral Service Foundation, seeks to educate professionals who work with children, families, and guardians so they can, in turn, educate families about the value of funerals for children.
Breaking the Consumer Code
The results from this 2012 Foundation-commissioned ZMET® landmark research project help you better understand consumer families.
Quiz: Is a Career in Funeral Service Right for You?
Whether you’re embarking on your first, second or third career, this 20-question quiz is designed to help you better understand if the funeral service profession could be the next step in your career.
NFDA FUNERAL CAREER CENTER
NFDA works to connect talent with great opportunities. Search for new positions, list employment opportunites, and browse career resources.
SupportLinc Member Assistance Program
NFDA knows that managing work and your home life can sometimes be a challenge. Available to NFDA members and their families, SupportLinc offers emotional wellbeing and work-life balance resources to keep you at your best. Administered by CuraLinc Healthcare, the confidential program offers guidance to help you address and resolve everyday issues at no cost to you or your family.
Journey to Serve: Free Military Veteran Resources
Enlist the talents of a veteran to bring value to your business, comfort to your community, and purpose and possibility to your next great hire. Equally funded by the Funeral Service Foundation and the ICCFA Educational Foundation, the Journey to Serve initiative is designed to help you recruit military veterans into open positions throughout the funeral service and deathcare professions.