The Independent Funeral Group Endorses Homesteaders as Exclusive Preneed Provider

West Des Moines, Iowa — The Independent Funeral Group (TIFG) has announced its exclusive endorsement of Homesteaders Life Company as the association’s preferred preneed funding partner. TIFG, which recently announced its national expansion, has supported family-owned funeral providers with buying and educational resources for more than 30 years. 

“Homesteaders is proud to partner with TIFG in their mission to strengthen independent funeral providers,” said Will Bischoff, Homesteaders SVP-Strategic Markets. “This endorsement reflects our longstanding relationship with TIFG and its members and our shared commitment to helping funeral professionals deliver peace of mind and lasting value to the families they serve.” 

The endorsement connects TIFG members with a trusted ally dedicated to supporting their success and providing solutions that enhance the value they bring to the communities they serve. 

“For three decades, the Independent Funeral Group has worked to provide innovative solutions, opportunities and tools to our members to support their growth in their communities,” said Dr. Brad Kucknicki, Ed.D., the association’s Executive Director. “By selecting Homesteaders as our endorsed preneed provider, we’re able to connect our members to a funding partner that is deeply invested in the funeral space and our member firms’ success.” 

Homesteaders and TIFG share a strong dedication to the funeral profession and to empowering practitioners to deliver meaningful, compassionate care to families in need. Through this endorsement, they aim to advance the profession while ensuring families receive the highest level of service. 

Homesteaders Life Company, a mutual company owned by its policy holders, is a national leader providing products and services to help people design a better farewell. Visit homesteaderslife.com to learn more. 

Since 1995, The Independent Funeral Group has worked to support family-owned and operated funeral homes, and now serves as a buying, education and resource group, committed to preserving family owned funeral homes and strengthening the profession through shared resources and collaboration. Founded by funeral practitioners, for funeral  practitioners, The Group champions dignity, service and community. To learn more about The Independent Funeral  Group’s mission, membership criteria and benefits, visit www.tifg.net, email info@tifg.net or call (865) 405-7085. 

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North Carolina Funeral Directors Association Endorses Homesteaders as Exclusive Preneed Provider

West Des Moines, Iowa — Homesteaders Life Company, a national leader in preneed funeral funding, has been selected as the exclusively endorsed preneed provider by the North Carolina Funeral Directors Association (NCFDA).

“We are honored to be selected as the endorsed preneed provider for funeral professionals in North Carolina,” said Homesteaders President, CEO and Board Chair Steve Shaffer. “This partnership reflects our shared vision of advancing the funeral profession and further underscores Homesteaders’ leadership as a strong, stable and secure funding partner for funeral providers and the families they serve. We look forward to working alongside NCFDA and its members to make a positive impact in communities across North Carolina.”

Through this endorsement of Homesteaders, NCFDA members gain a dedicated partner passionate about helping them deliver peace of mind and lasting value to the families they serve. This collaboration emphasizes the association’s commitment to providing top-quality resources and support for North Carolina funeral professionals.

Rhett Miller, funeral director, manager and preneed consultant with Alexander Funeral and Cremation Service in Taylorsville, N.C., has been a long-standing customer of Homesteaders. “What sets Homesteaders apart is that they truly care about us, as customers, and the families in our communities.” Miller is the current Vice President of the NCFDA and is set to be named President at the 2025 convention. “We are proud to partner with Homesteaders, and I am confident this collaboration will bring immense value to our members and the families they serve.”

Homesteaders Director-Business Development Brandon Full has worked with Miller and other funeral professionals in North Carolina for many years. “I’ve seen the NCFDA Board embrace a growth mindset and work hard to provide value-added programs, services and support to members across North Carolina. We are honored to work with the association, strengthening support for funeral homes and professionals throughout the state.”

Both Homesteaders and the association have a similar history of dedication to the funeral profession, each with more than a century of service. This endorsement highlights their shared commitment to the success of the funeral profession and the families served.

Homesteaders Life Company is a national leader providing products and services to help people design a better farewell. Visit homesteaderslife.com to learn more.

2025 NFDA Meet the Mentors Program: Exclusive Opportunity for Funeral Professionals to Connect, Learn and Advocate in Washington, D.C.

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is proud to announce that its highly-praised Meet the Mentors program will take place from April 8-10, 2025, in Washington, D.C. This transformative event, held in conjunction with NFDA’s annual Advocacy Summit, offers a unique opportunity for emerging funeral service professionals to engage with leaders and experience the power of advocacy firsthand. 

Since its launch in 2011, and thanks to the generous support of the Funeral Service Foundation, Meet the Mentors has provided invaluable insights and connections for hundreds of funeral professionals. This year’s program promises to be particularly impactful, combining intimate mentorship sessions with real-world advocacy training on Capitol Hill. 

“We are thrilled to host Meet the Mentors in Washington, D.C., again this year,” said Sara Moss, MS, CT, LFD, NFDA Associate Director of Education. “This setting not only offers participants the chance to learn from top funeral service leaders but also equips them with the skills and experience to advocate for our profession at the highest levels of government.” 

An Exceptional Mentorship Experience 

The 2025 program will bring together 25 participants – funeral professionals aged 40 and under, or those licensed within the past five years – to learn from three distinguished mentors who have made significant contributions to the funeral service profession:

• Dr. Camelia Clarke: Co-owner of Paradise Memorial Funeral and Cremation Services and Leon L. Williamson Funeral Chapel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Clarke brings over two decades of experience. A past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, she is also an active member of the NFDA Spokesperson Team and deeply involved in her local community.
• Lori Sheeler: As General Manager of St. Pierre Funeral Services in Indianapolis, Indiana, Sheeler has served in key leadership roles, including Vice Chairman of the Indiana Funeral Education Foundation and District 7 Director for the Indiana Funeral Directors Association. Her dedication to mentorship and service extends beyond the funeral profession, reflecting her passion for community support and education.
• Tim Schramm: Owner and CEO of Howe-Peterson Funeral Homes in Michigan, Schramm’s expertise spans funeral service management and mass fatality response. He currently leads the Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT) and serves on the Funeral Service Foundation’s Board of Trustees. His commitment to excellence and innovation in funeral service makes him a valuable resource for emerging professionals.

Throughout the program, participants will engage in dynamic roundtable discussions, gaining career insights and personal advice from these leaders in the funeral service profession. Beyond mentorship, attendees will build lasting connections with their peers, creating a support network that will benefit their careers for years to come. 

A Seat at the Table: Advocacy in Action 

One of the most distinctive aspects of the 2025 program is its focus on advocacy. Participants will join seasoned professionals at the NFDA Advocacy Summit, spending a day on Capitol Hill meeting with Members of Congress. This hands-on experience offers a rare opportunity to discuss how federal policies impact funeral service professionals’ ability to serve families and operate their businesses. 

“Advocacy is a crucial skill for any funeral service professional,” said Moss. “By participating in these meetings with members of Congress, mentees will not only learn about the legislative process but also see the real-world impact of their voices in shaping policies that affect our profession.” 

Previous Meet the Mentors participants offer consistently high praise for the program. A 2024 mentee said, “My favorite part of this program was being able to sit down with the mentors and talk with them … I feel that the information they gave to us will be very valuable and I will be able to incorporate it into my everyday work life to make myself a better funeral director.” 

Another noted, “NFDA’s Meet the Mentors Program was an incredible experience! I gained valuable knowledge and insight that I will be able to use throughout my career. I would highly recommend the program to all newly licensed professionals.” 

How to Apply 

Applications for the 2025 Meet the Mentors program are now open. Interested NFDA members must be licensed NFDA-member funeral directors or embalmers, aged 40 or under, or within their first five years in the profession. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. CST on January 17, 2025. 

Selected participants will be announced in February. Thanks to the Funeral Service Foundation’s support, the program covers registration fees, lodging, and select meals; attendees are only responsible for their transportation to Washington, D.C. 

For complete details and to apply, visit NFDA.org/Mentors. For questions, contact NFDA at (800) 228-6332. 

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org. 

EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Cole Out as Tribute Technology CEO

Tribute Technology, one of the biggest players in deathcare tech, has announced that Charlie Cole has resigned from his position as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Also resigning are Chief Financial Officer Frances DeBlasio and Head of Transformation Alex Cross.

This news comes less than 24 hours after the closing of the 2024 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) International Convention and Expo, at which Cole participated in the Tribute Technology booth.

In an exclusive interview with Connecting Directors today, Courtney Gould Miller shared that these resignations will not disrupt operations at Tribute, nor will it impact the level of service the company has always provided to its customers. She adds that customers should not be concerned about the financial position of the company.

“First of all, I can say there is no concern from a financial perspective,” says Gould Miller. “In fact, we’ve recently announced how our board and the executive team have approved over $5 million in investment on our tech roadmap and operational support. That is remaining the same. We are excited about the future and looking forward to pursuing all of the roadmap and objectives that we’ve had.” 

Gould Miller, a veteran of the funeral profession with more than 30 years of experience in deathcare and a longtime member of the Tribute executive team, has been promoted to the position of President of Commercial Markets from her former roles as Chief Customer Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. She acknowledged that although these leadership changes may seem sudden, they are actually part of a larger plan. 

“The ‘why’ behind this is that Tribute has been going through a strategic review over the last few months, looking at everything from feedback of our many valued customers to what we’re hearing in the market … what we see in technology outside of the profession as well as inside, and what kind of team we need to go after that. This really was a mutual decision to move forward against that strategic plan.” 

All three resignations come less than two years into these individuals’ tenure at Tribute Technology. Cole joined the company in March 2023, while DeBlasio and Cross were added in April and February of the same year.

Over the last several months, many deathcare professionals have questioned the company’s perspective toward other funeral home website providers based on comments made by Cole. At DISRUPT Media’s 2024 Funeral (Un)Conference, Cole seemed to target competitors Tukios and Legacy.com, and at the Selected Independent Funeral Home Annual Meeting earlier this month, Cole said that Tribute’s goal was to put non-Tribute customers “out of business.”

“I want to put your competitors out of business because they don’t use our websites,” Cole said during his Selected presentation. “I mean it. And I’m going to. I have two funeral homes that churned off Tribute in the last 12 months that are in my sights, that I am actively optimizing their competitors’ websites.”

Gould Miller responded to those comments during today’s interview with Ryan Thogmartin:

Tribute Technology is one of the largest providers of funeral home websites, serving more than 10,000 customers — more than half of the funeral homes in the United States. Brands under the Tribute umbrella include SRS Computing and CFS, as well as non-website-related Legacy Touch.

Gould Miller assured Connecting Directors that all of these brands are being supported by Tribute Technology, and that competing offerings nor the recent resignations will change the tech roadmap. In fact, there are no plans to sunset any of these brands.

“We have a very aggressive roadmap that we’re excited to get after,” she says. “We have not only features coming to support software like SRS and our platforms like CFS. We want to support those for our funeral homes, make them better for our funeral homes, and of course, invest in our technology like Tribute websites and Tribute Management Software to be the very, very best in the profession.”