NFDA Meet the Mentors Returns in 2026 to Inspire and Prepare the Profession’s Rising Leaders

NFDA is now accepting entries for its transformational Meet the Mentors program.

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is pleased to announce that the 2026 Meet the Mentors program will take place April 14-16, 2026, in Washington, D.C. This signature NFDA experience, which is held in conjunction with NFDA’s annual Advocacy Summit, offers early-career funeral professionals an unparalleled opportunity to learn directly from celebrated leaders and engage in advocacy on behalf of the funeral service profession. 

Since its debut in 2011, Meet the Mentors has been fully funded and supported by the Funeral Service Foundation, whose steadfast commitment has enabled more than a decade of transformative mentorship, learning and leadership development. The Funeral Service Foundation covers the registration fees for Meet the Mentors and the Advocacy Summit, three nights of lodging, and a $500 travel reimbursement stipend for selected participants. This generous support ensures the program remains accessible to the profession’s next generation of leaders. 

“For 15 years, Meet the Mentors has offered emerging funeral service professionals a rare opportunity to learn directly from leaders who generously share their experience, wisdom and perspective,” said Sara Moss, MS, FT, LFD, NFDA Associate Director of Education. “This program consistently helps participants build confidence, strengthen their skills and fosters a sense of purpose that supports them throughout their careers.” 

The 2026 Meet the Mentors program will bring together 25 NFDA-member participants – funeral directors and embalmers aged 40 and under, or within their first five years of licensure in the profession – to learn from a distinguished group of mentors who are recognized for their leadership, dedication and impact on the funeral service profession. NFDA is finalizing this year’s mentor panel and will announce the selected mentors very soon.

As in past years, participants can expect to learn from accomplished professionals representing a range of backgrounds, specialties and experiences. These mentors will share candid insights about career development, leadership and the evolving landscape of funeral service, offering invaluable guidance to those at the beginning of their professional journeys. Participants have high praise for NFDA’s Meet the Mentors program.

“NFDA’s Meet the Mentors Program was an incredible experience,” said one 2025 participant. “I gained valuable knowledge and insights that I will be able to use throughout my career. I would highly recommend the program to all newly licensed professionals.” 

In addition to presentations by the mentors, small-group roundtable discussions will enable participants to ask questions, explore career pathways and receive actionable advice they can take home immediately. Many mentees cite these conversations as some of the most meaningful moments of their professional lives. 

One 2025 participant noted, “The roundtables were my favorite part of this experience. It was really great to sit down and ask questions [of] each presenter and be able to have them share their experience on a more personal level.” 

Advocacy in Action 

An exciting component of Meet the Mentors is the opportunity to participate in the 2026 NFDA Advocacy Summit. Participants will join experienced colleagues for a full day on Capitol Hill, meeting with members of Congress to discuss federal issues impacting funeral service. By sharing their stories during these meetings, mentees will help federal legislators understand how their decisions affect, not just funeral professionals, but also grieving families. 

“I enjoyed the Congressional meetings so much and am looking forward to attending the Advocacy Summit again,” a 2025 mentee noted. “I was surprised how much I truly enjoyed doing this!” 

How to Apply 

Prospective participants can enter for their chance to participate in the 2026 Meet the Mentors through 11:59 p.m. CT on January 12, 2026. Thanks to the exclusive support of the Funeral Service Foundation, the program award covers registration fees for the Meet the Mentors program and Advocacy Summit, three nights of lodging and a $500 travel reimbursement stipend. Eligible applicants must be licensed funeral directors or embalmers who are NFDA members and either 40 years old or younger, or within their first five years of licensure in the funeral service profession. For complete details and to apply, visit NFDA.org/Mentors.

For questions, call NFDA at 262-789-1880. Selected participants will be announced in February 2026. 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. 

Dignity Funeral Directors is now the name of a company once known as public company Dignity plc that was taken private in 2023.

The company is a funeral service provider based in the United Kingdom.  They recently reported their 2024 financials to the Companies House in Great Britain and in that report, which is Dignity’s first full-year of operation since the company was taken private in a buyout, Dignity Funeral Directors reported a pre-tax profit of US $9.7 million.  (Note:  All financial numbers in this article will be reported in United States fund amounts).

Here is an article about the company’s 2024 financial results.

That profit number turns around a pre-tax loss during the 2023 public/private convert year of US$  64.25 million and a pre-tax loss of over US$ 422 million in Dignity plc’s last full-year as a public company in 2022.

Here’s some other interesting information from the report:

• Dignity’s workforce has decreased to 3,121 from the 3,493 that worked for the company prior to the take-private movement

• The company had a 10.1% decline in funeral volumes.  Their case volume for 2024 was 69,400

• The company “shuttered” 90 branch locations because they failed to meet the company’s financial targets

• Dignity Funeral Directors reported they managed to pay down over US$ 185 million of debt and bring in free cash of US$ 35.0 million with the sale of the properties no longer used.

• Finally, Dignity Funeral Directors acquired end-of-life services firm Farewill in an acquisition announced at US$ 17.4 million.

You can read about the Farewill acquisition here.

Here is the website for Farewill.

Here is the website for Dignity Funeral Directors.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  All of this is interesting news.  However, there are some points to be made when digesting this news that are interesting and thought provoking as we all look at our own businesses. . . . and these points are probably good lessons to be reminded about. . . . .

Some see problems, some see opportunities — There is no doubt that when the company was on its way to pre-tax losses of over US$ 442 million in 2022, there are those that wanted out.  They probably saw problems and thought they would be insurmountable at worst and/or a lot of work to change the direction of at best.

However, the group that came together to buy the company and take it private, which included a former CEO, an insurance magnate, and private equity firms, saw opportunity.  That makes a point that cannot be stressed enought —  that different people can look at the same object and have much different perspectives.

Make sure that you look at both sides of the issues when contemplating buying or selling because even if you know what you want to do, it may make a difference on price if you understand all of the issues and possibilities.

Branches that are not profitable —  Sometimes we hang on to locations that are not profitable just because we have always operated them.  While there might be “strategic” reasons to do so, I would look at these branches very thoroughly to see if they really are an asset.

Many times, problem locations take more management effort than those locations that are fine-tuned, busy, and profitable.  Think how your operation might be more successful if you didn’t have to relegate time to forever putting a fix in at the problem locations.  You could probably use that time, and the cash lost at a problem location, to find a better location somewhere else or build up your profitable locations to become even more profitable.

It appears that Dignity has shuttered non-performing businesses and is using the cash generated to lower debt and make it a more reasonable and serviceable amount.

The “Nexus of Technology and Traditional”  —  Dignity Funeral Directors purchase of Farewill shows that they are willing to leverage some of their operation into what they must believe will be a growing opportunity for Death Care providers — Wills and Estates.

There are a lot of technology products already in the market that can make your business easier to operate at this time.  Make sure that you take the time to know what they are and how they may help your business.

If you never take the time to learn about these products you will not be helped by them. . . . .and in a competitive world, you might find yourself at a disadvantage.

More news from the world of Death Care:  

Enter your e-mail below to join the 3,164 others who receive Funeral Director Daily articles daily:

“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

NFDA Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar Returns with Hands-On Training and Live Demonstrations

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar is returning in 2025 with an exciting new format designed to provide embalmers with cutting-edge techniques and hands-on experience. Scheduled for May 7-9 at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, this premier seminar offers a unique opportunity to engage in live demonstrations on a donor body and interactive training using the exclusive Headzo models. Scholarships from the Funeral Service Foundation are available to help funeral service professionals attend this invaluable event. This immersive learning experience caters to embalmers of all skill levels, from novices to seasoned professionals. Led by industry experts, the seminar will feature dynamic sessions, including: 

• May 7 – Live Embalming and Lecture and Demonstration: Michael Burns, CFSP, dean of Faculty and Students, and Nicholas Ricci, an instructor at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, will lead attendees through live demonstrations of critical embalming techniques on a donor body, including arterial injection, cosmetics and restorative methods.
• May 8 and 9 – Live Demonstration and Application: Using Headzo models Burns and Ricci will guide participants through cranial reconstruction, restoration, cosmetic application and hair placement, offering valuable hands-on experience.
• May 8 – Embalming Risk Management: Chris Farmer, NFDA general counsel, will explore the legal risks embalmers encounter and provide strategies for minimizing liability exposure.
• May 9 – Ask the Experts Panel: A unique opportunity to engage directly with Burns, Ricci and Farmer, allowing attendees to gain deeper insights and address specific questions.

NFDA’s Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar always receives high marks from participants. A 2025 attendee shared, “All of the embalming sessions were excellent. I walked away with so many great ideas and tips. [It] sparked a thirst to try out new ideas.” Another noted, “I liked everything about the seminar. Very informational, hands-on and educational; the best part – I made a few new funeral director friends.” 

Scholarships Available 

Thanks to the generosity of its donors, the Funeral Service Foundation is providing five scholarships to attend the 2025 NFDA Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar. Valued at up to $1,450, each scholarship covers registration fees, two nights of lodging and a $500 travel stipend. Applicants must be licensed embalmers (NFDA membership not required). To learn more and apply by March 28, visit NFDA.org/EmbalmingSeminar. Applicants will be notified of their status by early-April. 

Register Early and Save! 

Registration for the 2025 NFDA Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar is now open and the early-bird pricing is available through April 24. Participants may choose to attend the live embalming demonstration on May 7, the hands-on Headzo training on May 8-9, or both! Participants are encouraged to register early; seating is limited to just 70 participants for the Headzo demonstration. To secure a spot, visit NFDA.org/EmbalmingSeminar or call 800-228-6332. Several hotels are located near the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science; attendees may visit NFDA.org/EmbalmingSeminar for recommendations and to book a room. NFDA is grateful to the Heritage Club, The Dodge Company and Frigid Fluid for their support of this seminar. 

The Profession’s Best Embalming and Restorative Art Resources 

NFDA offers a wide range of education and resources to help funeral service professionals practice embalming with a high degree of excellence. On March 12, NFDA will host Navigating the First Solo Embalming: Bridging the Information Gap for Apprentices as part of its Level Up Learning Webinar series. This presentation by Damon de la Cruz guides apprentices through key challenges like fluid selection, dilution and injection site choices. Leveraging the experience of seasoned embalmers, attendees will learn strategies for tackling challenges head-on and insights into the decision-making processes experienced embalmers use. Level Up Learning Webinars are free for NFDA members and $79 for nonmembers. Funeral professionals can register online at NFDA.org/Events or by calling 800-228-6332. The 2025 NFDA International Convention & Expo, taking place October 26-29 in Chicago, Illinois, will feature a preconvention embalming seminar and multiple education sessions covering technical skills. Look for full details when registration for the NFDA Convention opens in the spring.   NFDA offers several online learning courses focused on technical skills. Courses cover a variety of topics and enable funeral professionals to boost their skills wherever and whenever they have Internet access. A full list of courses can be found on the NFDA website, NFDA.org/OLC. NFDA’s collection of legal forms, available exclusively to members at NFDA.org/LegalForms,  includes several forms related to preparation, including embalming authorization forms, embalming affidavits, embalming report forms and more. NFDA developed two consumer brochures, Embalming: Answers to Your Questions and The Value of Viewing the Body of Your Loved One, to help families understand the embalming process, the value of viewings and visitations as part of end-of-life rituals, and answer common questions. The brochures can be ordered through the NFDA Resource Store, NFDA.org/Store, or by calling 800-228-6332. Funeral directors may also want to encourage families they serve to visit NFDA’s consumer-facing website, RememberingALife.com, which serves as a guide to honoring a life well-lived, from planning a tribute to mourning a loved one. The site offers guidance on how to start the planning process, the kinds of decisions families will make, and the many options available to make a tribute personal and meaningful. The site highlights service options, including embalming and the value of viewing; details about cremation and burial; and prefunding options. About NFDA 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, Wisconsin, and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit NFDA.org.