02/17/2016

NFDA Advocacy Summit: Celebrating 25 Years of Funeral Directors Making a Difference in D.C.

Members of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) will make their way to the nation’s capitol for the association’s 25^th annual Advocacy Summit, which will take place April 27-29. The 2016 Advocacy Summit will be critical because funeral directors will have a chance to continue discussions on the issues they brought to Congress last year. Additionally, with 2016 being a presidential election year, NFDA needs members’ help to ensure funeral service issues stay top-of-mind.

The Advocacy Summit will kick-off the evening of Wednesday, April 27 with a welcome briefing that will prepare attendees for the next day’s meetings. During this session attendees will learn best practices for conducting effective visits with members of Congress and learn about the issues on which they will be advocating.

On Thursday, April 28, the Advocacy Summit will welcome entertaining D.C. insiders who will keep attendees engaged and get them ready to storm Capitol Hill.

Following the morning speakers, Summit attendees will, in conjunction with funeral professionals from their state, meet with their legislators. During these critical meetings, NFDA members can take a proactive approach to advancing legislation that helps ensure veterans and fallen service members are cared for when they die; attendees will also discuss increasing the Social Security lump-sum death benefit, which has not changed since 1982.

While NFDA members are advocating on Capitol Hill, they can visit the special NFDA Welcome Room in the Capitol Hill Club. There, attendees can meet with NFDA staff, association past presidents and other experienced Summit attendees and ask questions and share information about what has transpired during their meetings. Light refreshments will be available.

The evening of April 28, Summit attendees can attend a reception with complimentary beverages and light appetizers, in a special reception on Capitol Hill. NFDA will invite members of Congress and their staff to attend this reception, which will give attendees an opportunity to continue building relationships with their elected officials. As attendees meet with their members of Congress, they will also be able to extend an invitation to this special event.

On Friday, April 29, following a fascinating presentation from another D.C. expert, attendees have the option of participating in a special NFDA wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

Attendees can visit the NFDA website, www.nfda.org/advocacysummit, for the latest information, including confirmed speakers, which will be announced in the weeks to come.

The registration fees for the 2016 Advocacy Summit are:

The historic Mayflower Hotel will again serve as the headquarters for the 2016 NFDA Advocacy Summit. Attendees who plan to stay at the Mayflower Hotel must make their reservations by April 1 to lock in the special Advocacy Summit rate of $274 per night, plus tax.

Funeral professionals should visit www.nfda.org/advocacysummit or call 800-228-6332 for the latest information about the Advocacy Summit, including details on how to register and make hotel reservations.

NFDA is the world's leading and largest funeral service association, serving 19,700 individual members who represent more than 10,000 funeral homes in the United States and 39 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.