COVID-19 Member Resources

Selected is committed to helping our members through these challenging times. This resource page continues to grow as we collect materials from organizations and members share samples of materials they are using in their communities.

Don't forget to post your questions on The Forum and to share supply needs and surpluses, tips and ideas in the Member Sharing Center.

Categories of Information on this Page:

• FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Updates
• Operations
• Public Health, Prevention and Safety
• Embalming & Preparation Guidelines
• Public Health & Safety Marketing Tools
• Risk Management
• Communications/Media
• Inspiration, Wellness & Self-Care During Crisis
• Resources to Share with Families
• Recorded Webinars and Podcasts
• Marketing

Note: We will continue to add updates here on PPE sources that are shared through various channels. We cannot guarantee sources and availability but are simply passing on information provided.

FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance

• Pre-Call Checklist for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Reimbursements (Funeral Directors Life)
• Informational flyer for families in English and Spanish (FEMA)
• Informational video explaining the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program and how to apply (FEMA)
• Selected’s FEMA Funeral Assistance Family Letter Template
• FEMA Funeral Assistance FAQs to Assist Your Families

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Updates

• All N95s in existing stock and those being manufactured now are sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA and they allocate supplies to each state's Emergency Operations Center (EOC). To place a request for N95s, you'll need to contact your state's EOC. Click here to access the EOC for your state.
• SEAC, a scuba supply vendor, offers alternative full face masks. Click here for details.
• Also visit our Member Share Center for more PPE info.
• PPE Availability Update from Kelco Kelco Supply shared current status (4/9) of PPE shipment and availability.
• Body Bags Supply Update (Kelco Supply)

Operations

• Moving Forward: Post-Pandemic Ideas for Thriving in Funeral Service - Dr. Alan Wolfelt
• Marketing Your Funeral Home in the Midst of a Pandemic Marketing your funeral home during a pandemic offers new challenges and opportunities. Click here to read this article from Weigel Strategic Marketing.
• Five Ways to Promote Reopening as Social Distancing Eases (Funeral Innovations)
• WHITE PAPER: State of American Business & COVID 19 — Challenges, Opportunities & Solutions Outlines the six areas most challenging to business today, interviews with top CEOs and the innovative solutions they are putting into place. (Meridith Elliott Powell)
• Group 1 Virtual Roundtable Recording — Group 1 members participated to review their COVID-19 experiences. Matthew Fiorillo of Ballard-Durand Funeral & Cremation of White Plains, NY shared his firm's story. Patrick Kearns of Leo F. Kearns Funeral Home in Richmond Hill, NY also contributed to the discussion. Fellow Selected members asked questions, shared their unique perspectives on the pandemic and covered some additional topics.
• Performance Tracker Analysis 2020 Covid-19 Impact (Courtesy of Johnson Consulting Group)

Public Health, Prevention and Safety

• COVID-19 Safety Guide Sample (Cypress Lawn)
• EEOC Issues COVID Vaccine Guidance
• Funeral Directors Life Encourages Other Businesses to Develop a Pandemic Policy for Employees (Funeral Directors Life)
• 2020 COVID-19 Protocols and Best Practices Guide (NFDMA)
• NFDA Calls for Funeral Professional Volunteers
• Corona Virus Postmortem Guidelines (CDC)
• COVID-19: Firsthand Account from a Funeral Director — Interview with Corey Gaffney (Connecting Directors)
• How Funeral Directors are Preparing for Coronavirus
• Coronavirus — Interim Guidance for Business and Employers (CDC)
• How to Maintain Operations During a Pandemic (OSHA)
• Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist (CDC)
• Pandemic Influenza Continuity of Operations (FEMA)
• Coronavirus Resources (U.S. Department of Labor)
• CDC Recommends Livestreaming Funerals (BBC)
• Mortuary Employees Declared Critical Infrastructure Workers (DHS & CISA)
• Valuable Resources and Guidelines on Public Health, Safety and Repatriation (Homeland International)
• Privacy Rules for Staff Disclosing COVID-19 (Department of Health and Human Services)
• Eagles Wings Air provides updates on flight and service status
• Knowledge Reduces Risk Guide & Course (Jennifer Conrad)
• Preserving Options: Learning from the Tradition of Spring Burials (National Concrete Burial Vault Association)
• Buchanan Group Teams with Baker Lab at University of Washington to Speed Development of COVID-19 Vaccine

Embalming & Preparation Guidelines

• Embalming Guidelines for Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 Cases (ICCFA)
• Guidelines on How to Embalm with Coronavirus (Professional Embalmers)
• Health & Safety Guidelines for COVID-19 Post Mortem Care (Dodge Company)

Public Health & Safety Marketing Tools

• COVID-19 Sample Press Release (Busch Funeral Homes)
• COVID-19 Sample Press Release (Milner & Orr Funeral Home)
• COVID-19 Sample Press Release (Gunderson Funeral Home)

Risk Management

• COVID-19 Risk Management Procedures Sample (Lady's Funeral Home)
• COVID-19 Risk Management Procedures Sample (Glenn Funeral Home & Crematory)
• COVID-19 Risk Management Procedures Sample (Gunderson Funeral Home)
• The Corona Virus and Your Job (The Wall Street Journal)
• In collaboration with Enquiron, Federated Employment Practices Network is providing these three valuable documents designed to help provide information to organizations facing challenging employment issues during these uncertain times.
  • Employer FAQ Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Families First Coronavirus Response Act
  • Important Rules for Employers to Know in the Wake of COVID-19
• COVID Restriction Disclosure Form (Bonney-Watson)
• COVID-19 Notice & Waiver Template

Communications/Media

• Hearts Join Art at Trimble Pointe Press Release
• Interview with Selected Executive Director, Rob Paterkiewicz (Funeral Service Insider)
• Livestreaming Request and Release Form (Word document)
  
• Webcasting Licenses & Compliance (NFDA)
• Emergency Obituary Posting and Online Funeral Video Services (Legacy.com)
• Passare is offering their Collaboration Center free of charge to all funeral directors. Visit their website for details.
• ASD Expands Remote Capabilities Support During Pandemic
• Coronavirus Media Interview Talking Points for Funeral Homes (Dr. Alan Wolfelt — Center for Loss and Life Transition)
• The Why of Funerals Dr. Alan Wolfelt — Center for Loss and Life Transition)
  Dr. Wolfelt has granted permission to Selected members to use this video on their website or promotion.
• Processing Grief During a Pandemic: When Nothing is Normal (Rolling Stone Magazine)
• Advertising During a Pandemic? (MJK Marketing)
• SRS Unveils New, Proprietary E-Signature Product (SRS Computing)
• SRS Announces Release of V-9 Online-Press Release (SRS Computing)
• Alternate Service Offerings Booklet (Funeral Innovations)
• Inside a NY Funeral Home During the Coronavirus Crisis (Ballard Durand Funeral Home)
• Community Participation Makes Your Firm More Sustainable (MKJ Marketing)
• Our Response to COVID-19 (French Funerals & Cremations )
• Funeral Homes Adapt to COVID-19 Deaths (WBUR.org news)
• Directors Making a Difference During the Pandemic (NCR online)
• Coronavirus Changes Funerals and How Families Grieve (Patriot Ledger)
• E-Commerce Amid Uncertain Times (MKJ Marketing)

Inspiration, Wellness & Self-Care During Crisis

• Pandemic Grinds: Women Hitting Their Limit (Boston Globe)
• Help Your Employees Manage Their Reentry Anxiety (Harvard Business Review)
• How is isolation affecting your employees during COVID-19? (Ragan Wellness)
• Acknowledging and Dealing with Burnout (Davana Pilczuk)
• How COVID-19 is Making Us Better Funeral Professionals (Funeral Directors Life)
• Simple Self-Care Practices to Balance Your Work and Life (Chelsea Hanson)
• Grief and social distancing: How Indiana funeral homes are helping families seek closure. An article and interview with Dr. Alan Wolfelt (IndyStar)
• An interesting historical review of the 1918 flu pandemic and how it affected the funeral profession. (Todd Van Beck)
• Emotional Intelligence: A Pandemic and Isolation Coping Tool (Chicago Executive Coaching)
• COVID-19 Self-Isolating Tips
• COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring Tips
• A Little Levity in the Time of Crisis (Ron Culberson):
  Articles and Audio Interviews
  Recommended Reading List
  Blog
• Unintended Consequences of COVID-19 (Dr. William Hoy)
• The Drive-In Funeral: Celebrating a Life in an Era of Social Distancing (Dan Madden | Stark Memorial)
• TED Connects: Community and Hope — TED Talks are always a great resource for information. Check out this episode of TED Connects, featuring Chris Anderson, head of TED, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as they discuss Community & Hope.
• Be the Calm in the Storm: Inspirational Video (Marguerite Ham)
• Video to Inspire Positivity Within a Community (Glenn Funeral Home)
• Combat Coronavirus Anxiety (Muse.com)
• 10 Ways to Cultivate Kindness While Social Distancing (Linda Cohen Consulting)

Courtesy of Dr. Alan Wolfelt — Center of Loss and Life Transition:

• Future Cermony Preplanning Worksheet
• Walking the Wilderness Together
• The Loss of Human Touch During the Pandemic
• Five Pillars of Self-Care
• Tell Me How to Grieve
• Nurturing Hope in Difficult Times
• When One Funeral Is Not Enough
• The Seesaw of Resilience and Vulnerability
• Funeral Directors, We Need You! |The Five Pillars of Basic Self-Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• How to Reframe the Difficult COVID-19 Lockdown Period as an Opportunity

Courtesy of Davana Pilczuk, PhD — The Human Performance Group LLC:

• How to Help Someone Through a Layoff
• Humorous Perils of Working from Home
• Employees Need Stress Help Now
• Respect is key to employees feeling valued
• 5 foods that can boost your brain power
• Learn your team's love languages

Resources to Share with Families

• Resources for Families: COVID-19 Funeral Reimbursement (Courtesy of Funeral Directors Life)
• CDC Updated Guidelines on Funeral Guidance for Individuals and Families (CDC)
• Hugs from Home — Selected member, Milner & Orr has created a new program called Hugs from Home. It is a new service they are implementing that will give those not attending a funeral service the chance to be able to share a token of love and support. Click here to see the form they offer on their website. The Hugs from Home note card is then attached to a white balloon in the funeral home. These balloons will fill the chapel with hugs for the families. They will be able to read these heartfelt messages and hopefully know that many others are there with them in spirit.
• Funerals Pose Challenges in Time of Social Distancing (Dr. Bill Hoy and BaptistStandard.com)
• Sample member newsletter to families (O'Connor Mortuary)
• Legacy Touch Production Schedule & Special Free Gift Offer
• Ten Ideas Funeral Directors Can Share with Families During COVID-19 (MKJ Marketing)
• Resource for Families Grieving a Death During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Funeral Service Foundation)
• The Impact of Coronavirus on the Grieving Process (Today.com)

Courtesy of Dr. Alan Wolfelt — Center of Loss and Life Transition:

• Dr. Wolfelt Seminar Catalog : Fall 2021
• Dr. Wolfelt Training Publications Catalog: Spring 2021
• Finding Your Way Through
• Too Much Loss
• Strength to Cope
• COVID Caregivers and Grief Overload: Coping with Too Much Loss
• Waking Up to Gratitude
• Pandemic of Grief
• Dealing with Families During Pandemic
• How to Talk to Children about Coronavirus Pandemic
• Coronavirus and the Six Needs of Mourning
• Funerals in the Time of Coronavirus: Thoughts for Families
• Help and Healing: Compassionate Advice Exploring the Natural Complications of the "WHYs" of Funerals During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Grieving a Coronavirus Death: Help for Special Circumstances
• Help and Healing: Compassionate Advice
• Condolences in the Time of COVID-19: Guidance for Conveying Your Love and Support
• Ten Freedoms for Ceremonies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Recorded Webinars and Podcasts

• COVID-19: Adapting with Data (Johnson Consulting Group)
• Finding the New Normal: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 (Funeral Directors Life)
• Tukios Tips: Save Time, Generate Revenue with Automated Tribute Videos (Tukios)
• 18 Ways to Adapt Your Marketing During COVID-19 (MKJ Marketing)
• Working Remotely with Your Families Using Passare's Collaboration Center (Passare)
• Persevering Through Uncertain Times (Funeral Directors Life)
• Tips for Funeral Directors: Stress Management (Funeral Directors Life)
• 4 Tips for Performing Under Stress (Davana Pilczuk | The Human Performance Group LLC)
• All Things Technology: Virtual "Un"Conference Recording (Connecting Directors)
  Selected Preferred Partners, Tukios and RingRing Marketing share insights on all things technology during this recorded webinar.
• All Things Financial: Virtual "Un"Conference Recording (Connecting Directors)
  Selected Preferred Partners, Live Oak Bank, C&J Financial and Johnson Consulting Group, share insights on all things financial during this recorded webinar.
• Leading Your Remote Work Team Through A Crisis | Strategies to Stay Motivated, Connected, and Productive (Meridith Elliott Powell)
• Overnight the American Way of Death Has Moved Online (Everdays)
• Real-World Solutions to Right-Now Problems (Funeral Innovations & Johnson Consulting Group)
• Grow Your Preneed Sales with Online Group Presentations (Funeral Directors Life)
• Elevating Funeral Service Podcast (Aftercare.com & RingRing Marketing)
• Families Are Planning Funerals Online without You: Here's How to Get Back into the Conversation (Funeral Directors Life)
• FD Talks: Conversations with Funeral Directors (Funeral Directors Life)
  This recording features Selected members, Anne Geib of Geib Funeral Homes & Crematory and Andrea Orr of Milner & Orr Funeral Home and Cremation Service, on how they are serving families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Compromised Immune System of Funeral Service (McKee Wallwork + Co)
• FD Talks Episode 1| Surviving Stress: Caring for Yourself While You Care for Families (Funeral Directors Life)
• Weathering the Perfect Storm | Webinar Slides (Funeral Director's Life)
• Five Mistakes That Can Tie Up Your Cash Flow Webinar Recording | Webinar Slides (Funeral Directors Life)
• Managing Change: Laying the Groundwork, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly! | Webinar Slides (Marguerite Ham)
• How to Use Video to Bring Your Story to Life | Webinar Slides (Funeral Directors Life)

Marketing

• Free COVID-19 Marketing Resources for Funeral Homes & Remote Preneed Sales Process (Precoa)
• Webinar: 18 Ways to Adapt Your Marketing During COVID-19 (MKJ Marketing)
• FrontRunner Offers Free Facebook Setup and Instruction About Using Facebook Live
• Custom Public Service Message: TV Spots Offer (MKJ Marketing)
• Funeral Directors Life Offers New Online Signatures Option for Preneed Contracts at No Charge
• Send Hugs | Private Video Memories (Tukios)
• Guest RSVP Feature to the Book of Memories Press Release (FrontRunner Professional)