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President's Message: Professional Development as Self-Care

It feels like forever that we have been heads down, mired in the day-to-day tasks of running our business. We are all exhausted. We hear a lot about self-care, but who has the luxury to do that? And what does that mean anyway? Yoga, meditation, sleeping in? You’re probably thinking, “I don’t have time for that. I have a business to run.”

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Meet your nominees for the 2023-25 OGR Board of Directors

OGR will have three vacancies on its Board of Directors to fill this year. Voting opened in January and the winners will be inducted as part of the Golden Circle Celebration Dinner at the Annual Conference in Indianapolis this May. Below are the three employees of OGR-member funeral homes who have been nominated to fill those vacancies.

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Invitation to Innovation: Seeing cremation through your customers' eyes

What would change if you could see the cremation process through your customer’s eyes? What if you had an unlimited budget and plenty of staff? What would your cremation offerings look like if you had no limits to what you could do? Find out by attending this facilitated problem-solving event based on the IDEO Human Centered Design Thinking approach.

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State of the Association: Results from OGR's 2022 Membership Survey

Our membership community helps shape who we are and how we support independently owned funeral homes. To gain insight into how we can continue to improve service to our members, OGR commissioned Whorton Marketing & Research to conduct a survey of members and non-members in 2022. The survey had a 28% response rate with 104 participating out of 368 who were sent an invitation. This is a typical response rate percentage for associations across the board.

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International Perspective: 'Green' Funerals

How the “Green” Funeral Trend is Presenting Itself Internationally

Each year, we pose a question to OGR’s international members, asking them about how a trend in funeral service is playing out in their countries to offer our North American members a more global perspective on the profession. This year, we asked about “green”/environmentally conscious funerals. Several such practices are still banned in many U.S. municipalities - are they allowed in other countries? If so, how common are they? If not, do they see that changing anytime soon?

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2023 Education Preview

OGR is proud to offer numerous, flexible ways to learn, connect and grow in 2023. Plus many of our in-person events and webinars (both live and on-demand) will offer continuing education credits.

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Lasting Impact: OGR Study Groups are welcoming new members

OGR Study Groups are one of our most valuable member benefit programs. As COVID travel restrictions eased, two of our groups met in the fall of 2022. The East Coast Study Group met at Hummel Funeral Home in Akron, Ohio, and the West Coast Study Group met at Thomas Miller Mortuary & Crematory in Corona, California.

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Search Engine Optimization

How many calls are you missing out on by ranking one spot lower than your competitor on Google?

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10 tips for reducing energy costs

Winter is officially here, and with the winter season comes the inevitable roller coaster of weather forecasts, winter storms and energy costs.

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YP Spotlight: Andi Schmidtgall

Andi Schmidtgall is a 34-year-old funeral director and embalmer at Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel in Watertown, South Dakota.

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Livestreaming for funerals

One of the most important changes we’ve seen in recent years is the shift from physical to virtual events. This shift has changed expectations for what “attendance” means for a funeral service. Now, more than ever, families are looking for ways to connect with their loved ones, even if they cannot physically attend a funeral.

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Insurance-related tax deductions to know this tax season

When you’re eligible, claiming tax deductions can be an effective way to reduce your tax burden. If you don’t know certain tax deductions exist, you can find it challenging to identify their available deductions. Surprisingly, certain costs related to your insurance and health care may lower your tax bill. Many times, there is a possibility to deduct your medical expenses, insurance premiums and other health-related costs from your taxes. There are many other things to consider for potential deductions. Working with a financial advisor is best when it comes to all the tax options to find the right strategy for your situation.

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Spotlight on George Irvin Green Funeral Home, Inc.

Scott L. Green is the president of George Irvin Green Funeral Home Inc. in Munhall, Pennsylvania. He shared his experiences with running a successful funeral home that has been around for more than 80 years.

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Check out the new and improved Family Contact Survey Program

OGR’s most used member benefit is the Family Contact Survey Program. For years members have relied on the honest feedback they receive from the families they serve through this program. In 2023 this program has been updated to provide better information to you and make it simpler for the families you serve to fill out the survey.

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The Messenger Company acquires Thumbies®

AUBURN, Ind. – The Messenger Company, the leading provider of funeral stationery, personalization solutions and insurance funding, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Thumbies® Fingerprint Keepsakes located in Woodstock, Illinois. This new addition to the Messenger family of companies will allow the Messenger team of sales reps to offer the complete line of Thumbies jewelry in their portfolio of products, supporting the needs of funeral home partners across the country. 

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12 OGR members honored with NFDA 'Pursuit of Excellence' awards

The Order of the Golden Rule's board of directors wants to congratulate the 12 OGR members that were recognized for their excellent work by NFDA's annual Pursuit of Excellence Awards.

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YourSocialStrategy.com introduces FuneralClicks to the funeral profession

KINGSTON, Ontario - YourSocialStrategy.com is announcing a new brand in the funeral industry, FuneralClicks. FuneralClicks is an agency that provides marketing services to funeral homes across North America.

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2 Starmark products certified by Green Burial Council

Starmark Cremation Products is pleased to announce that its Nature’s Way® Natural and Terra green burial and cremation containers have been certified by the Green Burial Council.

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How your business can actually benefit from negative reviews

Admit it: receiving a negative review can feel like a direct hit to your business. Your establishment is, after all, laser-focused on offering clients the best services. And it is never enjoyable to receive criticism on something you have diligently created. Learn more about how we can help from OGR supply partner, FuneralClicks.

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Moving Forward: Post-pandemic ideas for thriving in funeral service

Now that COVID is moving into its endemic phase, we’re all breathing a sigh of relief. Everyone is tired of pandemic life. Funeral home staff, especially, have been asked over and over again to go above and beyond. Understandably, you’re tired, you’re numb, and many of you are probably traumatized.

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