Membership Types & Applications | Supply Partner Categories & Applications | Renew

BECOME A MEMBER

Are you independently owned? Do you value the families you serve above all else? Then you are the perfect fit for our association. As a member of OGR, you will be connected to members who hold the same strong values and business ethics as you. Fewer than 5% of independently owned funeral homes can call themselves Golden Rule Funeral Homes and those that do are committed to adhere to a set of 11 ethical standards.

Why Join?
Running a successful independent funeral home in today’s ever-changing world requires more than hard work and good business practices. You need the right contacts, a technical edge and sound business advice; all of which come with the privilege of being a Golden Rule Funeral Home. Here are a few resources and programs we offer our members:

• Align with the most trusted brand in the funeral industry - OGR!
• OGR's free Family Contact Survey Program uses customer feedback to provide you with insight about your firm's services and operations by capturing what families value most.
• OGR partners with over 60 supply partners, giving you access to everything you need including caskets and urns, financing and investment services, business consulting, supplies, and more.
• Better communicate with families using our preneed, at-need and grief care booklets, pamphlets and cards designed exclusively for OGR members.
• Tap into the expertise of experienced funeral professionals with our Member Connections Network.
• OGR's flagship quarterly magazine, The Independent, keeps you on track with funeral service trends, proven ideas from colleagues, and tips for improving your business.
• In partnership with NFDA, OGR offers the lowest music & webcasting licensing fees in the industry.
• Offer a grief support group that you don’t have to run. Members can offer families access to our monthly virtual grief support group facilitated by OGR grief expert, Nancy Weil.
  
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Membership Categories

OGR membership is at the company level. Every funeral director who works for that company is then able to set up a profile to access benefits like continuing education, the member directory, digital copies of the Independent quarterly magazine and more.  

Dues are set up on a tiered structure based on your operation's annual case volume. If you have multiple locations, all locations within a 100 mile radius will be grouped together under a single membership with all of their cases combined to determine your dues level.

• Main Firm: Funeral home operation based in the U.S. and/or Canada
• International Firm: Funeral home operation based outside the U.S. and Canada
• Retiree: An individual who was an employee of a current or former OGR member firm but is no longer actively participating in the funeral profession
• Educator: Educator, researcher and/or otherwise engaged in the academic field of study, but not the practice, of mortuary science
• Student: Currently enrolled in an accredited mortuary science school
• Supply Partner: Any individual or firm engaged in selling products or services to OGR members, or individuals who provide management and consulting services to independently owned and operated funeral homes

Questions? Contact the Membership Department at 1 (800) 637-8030, or email us at [email protected].

Main Firm Membership
OGR dues are a tiered structure based on case counts. All funeral homes owned by the same funeral director within a 100-mile radius are included in the case count and will be considered to be member funeral homes.

*All amounts in US dollars. +Dues payments are not tax deductible as a charitable contribution but may be deducted as a business expense.

APPLY ONLINE | DOWNLOAD FORM

International Membership
Funeral homes located outside of the United States and Canada are invited to join. After all, you make us international!
Dues: $382

As an international member, your membership includes: 

• Attend the OGR annual conference.
• Participate in members only virtual roundtables. 
• Join one of OGR's study groups, including our international group. 
• Discounts through the OGR Supply Partner network. 
• Family Contact Survey Program to obtain honest feedback following a service. 
• Access to live and on-demand learning in the Learning Library. 
• Receive a printed copy of The Independent, OGR's magazine that has industry focused articles and association events. 

APPLY | DOWNLOAD FORM

Retiree Membership
Any person who is a retired employee of a current or former member firm and is no longer actively participating in the funeral profession but would like to keep up with the times.
Dues: $156

APPLY | DOWNLOAD FORM

Educator Membership
Open to educators, researchers, and academics engaged in the study, but not the practice, of mortuary science.
Dues: $52

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Student Membership
As a student member, you are invited to participate in all member activities. Your annual membership fee of $35 includes:

• Subscription to the award-winning The Independent magazine and bi-weekly InSights eNewsletter
• Advanced notice and discounts on registration rates to OGR Educational Seminars and Annual Conference
• Access to OGR’s Young Professionals Facebook group, eNewsletter and events
• Access to member-only pages on OGR's website
• Opportunity to submit resume to OGR’s “Jobs Wanted” site

APPLY ONLINE | DOWNLOAD FORM

Supply Partner Membership

Open to any individual or firm engaged in selling products or services to OGR members or individuals who provide management and consulting services to independently owned and operated funeral homes. There are three tiers of membership in OGR's Supply Partner Network:

• Annual Partners: one-time annual fee of $600
• Royalty Partners: base dues are $750 with royalties paid throughout the year as a portion of any business obtained through OGR members.
• Endorsed Suppliers: an exclusive tier with no more than one in any supplier category, dues and additional benefits are negotiated on a case-by-case basis

Supply Partners
Dues: $600

• Your company is listed on the online Supplier Network page, including:
• your company’s name;
• a description you provide, up to 100 words;
• contact information; and
• a copy of your logo that links to your website.
• We will provide you with an updated membership list at least three times a year (October, January and April), including each member’s address and phone number.
  • Discounted registration for OGR's Conference
  • Using copy you provide, we will send up to 2 sponsored social posts on your behalf on the OGR social media platform of your choosing. You may include a link and up to one image for each post.
  • 10% discount on website advertising opportunities on OGR.org
  • 10% discount on advertising rates in OGR’s quarterly magazine, The Independent, and bi-weekly eNewsletter, InSights
  • Line-item inclusion in the Fall Buyers Guide section of the fall issue of The Independent
  • You may submit informative / Subject Matter Expert articles for inclusion in The Independent as space allows, free of charge
  • Contact the Communications Department for submission guidelines and advertising rates

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Royalty Partners
Dues: Base dues are $750 with royalties paid throughout the year as a portion of any business obtained through OGR members.

Royalty Partners receive all Annual Partner benefits, plus:

• Upgrade to a max of 4 sponsored social posts sent by OGR on your behalf.
• FREE quarter-page ad in Fall Buyers Guide section of the fall issue of The Independent. You may also upgrade to a larger size at a discounted rate.
• 15% discount on website advertising opportunities on OGR.org
• 15% discount on advertising rates in all other issues of The Independent, plus the bi-weekly Insights eNewsletter.
• Contact the Communications Department for submission guidelines and advertising rates.

APPLY

Endorsed Supply Partners
Dues: Endorsed Supplier agreements are tailored individually.

This is an exclusive tier, with no more than one in any supplier category. Endorsed Suppliers receive all Royalty Partner benefits, plus:

• Your Supplier Network listing may be expanded to up to 200 words, and we will include a badge identifying you as an Endorsed Supplier.
• Using copy you provide, we will send 1 email to our full membership on your behalf.
• 20% discount on website advertising opportunities on OGR.org
• FREE full-page ad in every issue of The Independent.
• 20% discount on advertising rates in OGR’s bi-weekly InSights eNewsletter and advertising upgrades in The Independent.
• Guaranteed placement of an informative / Subject Matter Expert article in one issue of The Independent. You will be asked to identify which issue you want your article to run in when you pay for your Endorsed Supplier membership. Additional articles may be submitted as space allows.
• 1 complimentary registration for OGR’s Conference

 APPLY

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The International Order of the Golden Rule is registered as a 501(c)(6) organization with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. As such, dues payments - regardless of membership category - are not tax deductible as a charitable contribution, but may be deducted as a business expense.

The Order of the Golden Rule Foundation is registered as a 501(c)(3) organization with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. As such, donations to the foundation can be deducted as a charitable contribution.