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INDUSTRY NEWS ICFA Educational Foundation Wins IRS Tax Exemption Last week, the Internal Revenue Service notified the ICFA's new Educational Foundation with the good news that the agency had approved the Foundation's application to be recognized as a Sec. 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The Foundation had been organized last year as a nonprofit corporation to support the educational mission of the Association. The IRS determination means that contributions made to the Foundation are tax deductible by donors as charitable donations. Currently, donations made directly to the Association are not deductible as charitable donations but may be deductible as a business expense. The approval of the Educational Foundation as a charity will open the doors to increased participation by industry members to improve the resources of the Association in providing educational conferences, literature, and related materials. More details will be provided early in 2007. ICFA Organizes Second Annual Capitol Hill Visit in Washington, D.C. Planning is now underway to convene the Second Annual ICFA Capitol Hill Visit during the second week of March, 2007, in Washington, D.C. Earlier this year, an initial series of meetings with key members of Congress and their staff provided valuable feedback to the Association leadership and positioned the ICFA as a useful resource for Congressional offices to help constituents. ICFA members are invited to participate if they are interested in setting up appointments with their Congressional representatives in the Capitol Hill offices or if they wish to participate in the meetings personally. Contact ICFA general counsel Bob Fells at rfells@icfa.org, or call 1-800-645-7700 for more information. ICFA NEWS Strengthen and Motivate Your Sales Team Start the New Year off on the right foot by attending ICFA's Wide World of Sales Conference, January 17-19, 2007, at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. "Finding Hidden Treasure" will offer you and your staff valuable sales training taught by more than 20 of the top cemetery and funeral preneed sales experts. Visit www.icfa.org/sales07.htm today to download a registration form and hotel form. Remember, companies that send multiple staff will receive discounts on registration! This is a great opportunity to strengthen and motivate your sales team and ensure a successful 2007 for your business. The ICFA has added additional value to this year's program by including separate manager and counselor breakout sessions. While you are learning important techniques for recruiting, managing and motivating your sales team, your counselors will attend separate sessions geared just for them on prospecting and referrals, sales techniques and more! For conference program information and to register, visit www.icfa.org/sales07.htm; or call 1.800.645.7700. 2007 Annual Convention & Exposition: Don't Get Left Behind! The cemetery and funeral service profession is constantly evolving. As your customers' needs change, so should the services and products you offer. Stay on top of the latest trends at ICFA's Annual Convention & Exposition, March 20-23, 2007, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. "Expanding Your Horizons" will offer cemeterians and funeral directors valuable educational sessions taught by the top experts in the profession, nightly networking receptions and an opportunity to explore the latest products and services available in the industry. Choose from more than 40 valuable training sessions, where you will learn strategies for increasing revenue, boosting service to families and improving operations. Among the top concerns to be addressed during the Convention are the rise in cremation and the opportunities this presents for your company:
Avoid the Fines: Register Now for 2007 Music License! Reminder: All 2006 music licenses expire December 31.Your business is required by law to be licensed where music is performed, either live, played by recording or by the receipt of radio transmissions. Failure to obtain a license where one is required can be costly: Copyright law provides for damages similar to fines of up to $30,000 for each song that is infringed. The 2007 Music Licenses are available to purchase online at http://www.icfa.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RGMUS. Membership is open to any company in the cemetery and funeral service industry in the United States. Companies that held Music License Memberships in 2006 received invoices for renewal. Companies that wish to purchase a new membership may do so by visiting the Web Site or calling the ICFA at 1.800.645.7700. The Music License Membership fee covers music licensing with all three licensing agencies: BMI, ASCAP & SESAC, for the calendar year 2007. There are no added fees. For more information, visit http://www.icfa.org/music/, or call 1.800.645.7700. CLASSIFIED ADS Grow Your Business with FuneralHomes.com FuneralHomes.com—the Funeral Director's Resource for Effective Customer Acquisition. We connect At-need and Pre-planning consumers with Funeral Homes in their area, you are missing out on business! Position your Funeral Home at the top—Call us at 1.800.208.2580 to start receiving business today. www.FuneralHomes.com. New Opportunities Await You! People preplan for many reasons. Chief among them is peace of mind. Now you can offer your families additional peace of mind through the Omega Assured Return Plan, a service option offered through Inman Shipping Worldwide. Inman Shipping Worldwide has been the recognized leader in the deathcare industry for the repatriation of human remains, from anywhere in the world, for over 30 years. With society traveling more and more today for business, vacations and even health care in distant cities, death away from home is becoming more common. When death occurs 100 miles or more away from an individual's legal residence, all the necessary services for returning the deceased to their home are covered for those enrolled in the Omega Assured Return Plan. The Omega Assured Return Plan is the logical companion for cemetery, funeral and cremation prearrangements. An ideal supplemental product, the Omega Assured Return Plan provides another opportunity to maintain contact with your client families. A simple enrollment form and onetime payment will provide a lifetime of coverage for this valuable service. Expand your selling portfolio and earn generous commissions. No license is required. To find out how you or your company can offer the Omega Assured Return Plan, call our toll free number at 1-888-889-8508 from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM Eastern time Monday through Friday or send an email to omegareturninfo@yahoo.com. Reach Thousands of Cemeteries and Funeral Homes With Your Classified Ad!
And more ... For a limited time, ICFA members can purchase the McQuaig Job Survey, the McQuaig Word Survey and the McQuaig Self-Development Survey for just $100 per assessment, a savings of up to 50 percent off the regular price. The member discount offer expires June 30, 2007. Companies assessing more than 100 candidates per year are eligible for additional discounts. For additional information, visit http://www.icfa.org/pdf/mcquaig2.pdf and http://www.icfa.org/pdf/mcquaig.pdf. For questions and to sign up for the program, contact Michael Gravelle at The McQuaig Institute at 1.800.387.5455, ext. 361, or mgravelle@mcquaig.com. Join today! The 2007 Music Licenses are available for just $232, no additional fees. Covers ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Any U.S. funeral home, cemetery or related business is eligible for membership as a Music License Member. Join today! The ICFA Store allows members to purchase the latest ICFA resources and training products online. Some products are available for immediate direct download, including the newly released Wirthlin Report on consumer attitudes and article packages on cremation, cemetery and funeral home valuations and trust funds. The ICFA News Page takes you to sources throughout the world for industry news and updates. It brings you the most comprehensive selection of funeral service and cemetery news available anywhere, along with frequently updated general news items related to national and world events. The News Page reports the news before anyone else and is one of the most visited page on the ICFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why. The Network is an online e-mail service that offers ICFA members an easy, free way to share questions and answers to everyday on-the-job challenges. Recent discussions have examined issues such as working with the Muslim community, distance between burial sites, direct mail marketing, the growing popularity of geocaching at cemeteries, recruiting staff and more. Ideal for smaller companies with smaller budgets. Join today! The ICFA Internet Expo is the largest online exposition in the cemetery and funeral service industry. Cemetery and funeral home owners and operators will find 300+ providers in more than 100 product and service categories. Exhibit space is provided as a free, exclusive benefit to all ICFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today! Need a labor relations and employment law attorney? Check out ICFA's HR Law Benefit program offering members no-cost telephone legal consultations, paid for by the ICFA via an exclusive retainer agreement. ICFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICFA has retained Leslie Schneider, CPA, a tax attorney with Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, D.C., for telephone consultations for up to 20 minutes with no obligation. To take advantage of this member benefit, call Schneider at 202.393.7600. The ICFA and Applied Merchant Systems of Chicago, Illinois, currently offer members a Credit Card Processing Program with a special low discount rate of 1.75 percent, with no per transaction processing fee. This new benefit makes it less expensive for cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers and related businesses to accommodate customers who wish to pay via credit card. For more information, call 1-800-675-6573. The ICFA Insurance Program, administered by Alliant Insurance Services, allows members to purchase commercial property and casualty insurance -- including general liability, commercial property, automobile liability and physical damage, umbrella liability, professional liability, workers compensation, employee benefits and more -- at rates they probably would not be able to afford on their own. To advertise in the ICFA Wireless: The ICFA accepts limited advertising in the ICFA Wireless newsletter, a bi-weekly newsletter e-mailed to all ICFA members that are current on their dues and have provided a current e-mail address. For rates and to place your insertion, contact Nichole Causey at ncausey@iccfa.com or 1.800.645.7700. To unsubscribe from the ICFA Wireless: Send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to: wireless@icfa.org. Please include your name and company name in the body of the e-mail. International Cemetery and Funeral Association 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100 Sterling, VA 20164 1.800.645.7700 703.391.8400 Fax: 703.391.8416 www.icfa.org Copyright 2006 International Cemetery and Funeral Association. |
