ICCFA Wireless is a bi-weekly electronic newsletter bringing members of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association the latest government and legal, industry and association news. It is available to all ICCFA members current on their dues. Comments, questions and "hot news tips" are welcome. Write to: hq@iccfa.com.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
CBS '60 Minutes' to Broadcast Story on Funeral Industry Early Next Year
CBS staff from the highly-rated "60 Minutes" news program have contacted ICCFA for assistance in researching a report on the funeral industry. According to staff, the report is being produced over the next few weeks and is expected to air early in 2011, although no date has been set. Areas of inquiry included the Rush bill (H.R. 3655) and Burr Oak Cemetery in Illinois. We understand that consumer advocates and industry critics are also being contacted for their perspectives.
 Senate Fails to Repeal Onerous 1099 Reporting Requirement on Small Businesses
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate failed to muster the two-thirds majority needed to repeal the Form 1099 reporting requirement in new healthcare law at Section 9006 (The Patient Protection and Affordability Act). The provision requires businesses to issue a Form 1099 to any person or company that provides $600 or more annually in services or merchandise. This requirement is scheduled to take effect in 2012 and threatens to become a major burden to small businesses. Although Democrats and Republicans seemed agreed on repeal, the discussions broke down over the issue of how to make up the $17 billion shortfall if the provision were repealed. The ICCFA will be working with the Tax Reform Coalition to achieve the eventual repeal of this provision when the new Congress convenes in January.
ICCFA NEWS
Annual Convention Program & Registration Form Now Online
The program and registration form for the 2011 Annual Convention & Exposition, March 8-11 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, is now online at www.iccfaconvention.com Take a look at more than 40 presentations that will guide your business to "A Bright Future." Online registration will be available later this week and hard copies of the program will arrive in mailboxes before Christmas.
Learn about General Session presentations by Guy Kawasaki, Eric Haseltine, Juliet Funt and Dr. Marty Becker, as well as special events and Convention highlights such as:
- Cremation Coaching Center LIVE!: In the cremation "game," there will be winners and there will be losers. In this first-of-its-kind interactive educational experience, our cremation coaches will help you and your staff develop the strategy and skills you need to succeed in cremation operations, arrangements and administration. Co-chairs: Julie Burn, Poul Lemasters, Larry Stuart and Ron Salvatore.
- Conservation Compendium: The Economics of Going Green: This session will reveal how green practices can help not only the environment but also your cemetery's bottom line. We'll explore how environmentally sustainable initiatives can reduce operations and maintenance costs within conventional cemeteries, based in part on a soon-to-be-published white paper by the Green Burial Council as well as on specific case studies.
- Breakout sessions on topics that most affect your business: marketing to boomers, management solutions, effective hiring, technology, embalming and more.
- International Moments: The ICCFA has invited representatives from Europe, Asia, Australia and South America to join us for "International Moments," an exploration of the funeral and burial customs and best practices from throughout the world.
- More than 400 exhibit booths
- Second Annual PLPA Conference
- Networking luncheons, receptions and dinner
- Earn up to 18.5 continuing education credits
- Free food & drinks in the Expo hall
- KIP Awards presentation
- Concurrent activities for the International Memorialization Supply Association, the Casket & Funeral Supply Association of America and the Jewish Funeral Directors of America.
- and much more!
Don't miss the best industry event of the year, with more than 40 educational sessions, more special events, CE credits, free food & beverages during all Expo hours, and the biggest Expo ever with more than 400 exhibit booths.
BOOTHS AND HOTEL ROOMS ARE GOING QUICKLY!
Act now to reserve your hotel room for $199 per night at Mandalay Bay. Use code "ICCFA 2011 Annual."
The exhibitor prospectus is available online now. Send in your reservation form now. Booths will start being assigned THIS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2.
For complete Convention program information
and to register now, visit www.iccfaconvention.com.
Sneak Peek of Binder Materials Exclusively Available to Attendees Only;
Early Bird Deadline Next Friday
The ICCFA Wide World of Sales Conference, January 12-14 at Bally's Las Vegas, is the largest preneed selling conference in the world, offering "how to" advice developed by dozens of top sales & marketing experts. Registrations are coming in at a record rate, with a nearly 25 percent increase over last year's figure as of this time.
This year's binder of speaker handouts will be one of the most information-packed ever, with documents such as:
- Step-by-step guide on how a sales counselor or manager may create a strategic marketing plan, including worksheets for each step of the process.
- Worksheet to calculate your return on advertising (ROA)
- Record of sales activities and calculation of averages
- Monthly sales coaching form: discuss victories, opportunities and strategy for next month
- The three keys to online success—Promote, distribute and monetize—with instructions each step of the way
- The Ten Commandments of goal setting
- How to gauge your online presence
- How to customize a presentation to your audience
- Samples of events you can host to build awareness of your business in the community
- The definition a "brand," how to find your unique brand story and how to spread the word
To view the complete two-day educational program and to register, visit www.wideworldofsales.com.
If you have not reserved your room, do so now as OUR ROOM BLOCK IS NEARLY SOLD OUT. The ICCFA has negotiated a drastically reduced hotel rate at Bally's Las Vegas of JUST $75 PER NIGHT for Monday, January 10, through Thursday, January 13. Our room block is selling out quickly, and we cannot guarantee this price once our block is gone. This is half the price originally published and makes this already affordable conference an even better investment of your sales training dollars. If you have not yet reserved your hotel room, reserve your room now online or call 1.800.358.8777 and identify yourself as an ICCFA attendee.
The early bird deadline is Friday, December 10. Register now at www.wideworldofsales.com.
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THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS!
Service Corporation International • Forethought Financial Group Inc. • Homesteaders Life Company • Matthews International • Assurant Solutions • NorthStar Memorial Group • Arbor Memorial Services Inc. • Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company • Gibraltar Remembrance Services
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2010 KIP Award Deadline Extended to December 10
 Applications for ICCFA's 2010 Keeping It Personal (KIP) Awards are available for download. The mission of the awards program is to recognize the best in personalization in the cemetery, cremation and funeral service profession. Deadline for submission is December 3.
Created by the ICCFA Personalization Committee, the KIP program honors recipients in five categories:
- Best Practice/Personal Touch: A "best practice." Something that you do for every family, or every family in a certain situation (examples: when the deceased is a veteran, or a baby). Note: An event such as a Christmas program is NOT a best practice, it's an event.
- Most Personalized Service or Memorial: An outstanding example of a personalized funeral for a particular individual, or a very personalized memorial. Explain how your staff provided a particular family with a funeral service or memorialization that really told the story of their loved one's life.
- Events: For the most personal and creative workshop, seminar or holiday event sponsored by your cemetery or funeral home. The even must include the participation of your clients and/or the general public. Such events may include, but aren't limited to, themes that are educational, commemorative, charitable, celebratory, financial or psychological in nature.
- Innovative Personalized Product (suppliers only): Product that memorializes in a personal and meaningful way. The product may be physical or virtual and may include, but is not limited to, memorials, monuments, urns, art, printed material and Web-based tributes.
- NEW! Most Personalized Pet Service or Memorial: An outstanding example of a personalized funeral for a particular pet, or a very personalized memorial. Explain how your staff provided a particular family with a pet memorialization or tribute service that really told the story of their beloved pet's life.
Entrants must be a member of ICCFA. The application fee is just $25.
Last year's contest drew 27 entries from across the United States and abroad. Eight communications and marketing professionals from outside the cemetery and funeral service profession performed the judging.
Winners are recognized in ICCFA Magazine and at the ICCFA Annual Convention & Expo. Winners also receive a press release for use in their local media.
2010 applications and profiles of past winners are available on the ICCFA Web site at http://www.iccfa.com/certifications-awards/kip/kip-awards.
2011 Music Licenses Now Available—Purchase Yours Online Now
The ICCFA is offering 2011 music licensing with ASCAP, BMI and SESAC for only $248 per property. With no additional fees or membership requirements, this is the LOWEST PRICE available in the industry!
Companies that currently hold their licenses through the ICCFA have been invoiced.
You may purchase your music license ONLINE NOW or by downloading the registration form.
The 2011 price represents no increase from the 2009 & 2010 rate and is a direct pass-through of the combined annual price increases from ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Licensing directly with the agencies this year would cost nearly $600 per location.
Music licensing is the law, and 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. If your company, regardless of size, hosts performances of copyrighted music—whether the music is performed live or played from recordings—music copyright owners say you are legally required to pay an annual licensing fee.
ICCFA to Honor Members Who Have Died in the Past Year
During the its Annual Convention, March 8-11, 2011, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, the ICCFA will hold its annual Memorial Service celebrating the lives of colleagues and loved ones who have passed away in the past year. A questionnaire seeking details about the decedent's personality, hobbies, passions and more is available to download from our Web site. Photos would be greatly appreciated and may be sent to Robert Treadway at robt@iccfa.com.
- TO BUY/SELL
- POSITIONS AVAILABLE
- Have More Fun and Make More Money (Michigan)
- Top Sales Director Needed (New York)
- Managing Partner and Sales Manager Opportunities (Florida)
- Sales Manager (Las Vegas, NV)
- Sales Position (New Bern, NC)
- Sales Manager (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA)
- Sales Manager (Orlando, FL)
- Cemetery/Funeral Home General Manager (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
- Funeral Director/Embalmer (Moses Lake, WA)
- Sales Manager (Hughson, CA)
- Cemetery Director (Long Island, NY)
- Licensed Funeral Director (Terre Haute, IN)
- Licensed Funeral Director (Ocala, FL)
- Funeral Home Location Manager (Falls Church, VA)
- Funeral Home Location Manager (Bellaire/Houston, TX)
- Licensed Funeral Director (Springfield, VA)
- Experienced Funeral Director (New Mexico)
- Senior Trainer Opportunity with Graystone Associates (U.S. and Canada)
- Regional Management Positions (IL, OH, LA, MS, WV, AR, MO, KY, TN, NJ, MD, DE, PA)
- Bilingual Funeral Director/Embalmer (Corpus Christi, TX)
- Bilingual Funeral Director/Embalmer (San Antonio, TX)
- Regional Sales Manager (North & South Carolina)
- Start Immediately, Cemetery Person to Manage (Georgia)
- Experienced Cemetery Sales Managers (Philadelphia/Delaware Co./Chester Co., PA)
- Experience Sales Professionals (National)
- Funeral Director (Terre Haute, IN)
- Funeral Director (Jacksonville, FL)
- Funeral Director (Houston, TX)
Place your classified advertisement with ICCFA today!
member benefits
Access to Abenity Employee Discount Program
Give your staff access to more than 100,000 discounts and more than $4,500 in savings per employee. Visit www.abenity.com/pricing. Corporate code: ICCFA.
ICCFA Supply Link Allows Easy Buyer's Guide Searching
The ICCFA Supply Link, an online buyer's guide members can use to easily search for products and services from the convenience of their computers, can be accessed directly from the ICCFA home page. The Supply Link offers a "Search" function whereby members can search according to product type or company name and can be limited to a state or to a certain radius distance from a specified city or ZIP code. Users also can narrow their search to include only ICCFA-member companies. Suppliers that are ICCFA members and exhibitors are identified as such in their listings.
Discounts at FuneralReview.com and Dignity University
The ICCFA has partnered with FuneralReview.Com to provide online continuing education at a discount for members. Founded in 2002, FuneralReview.Com is North America's largest provider of online continuing education courses designed specifically for funeral directors, embalmers and preneed counselors. ICCFA members are being provided a code for use in obtaining a discount on the site's funeral courses.
All funeral courses at FuneralReview.com are approved by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice. ICCFA members in good standing can log in using a special code to receive a discounted price on the funeral service courses. If you have not yet received your code or have misplaced it, call the ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700. For more information, visit www.funeralreview.com.
The ICCFA also offers low-cost online training on a variety of OSHA topics through a partnership with Dignity University. To access the 23 OSHA courses, visit http://online.ecampustraining.com/Dignityu/.
ICCFA News Page
The ICCFA 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 ICCFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why.
Music Licensing
The 2011 Music Licenses are available for just $248 per property, 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. Licensing directly with the agencies this year would cost nearly $600 per location, so this price—which requires no additional membership fee—is still the lowest available to the industry. Purchase your license online now at .
Tax-Related Questions
ICCFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICCFA has retained Leslie Schneider, CPA, a tax attorney with Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, DC, for telephone consultations for up to 20 minutes with no obligation. To take advantage of this member benefit, call Schneider at 202.393.7600.
ICCFA Insurance Program
Administered by Alliant Insurance Services, this program 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. For details, call 800.390.9099.
HR Law Benefit
Through an unprecedented new benefit program, ICCFA members can now access free legal consultations regarding labor relations, human resource management and employment law. Attorney Michael Pepperman of the Labor Relations and Employment Law department at Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP (ORM&H), is available to address questions on topics ranging from hiring and firing, to employee privacy and workplace violence, to wages and hours, to equal employment opportunity and wrongful discharge issues. Michael Pepperman, Esq., has spoken on labor and employment issues at several ICCFA conferences and regional industry meetings. To take advantage of this benefit, please call 215.665.3032.
ICCFA Introduces New Sales Training Programs
ICCFA introduces new sales training programs by sales trainer and professional speaker Gary O'Sullivan, CCE. O'Sullivan's two latest products include a 10 DVD Series—The Power to Sell Preneed, and a training support system called the GoSell System. Both products provide sales managers with tools and training strategies that will help them to strengthen and motivate their teams. For more details or to place an order, call the ICCFA at 800.645.7700.
ICCFA Internet Expo
The ICCFA 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 ICCFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today!
Fraud Prevention & Detection Consultation Service
ICCFA has retained the services of veteran fraud investigator Robert A. Garvey Jr., CPA, CFE, CrFA, CVA, to serve as a consultative resource for members' employee theft and fraud concerns. The new member benefit, the "Fraud Investigation and Deterrence Consultation Service" or FIDCS, will allow members to discuss by telephone any issues or concerns related to suspected fraudulent activity or a desire to put systems and controls in place at their locations to deter such activity. There is no cost to ICCFA members in good standing to utilize this benefit. The number to call is 866.649.1902.
Legal Advice on Cremation Concerns
Courtesy of the ICCFA Government and Legal Fund, ICCFA members now have access to pre-paid legal advice on cremation-related issues. Through this exclusive member benefit, the association has retained Poul H. Lemasters, Esq., of Lemasters Consulting in Cincinnati, Ohio. Poul is an attorney and licensed funeral director, and members in good standing may call him at 513.407.8114 to discuss cremation concerns for up to 20 minutes at no charge.
FTC 'Red Flag' Compliance Program
ICCFA now offers members a sample compliance program concerning new Federal Trade Commission rules to fight identity theft. To have the program template sent to you, please contact us at 800.645.7700 or rfells@iccfa.com.
GPL Compliance Check
Members whose businesses must follow the FTC Funeral Rule's General Price List (GPL) requirements can have their lists reviewed for compliance by attorney Poul H. Lemasters, Esq., without charge. Contact Lemasters at 513.407.8114.
CONTACT US
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association
107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100
Sterling, VA 20164
1.800.645.7700
703.391.8400
Fax: 703.391.8416
www.iccfa.com
Copyright 2010, International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association
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