Page 1 of 12

April 2015 Newsletter

Independent Funeral Directors of Georgia P.O. Box 1248, Dallas, GA 30132 www.IFDG.org

Phone: 770-445-3180 Email: info@ifdg.org Fax: 770-445-3893

IFDG Members:

It is getting to that time of year where we start promoting our 2015 Summer Conference.

I am pleased to announce that it will be held September 20-22, 2015 at the Hyatt

Regency Savannah. The IFDG Board of Directors has put a great amount of work into

making this year the best year because IFDG is celebrating 20 YEARS!

As your 2015 President I would like to personally give a huge Thank You to ALL of IFDG’s

Past President’s for the past 20 years. Each of you has created a special heritage that

will forever be dedicated to the Independent Funeral Directors Association. I would love

to know the countless hours that that been added up over the past 20 years that each

of you have contributed towards this Association. I thank each of you personally for

allowing me to join this elite group of Past Presidents after this year. I have enjoyed my

time with IFDG and have accumulated a great number of friends because of this

organization. I would like to encourage each Past President who helped build IFDG to

come to Savannah and help us celebrate this wonderful 20th Anniversary. It is sure to

be a monumental time for our organization.

I would also like to encourage our members to come and be a part of our Summer

Conference. We will have many great speakers, CE Hours to obtain, a Golf Tournament,

and our 20th Year Celebration Banquet filled with fun and excitement with a 50/50

money raffle, Presidents Award, Door Prizes, and many other surprises.

The board would like to thank each of you for your membership and loyalty. I also ask

that you communicate with other funeral homes about IFDG. Encourage them to join

our organization. By doing this, you will truly experience the networking with the funeral

directors that IFDG has to offer. I guarantee that you will learn something, make friends

for a lifetime, and have fun while doing it. We also encourage you to check our website

www.ifdg.org often, or our Facebook page for important updates. Thank you for

allowing me to serve as your President. If I can help you in any way please, give me a

call at (478)272-5855 or email me at nathan@stanleyfuneralhome.com.

Richard Nathan Stanley, IV

IFDG President

Page 2 of 12

IFDG’S Cooperative Buying Program Participants

Curtron Removal Services Kinsey Supply Company Service Casket Company

Cooperative Buying is the opportunity to take advantage of negotiated discounts

with funeral supply vendors who will sell to IFDG Members at a discounted price.

The price is based on our combined volume. More specific information can be found on here.

We encourage you to contact your local representatives today!

Page 3 of 12

IFDG’s Website Can Help You! Visit www.IFDG.org today!

Classifieds

Do you have funeral service items for sale/donation? Are you looking for items for your funeral

home? Do you have a job opening? Are you looking for a job in the industry? If you answered

yes to any of those questions, visit our Classifieds.

Advertising

Everyone is looking for ways to stretch their advertising $$$ and IFDG can help you do just

that! We now offer three ways you can advertise with us: Event Programs, Monthly

Newsletters and on our website, www.IFDG.org. Contact the IFDG office today for more

details & to claim your ad space!

Announcements from IFDG

IFDG now accepts credit cards!

In an effort to make it more convenient for our

Members, Attendees and Vendors to pay for

dues, meeting fees, exhibit space and

advertising IFDG accepts: Visa, MasterCard,

American Express, Discover, or JCB logo. The

following card types are accepted: Credit,

Corporate, Debit, Prepaid and Rewards.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2015 ONE

DAY TRAINING SPONSORS

Page 4 of 12

News from the Georgia Department of Public Health

Georgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records

GAVERS Death Record - GAVERS Best Practices

As we begin to secure GAVERS participation from many Medical Certifier's, please follow the

following practices on all death records you initiate in GAVERS:

Best Practice 1: Please contact the Medical Certifier (doctor, coroner, etc...) to determine if

the certifier is participating electronically in the GAVERS system. If the certifier is participating

electronically, do not drop the record to paper.

If the medical certifier is not participating electronically, you may drop the record to paper

and fax, mail or e-mail the record to the certifier. Please notify your Vital Records Regional

Consultant and the certifier will be contact to participate electronically in GAVERS.

When the certifier is participating in GAVERS electronically, select 'Designate Medical

Certifier' in the 'Registration' menu. Select a Medical Certifier to complete the Certification

electronically. The Medical Certifier (or a representative for the Medical Certifier) receives a

notice to Accept or Reject the record. The Funeral Home will receive an E-mail from the

Medical Certifier indicating the medical certification assignment is accepted. The medical

certifier then completes the certification process. At this point, you can verify the

demographic information ('Registration' ->'Demographic Verification').

Example: Chatham County Coroner is participating electronically in the GAVERS system.

When you designate your record to the Chatham County Coroner, do not drop the record

to paper. This will prevent the coroner from completing the certification electronically.

Best Practice 2: Death records which will be processed by a coroner need to be created as

'Unidentified' when selecting the '*Record Type'. Again, please use the 'Unidentified' option

when you start a new record if a coroner is the certifier.

The Office of Vital Records has a “Entering a Death Record Easy Reference Guide” for

Funeral Homes. If you have any questions or wish to obtain the Reference Guide, please

contact:

Michael J. Coombs, Regional Consultant Georgia Department of Public

Health State Office of Vital Records

2600 Skyland Drive, Atlanta, GA 30319 171 Emery Highway, Macon, GA 31217

(Office) 404.679.4775 (Facsimile) 678.222.4432

Page 5 of 12

An Important Reminder from the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office

Deadline for Filing Funeral Establishment & Crematory License Renewals is June 30, 2015.

You may renew your license(s) online with the Secretary of State Office by following this link.

A few items to remember when renewing your license:

Funeral home and crematory have numbers unique to their license.

All establishment licenses should be renewed by this date.

Once you are on the SOS licensing page, choose the business or facility license

account link to begin the renewal process.

Follow the instructions carefully to be sure your renewal is not delayed.

Page 6 of 12

Announcements from IFDG

IFDG now accepts credit cards! In an effort to make it more convenient for our Members,

Attendees and Vendors to pay for dues, meeting fees, exhibit space and advertising IFDG

accepts: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or JCB logo. The following card

types are accepted: Credit, Corporate, Debit, Prepaid and Rewards.

Reminders from IFDG Office

Help IFDG, Help You! IFDG’s membership is statewide and without your assistance, we may

not be aware of what your individual needs are from day to day. So if you have a question,

an issue, or just want to let us know about something happening in your business or area,

contact the association office or an IFDG Board Member. We will do our best to help or direct

you to who can. We just need you to let us know!

Do you want to stay informed on the latest news? Take advantage of these valuable tools

that can be accessed from your funeral home or on the go! www.IFDG.org IFDG’s Facebook

page.

Email, Fax or only USPS … You tell us! IFDG uses email to keep our members updated quickly.

If you prefer fax or USPS mailing for briefings, newsletters and other important announcements,

contact the IFDG office to update your contact preference.

Do you have suggestions or concerns? IFDG Board Members and staff greatly appreciates

feedback! We are always willing to listen and take your thoughts into consideration.

Communication is key!

Do you have an item for the IFDG Newsletters? We encourage and welcome submissions for

future issues from our Funeral Directors, Funeral Homes and Vendors.

Do you have an announcement about your funeral home, company, or staff you would like

to share? Maybe the history or anniversary of your funeral home or company? Maybe you

have a “Best Practices” tip for your fellow funeral service industry peers or a helpful idea for

difficult or unusual situations that occur with families.

With Spring in full swing and Summer just around the corner, share your best grilling tips or

favorite recipe for those outdoor gatherings. Do you golf or fish? Share the tips of the ‘pros’

with your fellow sports enthusiast.

Send them in and we will gladly include them in future issues. All submissions should include

copyright details and be submitted via email to info@ifdg.org by the 10th of each month.

Please note, all submissions are subject to approval.

Page 7 of 12

Upcoming 2015 IFDG Events

Annual Conference – September 20-22, 2015 – Hyatt Regency Savannah

Join IFDG in celebrating 20 Years of IFDG!!!

Continuing Education Hours Exhibitor Booths Sponsorship Opportunities

Golf Tournament Reception to Honor IFDG Past Presidents Banquet

Room reservations can be made online through IFDG's Hyatt Regency Savannah online

reservations page or by calling 888-421-1442 (remember to ask for the IFDG room rate).

Your IFDG Board of Directors are planning a great event filled with knowledgeable and

entertaining speakers presenting timely and exhibits! There will be new ways to spend times with

our Exhibitors, to network and surprises each day! Our full agenda will be available online soon!

We have made the registration process easy with two types of invitations.

Vendors Invitation Attendee Invitation

Simply choose the one that applies to you, complete the forms and return them to the office.

We also now accept credit cards, so payment is easy!

Don’t hesitate! Register today!

Page 8 of 12

2015 IFDG Annual Conference – September 20-22, 2015 – Hyatt Regency Savannah

THANK YOU TO OUR EXHIBITORS (To date)

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS (To date)

Title Conference Sponsor

Conference Speaker Sponsors

Conference Tote & Folder Sponsor

Hospitality Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Page 9 of 12

Page 10 of 12

Page 11 of 12

IFDG NEWSLETTER & WEBSITE ADVERTISING

All ad pricing is for 3 months (per quarter)

1/8 Page

(2" x 3.5")

Member

Non-Member

$65.00

$90.00

1/4 Page

(3.5" x 5")

Member

Non-Member

$ 80.00

$110.00

1/2 Page

(7" x 5")

Member

Non-Member

$110.00

$175.00

Full Page

(7" x 10")

Member

Non-Member

$150.00

$225.00

Newsletters will be published monthly.

Website advertising will be posted on IFDG’s website, www.IFDG.org

(Ads may be changed monthly but must be submitted by the 10th of each month)

Quarters Desired for Ad _____ Size of Ad ______ = $ _________

Company: _______________________________________________________________

Contact Person: __________________________________________________________

Mailing Address: _________________________________________________________

City State Zip: ___________________________________________________________

Phone: _____________________________ Fax: ________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________________________

Please include a copy of your ad when you return this form with your payment.

All artwork should be send by electronic media in PC format (.jpg or Adobe is preferred).

**All advertisements subject to approval and space availability** ** We reserve the right to modify submissions if necessary**

Send this completed form to:

IFDG

P.O. Box 1248

Dallas, GA 30132

Email info@ifdg.org or Fax 770-445-3893

IFDG now accepts credit cards!

Feel free to contact the IFDG office at 770-445-3180 or info@ifdg.org with any questions.

Page 12 of 12

IFDG 2014-2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT DIRECTOR - AREA I Richard Nathan Stanley, IV Sid Ginn

Stanley Funeral Home and Crematory Ginn Funeral Home, Inc.

1320 North Jefferson Street 90 Church Street

Dublin, GA 31021 Carnesville, GA 30521

478-272-5855 706-384-3333

1st VICE PRESIDENT DIRECTOR - AREA II Rob Roberson Kevin Beggs

Shepard Funeral Home Beggs Funeral Home

600 E Oak Street 200 May Avenue

Folkston, GA 31537 Lincolnton, GA 30817

912-496-7388 706-359-4117

2nd VICE PRESIDENT DIRECTOR - AREA III Jerry Taylor Robert W. Dean

Taylor Funeral Home Castellaw Funeral Home

401 West 8th Street 866 Church Street

Louisville, GA 30434 Smyrna, GA 30080

478-625-7761 770-435-9038

SECRETARY DIRECTOR - AREA IV Jerry Taylor Ray Howard

Taylor Funeral Home Howard Funeral Home, LLC

401 West 8th Street 57 Oak Street, NW

Louisville, GA 30434 Ludowici, GA 31316

478-625-7761 912-545-2061

TREASURER DIRECTOR - AREA V Mike Vestal Amanda Lucas

Townsend Brothers Funeral Home, Inc. Crest Lawn Funeral Home

215 West Jackson Street 3275 Pio Nono Avenue

Dublin, GA 31021 Macon, GA 31206

478-272-3311 478-788-1234

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT DIRECTOR - AREA VI Mark Anderson Jason Holt

Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home The Paulk Funeral Home

502 Miller Street Ext 301 S. Main Street

Statesboro, GA 30458 Fitzgerald, GA 31750

912-764-7725 229-423-2033

DIRECTOR - AREA VII

Kevin Roper

Roper Funeral Home and Crematory

206 Holly Street

Jasper, GA 30143

706-253-7500