ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP 3.1 Classifications. Membership shall consist of seven classifications, three of which are voting: Regular, Affiliate, and Foreign International; and four of which are non-voting: Auxiliary, Adjunct Supplier, Emeritus and Academic. There shall be a separate, non-voting classification for Members Not in Good Standing.
MEMBERS ASKED TO APPROVE BYLAWS CHANGES ON MARCH 29 OGR’s Board of Directors is asking members to consider several changes to the Association’s Bylaw. All Bylaws changes must be approved by the membership. A vote will be taken at the Annual Business Meeting on March 29, 2014 at 2:15 p.m. during the Annual Conference & Supplier Showcase (March 27-29) at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, S.C. (visit www.ogr.org/2014-annual-conference for details). All Gold Level members in good standing may vote. A Q&A session will precede the balloting. All votes must be cast in person (per OGR Bylaws Article V Section 5.5). The following section presents recommended additions (text in red) and deletions (indicated with a strikethrough). Purpose of changes: 1) To clarify membership categories and definitions; and, 2) To define membership eligibility as being for independently owned funeral homes. Article III, Section 3.1 Rationale: The following changes will update two membership category titles (“Foreign” to “International” and “Adjunct” to “Supplier”), define the purpose of each membership category, and move eligibility criteria to Section 3.2.
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3.1.1 Regular Membership: the single funeral home location designated by management as their primary business location. Within the classification of Regular Membership shall be two sub-classes, Exclusive and Non-Exclusive as defined by the board from time to time. 3.1.2 Affiliate Membership: additional funeral home locations with the same ownership as the main location. Any affiliate firm must be owned and managed by a “main” member firm and must be located within a 100-mile radius of the “main” member firm location. 3.1.3 Foreign International Membership: funeral establishments located outside the United States and Canada meeting such standards as the Board of Directors may publish from time to time. 3.1.4 Auxiliary Membership: individuals formerly affiliated with OGR member firms who are no longer participating in the funeral profession. any retired principal of an OGR member firm who has sold or otherwise disposed of his/her interest in that member firm; or the spouse of a deceased principal of an OGR member firm; or any person who is a retired employee of a current or former OGR member firm, provided that such persons are no longer actively participating in the funeral profession. 3.1.5 Adjunct Supplier Membership: any person or firm engaged in selling products or services to OGR members. 3.1.6 Emeritus Membership: may be extended to any person who has made an extraordinary contribution to the advancement of the purposes of OGR in the opinion of and by unanimous vote of the Board.