NGL Matching Funds Propel Selected Educational Trust to $50,000 in Contributions

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — December 9, 2025 — Thanks in part to a generous donation match challenge issued by National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL), the Selected Educational Trust raised more than $40,000 in donations from Selected member firms, individuals, and supporting organizations between September 15 and October 31. With NGL’s commitment to match donations dollar for dollar up to $10,000, total contributions surpassed $50,000.

“The future of funeral service depends on engaged funeral home owners and staff, supportive vendors and organizations that offer robust resources for education and growth,” said Leigh Klemencic, Assistant Vice President – Marketing Communications. “The Selected Independent Funeral Homes Educational Trust is one such organization, and NGL is delighted to participate in this gift match. As a member of the Board of Trustees, I’ve had the honor of seeing firsthand the incredible work this organization does and know these funds will go to very good use.”

“We are sincerely grateful to NGL for championing this effort and to every donor who answered the call,” said Stefanie Favia, Executive Director of the Selected Educational Trust. “This match challenge inspired remarkable generosity across our community and directly strengthens the resources we can offer to independent funeral service professionals. By working together, we are advancing education, supporting career development, and investing in the future of our profession.”

With these funds, the Selected Educational Trust will continue its important work of empowering funeral service professionals to thrive in their careers and better serve their communities. This includes connecting independent funeral homes with the next generation of the profession and providing scholarships and progressive skill-building opportunities for funeral service professionals at all stages of their careers.

For more information about the Selected Educational Trust, visit www.selectedtrust.org or contact Stefanie Favia at stefanie@selectedtrust.org.

About the Selected Educational Trust

The mission of the Selected Educational Trust (www.selectedtrust.org) is to provide the best educational opportunities for the advancement and support of all who work within the independent funeral service profession. To fulfill this mission, the Trust provides programs which offer scholarships to mortuary science students and funeral service professionals, online education through its Institute for Exceptional Funeral Service powered by National Guardian Life Insurance Company (www.funeral-institute.org) and networking and employment opportunities through its Workforce Development Centers.

About NGL

Established in 1909 National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is an insurance company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products. Information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company.

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

Haggling, Negotiating, and Price Matching: Are These Strategies Right for Deathcare?

Last month, a deathcare company in Australia announced via press release the country’s “First Funeral Price Match Policy” so they can be sure families “Never Overpay Again!” The service, dubbed FuneralSmart, is offered by EziFunerals, an online platform that helps families “connect and collaborate” with independent funeral homes. In the release, FuneralSmart promises to “try and match” the lowest prices consumers may find so they get the “best deal.”

Here in the States, terms like “deal” and “price match” are common, if not expected, in conversations on car lots and grocery checkout lines. Although funeral pricing has been a point of contention since the 1963 publication of Jessica Mitford’s The American Way of Death called attention to the subject and the Funeral Trade Commission’s 1984 Funeral Rule sought to mitigate any issues, haggling for lower prices for deathcare products and services just hasn’t really caught on. But should it?

Jargon and culture

The majority of purchasers — of anything — want the best price they can possibly get … but that doesn’t mean they’re all comfortable asking for it, or that haggling is appropriate in every setting. Price negotiation is just part of the process of buying a car or house, and plenty of grocery or retail stores will keep copies of their competitors’ ads on hand at the checkout counters so shoppers can easily compare prices and ask the cashier to match a deal.

However, sales are rarely, if ever, the primary goal, nor the most polished skillset, of a funeral director. You’re not stuffing full-color ad inserts in the weekly shop-and-save paper or slapping neon “deep discount” promos on your caskets. And you’re certainly not pushing a contract across the table and telling a family, “Well, I talked to my manager and this is the lowest I can go,” expecting them to fire back a counteroffer. 

If deathcare has learned anything since 1984, it’s that price is important to consumers, even those making funeral arrangements. And of course, the latest FTC guidelines strongly advocate that prices be posted online to allow families to shop around, if they prefer, and they can always call for a quote. But comparing prices is still a different animal than price haggling or matching, and the at-need arrangement meeting or selection room still don’t seem like the right place for these negotiations.

Not unheard of

Even though it’s not common for families to ask for a better price, it’s not altogether unheard of. Several discussions on the Reddit and Quora platforms tackled the issue, with several current or former deathcare professionals weighing in alongside consumers. Here are some of the comments:

• “Most funeral homes will price match one of their caskets to match Wal-mart or Costco if you tell them you intend to take that route.”
• “Contrary to popular belief, most funeral directors are willing to give discounts to families that ask in an appropriate manner.”
• “I occasionally saw it happen; but those tended to be the clients who we wished we had let walk away instead. As a rule, they were the most demanding – and when you were done, the least satisfied – of all our clients.”

Some of the most helpful replies from funeral directors, though, reveal the ways they made funerals more affordable for families without making it obvious that they were price matching or participating in negotiations. They explained that, basically, they listened to the families, and if price was a concern, they would simply and subtly introduce or suggest similar, yet lower-priced, alternatives for consideration, whether that was a cheaper version of a product or a different package of services.

The bottom line

It will be interesting to see how well FuneralSmart’s price-matching service works in practice. The company makes no guarantees in the press release, clarifying that “If you get a lower price elsewhere, we’ll try and match it.” Plus, the offer is only good at participating EziFunerals partners. 

Perhaps something like FuneralSmart could catch on in America; maybe not. In the meantime, though, we like the advice this consumer, who stated that she had been involved in planning funerals on a budget, offered on Quora:

“So, in my opinion, a funeral home is not the place to haggle,” she wrote. “Just be honest about your budget and ask their advice.”

Wreaths Across America, the non-profit organization that works with volunteers and over 4,800 cemetery locations to place wreaths on our honored veterans graves has its matching donation program in place through today where your donation can be matched by corporate companies Jersey Mike’s Subs and Norfolk Southern.  For each $17 wreath donated, Jersey Mike’s will match the donation up to a maximum of $500,000 total and Norfolk Southern will match the donation up to a maximum of $100,000 total.  The matching program ends at the end of the day today (December 3, 2024).

What started out as an act of honor to place 5,000 wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery 30 years ago will find the organization this year placing over 3 million wreaths in honor of American military participants.

Jersey Mike’s Subs has donated over $4 million to the program over the past several years.  Here’s what Peter Cancro, founder and CEO of Jersey Mike’s says of their efforts in a news release, “Jersey Mike’s franchisees across the country support the year-long mission to Remember the fallen, Honor those who serve, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom.  I invite you to join this important Wreaths Across America initiative and make a difference.”

And, here’s what Ed Elkins, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer of Norfolk Southern said in this press release, “At Norfolk Southern, Veterans Day is about honoring those who have sacrificed so much, and it’s also about active support, partnership, and gratitude for their sacrifices. To us, that means continuous, year-round support through meaningful contributions and partnerships that make a difference.  For several years, Norfolk Southern has been deeply involved in supporting the mission of Wreaths Across America, and we’re proud to provide this additional assistance to champion their mission in 2024.” 

The placing of the wreaths in cemeteries will take place on Saturday, December 14.  To learn how you can find a cemetery near you and volunteer for that effort click here.

Arlington National Cemetery escort begins Saturday, December 7 — The escort from Columbia Falls, Maine, carrying wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery will travel through Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C., before arriving at Arlington National Cemetery on the morning of Saturday, December 14 – National Wreaths Across America Day.

The procession that will consist of at least 14 tractor-trailer loads of wreaths will be escorted by Chevrolet sponsored vehicles to transport participating Gold Star and Blue Star family members and veterans during the week-long trip. Here’s what Dan Adamcheck, Regional Director of Sales, Service, and Marketing for Chevrolet says about their efforts,  “Chevrolet and its dealers are humbled to continue to play a part in the important yearlong mission of Wreaths Across America. This annual tradition, now in its 10^th year for Chevrolet and its dealers in the Northeast Region, is something we all look forward to participating in each year.  To be able to give back to our communities and the men and women who have given so much to our country is truly an honor for Chevrolet and its employees.” 

Click here to learn more about the route and the events along the way from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery.

Click here to learn how you can donate to Wreaths Across America

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