by Jean C. Fisher

Created on: June 03, 2009

"Cemetery Walks": Potential Goldmines for YOUR Non-Profit!

Savvy historical societies, cemetery associations, museums, libraries, schools and other non-profit organizations have discovered that "Cemetery Walks" are not only terrific vehicles for educating their communities about local history but also extremely effective fundraisers - most playing to sell-out crowds year after year!

An Overview:

A cemetery "Walk", "Moonlight Tour", "Lantern Tour" or "Flashlight Tour" can be as involved or as simple as your organization's ability to support it. In addition to a tour of your locally historically-significant cemetery, it can include short, dramatic vignettes based upon events in the lives of the cemetery's "residents" performed at the sites of their resting places. It can also include some type of food venue before the tour, after the tour or both.

Why are Cemetery Walks so popular?

1) Entertainment: Actors portraying events in the lives of local historical personalities showcase talents of local actors and writers. Also, don't underestimate audiences' fascination with "spooky, after-dark" activities!

2) Education: Information about the people who shaped local history isn't just for history buffs anymore! Newcomers to the area also enjoy hearing about what it was like before they arrived.

3) Food: Cemetery walks can offer their audiences everything from formal sit-down dinners to wine and cheese buffets to coffee and dessert - often featuring locally-grown produce or traditional, local dishes.

4) Socializing: A cemetery walk brings people - volunteers and audience members - together to share common interests.

5) Contributions: Cemetery walks give everyone in the community an opportunity to donate their time, money, labor or goods to benefit local, non-profit, preservation, educational and other-oriented organizations.

So, you say your organization has decided to put on a cemetery walk fundraiser? Great! Here are a few tips on organizing one of these fun and educational events:

Delegation:

In organizing an activity such as this, the most efficient use of the talents and labors of your volunteers demands that you break the event down into digestible chunks. Consider forming committees early on that can operate more or less autonomously (at least at first):

1) Historical Research and Writing (vignette scripts) Team

2) Stage Management (actors, directors, props, costuming/make-up, lighting, etc.) Team

3) Public Relations and Advertising (posters, programs,

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