Message from the President & CEO and the Chair of the Board of Trustees
We are pleased to present the Friends of Mount Auburn ’ s Annual Report , containing highlights of our accomplishments and a summary of our financial results for FY2021 .
This past year brought challenges unlike any we were expecting . In the face of a worldwide pandemic , we were forced to make many difficult decisions . We closed the Cemetery ’ s gates to regular visitors for two months . We closed our Visitors Center , Chapels , Greenhouse , and Administrative Offices to the general public . We cancelled in-person public programs and shifted to virtual formats . All of these decisions were made in order to protect our essential staff and prioritize the critical role of assisting families in burial and cremation services .
One year later , Mount Auburn Cemetery still has not entirely returned to normal , but we are proud of the adaptability of both our staff and our passionate community of visitors .
Despite the anomalies of the past year , we accomplished important goals across all departments of the Cemetery that reflect Mount Auburn ’ s long-term vision of excellence . While impossible to highlight everything that has been accomplished in the past year in this report , the highlights on the following pages represent the wide range of new and ongoing endeavors that improve the way the Cemetery serves families , visitors , wildlife , and history .
As indicated in the Financial Statements ( page 8 ), Mount Auburn is in strong financial condition and positioned well to carry out our exciting vision . Fundraising through the Friends of Mount Auburn has continued to grow and supports our wide range of visitor service , education , horticulture , preservation , and historical collections projects . We believe our balanced approach of endowment , earned income , and philanthropy is a model for financial sustainability for the Cemetery as a whole , and support for the Friends continues to play an increasingly important role in that strategy . The ongoing generosity of our members and donors has been critical in enabling not only the projects outlined in this Annual Report , but also the operations of departments Cemetery-wide .
Thank you to our Trustees , staff , volunteers , Council of Visitors members , visitors , and supporters who have enabled Mount Auburn to not only survive but thrive during a period of unexpected adversity . You make us exceptionally proud .
We respectfully submit this report and encourage you to visit the Cemetery frequently .
DAVID P . BARNETT President & CEO
PATRICIA B . JACOBY Chair , Mount Auburn Cemetery Board of Trustees page 4