BUILDING A GROUP
OF SUPPORTERS
CEMETERY SALES
The revenue generated from the sale of new
interment space remains a significant portion of
Mount Auburn’s annual earned revenue. Between
April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018, the Cemetery
generated $4.1 million in revenue from the sale of
new burial space, exceeding its annual goal by 17%.
Key to Mount Auburn’s success is its ability to offer
families a wide range of options—casket, cremation,
and natural burial graves—that allow for a variety of
memorialization options throughout our landscape.
Contributed support, raised by the Friends of Mount
Auburn, enables the Cemetery to undertake many
of the ambitious preservation and enhancement
projects not covered by the endowment in addition
to providing budget relief towards general operations.
This year, the Friends exceeded its Annual Fund goal
and added 16 new members to its highest giving
circle, the 1831 Society. Grants and individual
gifts received during the year have supported
the implementation of Mount Auburn’s Wildlife
Action Plan, enabled the preservation of significant
monuments and the completion of key landscape
enhancements, and provided funding for the
provision of an ambitious annual schedule of public
programs and events.
With a growing customer demand for both
cremation space and natural burial graves, Mount
Auburn has shifted its focus away from “traditional”
graves to those that meet the changing preferences
of customers. The interest in natural burials,
especially those that do not allow for a permanent
memorial, and the increase in cremation space sales
has opened new possibilities for the creation burial
space within the Cemetery’s historic core, which
can be developed in keeping with Mount Auburn’s
commitment to protect the historic integrity of the
landscape. Staff, trustees, and consulting designers
continue to work towards projects that fulfill our
goal of generating significant annual revenue from
the sale of new burial space while also making
appropriate enhancements that complement the
landscape’s historic character.
The Friends had a successful year of raising awareness
about Mount Auburn’s need for philanthropic
support with a series of strategic events for donors
and Cemetery advocates. The Council of Visitors
held its 6th annual meeting in October 2017, and
a new series of President’s Luncheons offered an
opportunity to learn more about the Cemetery’s
current projects from President Dave Barnett.
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