Beyond the Event: Follow-Up Toolkit

What This Guide Is

Every cemetery event creates an opportunity to strengthen relationships, gather valuable feedback, and build momentum for future programs—but only if you have a plan for what comes next.

The Post-Event Toolkit is a practical, ready-to-use resource designed to help cemetery professionals maximize the impact of every event they host. Inside, you'll find 68 pages packed with customizable templates, worksheets, communication tools, and best practices for evaluating your events, following up with attendees and volunteers, measuring success, and turning one-time visitors into long-term supporters. Whether you're hosting a historic walking tour, educational lecture, Memorial Day ceremony, volunteer day, or community festival, this guide provides a repeatable process you can use again and again.

Who This Guide Is For

This guide was created for anyone responsible for planning or supporting cemetery programs, including:

• Active cemeteries
• Historic cemeteries
• Municipal cemeteries
• Nonprofit cemetery organizations
• Friends groups and foundations
• Historical societies
• Staff and volunteers leading public programs
• Anyone looking to strengthen community engagement through cemetery events

Whether you're hosting your first event or refining an established program, this toolkit will help you build a consistent and effective post-event process.

How to Use This Guide

The templates and worksheets in this guide are designed to be flexible. You may choose to use every section after each event or simply incorporate the tools that best fit your organization's needs.

As you build your programming efforts, you'll develop a repeatable system for gathering feedback, recognizing volunteers and sponsors, measuring success, communicating with your community, and continuously improving future events. The more consistently you use these resources, the more valuable they become over time.

Want More Support?

This toolkit is just one of the growing collection of resources available through A Grave Affair.

If you're looking to build or expand your cemetery's tourism and programming initiatives, A Grave Affair also offers consulting, speaking, workshops, and practical resources to help organizations create meaningful visitor experiences, strengthen community engagement, and tell the stories that make their cemeteries unique.

About A Grave Affair

A Grave Affair is a cemetery engagement and education initiative offering resources, mentorship, and consulting related to cemetery tourism, storytelling, and professional practice.