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Does your company have the resources to help organizations host a ghost tour fundraiser?

How to Organize a Ghost Tour Fundraiser

To maximize donations and scares, you’ll need to put some thought into your ghost tour planning. Ready to stir up some specters? Follow these steps to organize your ghost tour fundraiser:

1. Determine the tour location.

A ghost tour isn’t complete without ghosts…or at least the possibility of seeing some. Therefore, it’s essential to find places in your local community with mysterious histories and a chilling ambience. Some popular stops for your ghost tours could include:

  • A local cemetery at night
  • Lonely side streets
  • Old train stations
  • Historic theaters

To ensure that you’re covering all the hair-raising haunts in your area, consider reaching out to local historians or museums to identify locations with eerie stories to feature on your tours.

2. Recruit volunteers for your tour.

Once you have your tour stops figured out, you’ll need to assemble tour guides that have an eye for the paranormal and a knack for storytelling. Announce these volunteer opportunities to your organization’s current supporters and ghost enthusiasts in your local community to find those interested in leading your spooky tours. 

While it’s not necessary for them to have prior knowledge of the ghostly history you’re seeking to cover, they should be willing to learn and rehearse their stories ahead of the tour.

3. Promote your ghost tours.

In order to make your ghost tour fundraiser an engaging experience for participants and a profitable initiative for your organization, you’ll need to get the word out about these spine-tingling opportunities.

Send out email updates to your supporters and create eye-catching social media posts to promote your ghost tours. If you’re planning this fundraiser near Halloween, tying it to this popular theme can boost interest. Additionally, print flyers to post around the local area of your tours.

In all of these communications, be sure to provide information on how those who are interested can purchase tickets. This can be a link to a registration page on your website or a phone number to call. Once you have your tour groups scheduled, all that’s left is to send your supporters out to find some ghosts—all for a great cause!

Ghost Tour Fundraiser Tips for Success

Beyond taking your supporters around to some of your local community’s most chilling spots, there are ways to deepen their engagement and enjoyment during the tour. Take your ghost tour fundraising results to the haunting heights by considering these tips:

  • Do your research. The “scary” in a scary story depends, in part, on how believable it is. Therefore, it can be helpful to do some digging into the historical background of your tour locations to find some spooky tales.
  • Sell merchandise. Before and after your ghost tours, consider offering branded merchandise for tour participants to purchase to further support your cause, such as flashlights, glowsticks, hats, and t-shirts.
  • Encourage costumes. Especially if Halloween is around the corner, encouraging your supporters to wear costumes on your ghost tours will create more memorable, photo-worthy experiences for all.
  • Offer virtual tours. Consider offering virtual ghost tours for supporters outside of your local area. This will increase opportunities for your organization to raise funds and allow more people to attend.

This fall, harness the scary thrills of ghost tours to power your organization’s cause and reach paranormal levels with your fundraising.