Thank you for your interest in being a volunteer for CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project!
There are many volunteer opportunities available:
Already a volunteer? See the volunteer help section
CEMETERY SLEUTHS
We are seeking volunteers to help locate additional information about Canadian cemeteries. Anyone, anywhere can volunteer as a cemetery sleuth, living in Canada is not a requirement!
Requirements:
- Ability to locate and share accurate information
How it works:
1. You pick a Canadian cemetery
2. Try to find out as much about it as possible*
3. Send in the info you find
There's no need to sign up for this position. Pick a cemetery and start sleuthing! As you locate information it can be submitted to the website through that cemetery's addition form (these forms can be found on each cemetery page on the top right side). Please use only the cemetery addition forms to submit information as this ensures we apply it to the correct cemetery.
* We are seeking the following information about each cemetery, any blanks that can be filled in are welcome!
- Official and local names of the cemetery
- When the cemetery was first used and officially established
- Location of cemetery (street address and/or GPS coordinates)
- Where transcripts, indexes, photos, etc. can be found for this cemetery both online and off
- Any other information about a cemetery that would be useful to genealogists
If you would like to provide information about burials please sign up as transcriber instead
LOOKUP VOLUNTEER
We are seeking volunteers willing to look up a headstone within a cemetery by request. As a lookup volunteer you may receive multiple requests a week or none at all. The number of requests is dependent upon how many visitors have an interest in the cemetery you've volunteered for. This volunteer position lasts as long as your name & e-mail are posted on this website (to have your lookup offer removed please use this form).
Requirements:
- Ability to transcribe or photograph a headstone on short notice in accordance with your terms*
- Ability to send & receive e-mail within a reasonable amount of time
How it works:
1. Locate the cemetery you wish to offer a lookup for and fill out the volunteer form (located on at the top right of the cemetery page)
2. On the volunteer form you will provide your name, e-mail address, and lookup terms*.
3. Once your volunteer form has been received your name & e-mail address will be posted on this website attached to the cemetery where you signed up.
4. Those interested in requesting a lookup will contact you directly stating who they are looking for.
5. You respond to the enquiry and provide the requested information if available.
* Lookup terms should indicate the limits of your lookup offer. For instance "lookups during summer months only"; "digital photos via e-mail only"; "transcription only, no photos", etc
To sign up, locate the cemetery you will provide lookups for. On the cemetery page is a volunteer form.
TRANSCRIBER
PHOTOGRAPHER
We can only accept photos taken by the submittor. If you did not take the photos yourself, please do not send them in.
The job of a photographer is to take* photos of a Canadian cemetery, then send them in to be posted on this website.
Requirements:
♦ Ability to visit* a Canadian cemetery
♦ A good camera (preferably digital but film is also welcome) and the ability to use it
♦ Ability to send photographs either via the internet or through snail mail
*We also welcome photos that have already been taken regardless of how long ago. If you have photos and want to share them on our website, skip to step #3.
How it works:
1. Pick a cemetery and sign up as a photographer (please wait for confirmation before starting to ensure another volunteer isn't already photographing this cemetery!)
2. Visit the cemetery and take photos of every headstone
3. Send us the photos
(Need more info? Please read our Photo FAQ)
If you are interested in indexing your own photos please see our page on indexing cemetery photos
Before heading out to a cemetery please read our FAQ regarding liability and permission
To sign up, locate the cemetery and fill out the volunteer form available on the cemetery page (top right of the page).
INDEXER
Do you...
Have a few hours to spare?
Like typing?
Have a knack for deciphering old headstones?
Requirements:
- Enough time to index 100 photos within a 7 day period
- Ability to type accurately
- Ability to unzip a zip file OR willingness to share a folder in dropbox
- Ability to use Excel, Open Office, Google Docs or similar spreadsheet software
How it works:
1. You sign up as a volunteer
2. We send you a batch of photos to index
3. You index the photos and send back just the index once complete (you can then delete the photos)
SIGN UP HERE
TRANSLATOR
We are seeking translators to transcribe headstones that are not in English.
Requirements:
- Fluency in both English & the language needing translation
- Ability to type accurately
To help:
1. Access the photos needing translation* -> First Names;
Surnames
2. Choose one to translate
3. Fill out the 'error' form below the photo
4. Repeat steps 1-3
Please note that it will take a few days for your translations to appear on the website.
* If no names appear translations are not needed at this time.
