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The UNESCO-convention has made intangible heritage a hot topic in cultural policy all over the world. Belgium was one of the first countries to ratify in 2003. The Netherlands only recently joined in. In the Convention a central role is given to communities to manage their own intangible heritage (although 'communities' is not defined in the text). In the Operational Directives governmental bodies are encouraged to promote and support these new community associations. But how can one give flesh and bone to community involvement in safeguarding intangible heritage? What are the dilemmas? Questions to be answered by the author who works at the Dutch Center for Intangible Heritage (Utrecht), which is responsible for implementing the Convention. The Dutch have opted for a proposal system, i.e. the communities themselves put forward an element for the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In the Netherlands All Souls has a vibrant tradition with several parties involved. Therefore the celebration of All Souls is an interesting item. It also proves that it is not always easy to find a group that feels responsible for safeguarding heritage. As Dutch society has become more and more secularized, trendy cemetery managers have hired ritual assistants and even artists to invent new rituals in order to replace the religious ones. Other cemetery managers sometimes function as custodians. Community associations can also make a proposal for the National Inventory. But it is worth mentioning that many stakeholders all too often have their own business and their personal interests in mind. Independent Dutch NGOs, responsible for implementing the UNESCO-convention on a national level, experts and researchers can also act as brokers. Politics and intangible heritage sometimes mix, e.g. the Day of the Dead in Mexico, which was one of the first examples put forward for the international list of Masterpieces of the Intangible Heritage. For the Mexican government the Day of the Dead perfectly fits in with its policy to strengthen national identity and to promote tourism as well.