Make goodie bags

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Stuff a goodie bag with all the important things everyone who comes to the reunion might need, name tags, phone numbers, maps, brochures for local businesses, coupons for local attractions, agenda, etc.

Create a website

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Make a website with all the reunion information as well as facts and photos about each member of the family. It’s a great way to share information and fun to look at.

Create committees to handle different tasks

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Based on the size of the reunion, you will need committees to organize the reunion. A committee for food, travel arrangements, games, and more.

Water Bottles

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Consider providing water bottles for every family member at your reunion. You can even have them printed with your family name or crest. Use a permanent marker to write each person's name on their own bottle and encourage family members to conserve paper cups and disposable plastic water bottles by refilling their personal bottle as needed. They'll help protect the environment and go home with a neat souvenir.

Reunion Souvenirs

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You'll want to remember the fun of your reunion through some sort of special family souvenir. Some nifty items that can be personalized include t-shirts, bandanas, water bottles, photo albums, picture frames, baseball caps, sweat shirts, and koozies. Just make sure you choose an item that can be enjoyed by both males and females.

Family Photo

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You might want to have a photo made of the entire clan. You'll need to secure someone outside the family to take the picture. You can all pile in cars and go to a professional studio or you can hire a professional or novice to come to your location to take the shot. Consider wearing coordinating outfits for the photo, not necessarily matching ones. For instance, everyone could wear khaki pants, shorts, or skirts, and the women could wear light blue polo shirts while the men wear dark blue ones. Or each family within your large family could wear a different colored shirt.

Be prepared for emergencies

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First of all, of course, a First-Aid Kit will be essential. Especially if your reunion is on a weekend, it is important that one person be responsible for getting all the information ahead of time so you can get help immediately if the need arises. Prepare a list of emergency contacts for the area, such as 24-hour pharmacies (for people who lost their medication) and urgent care clinics. For a more serious emergency, of course, you'll need to call 911 for an ambulance. Don't even think about driving someone to a hospital if they are bleeding profusely or unconscious, since you could get stuck in traffic, and if you're in a location you're not familiar with, you could get lost.

Avoid Overcrowding the Schedule

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Remember that there are three types of people who come to a reunion: people who want to renew family ties, those who are new to the family and are maybe a little shy but interested in getting to know the family, and children. It's only the kids who are going to be bored if you don't schedule activities for them -- the adults, on the other hand, want and need to do a lot of talking since that's the best way to get to know each other, so make sure you plan for time in the schedule and enough comfortable space to just hang out.

Create a welcome sign

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Make a large welcome sign on white paper that welcomes everyone and then have each family member dip their hand in paint and place a handprint on the sign so it has everyone's hands over the happy welcome.

Who’s In Charge?

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When planning an event as large as a family reunion, someone has to be in charge. Because you’re dealing with your family, choosing someone to be in command or allowing someone to wield that much power may be tricky. Still your reunion will go much more smoothly if an individual or couple is selected to steer the planning. You could allow a different household to play host and hostess for the reunion each year or you could let the matriarch and patriarch of the family carry the responsibility. But rotating the responsibility among different households allows everyone to experience both the privilege and the burden. Encourage other family members to respect the decisions of the designated leaders and to pitch in to make it a great family affair.

Capture the Moment

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Have a plan for taking pictures of your family gathering or you'll say your goodbyes and either have too many pictures or too few. Designate one to three people to take pictures of the event, encouraging them to get both impromptu and posed shots of everyone there. At the end of your reunion have the designated photographers get together and compare their photos (if they have digital cameras) and cull through them, weeding out duplicates. Or they can have all pictures developed at a nearby one-hour developer and sort through those. Individuals and families can then look through the pictures and decide which ones they want copies of. Make copies at the local developer or have digital copies sent to everyone via e-mail.

Establish a clean-up crew

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Make sure there are people who will volunteer to do the cleaning up of the party. That's a big job and a lot of work but it's a necessary evil.

Themes

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If you have frequent family reunions and they're beginning to seem a little stale, it might be time to have a theme party. A theme re-energizes your gathering and gives participants a renewed vision for your time together. Consider having a Mexican fiesta, a Hawaiian Luau, a Western barbecue, or a carnival theme, complete with hot dogs and cotton candy. Plan your meals, attire, activities, and decorations around the theme. Don't worry about being to corny. Even those who complain about having to dress up in riduculous costumes generally really enjoy themselves once they get there.

Budgeting Basics

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You may choose to finance your family reunion in a variety of ways. Depending on the type and length of reunion your family is having, you could establish an overall budget and ask each family to contribute a set amount, allow each family to finance a different aspect of the reunion, or have each family finance only their portion (their own tickets to the amusement park and meals, for instance). However you choose to finance the event, it is best to at least give each family a good estimate of their expenses. No one enjoys being surprised by the tab as they're leaving! Give families and individuals as much advance notice as possible about what and how they will be expected to contribute to the reunion financially.

How to pay for it all

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Individual families can pay for their own overnight accommodations but unless it's a potluck and you have no decorations, rental fees or other costs you will need to have each member pay an overhead fee. Charge a registration fee for each family (by number of people or per family) to cover all these other expenses.

Create an email list

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Assign one person the task of putting together an email list for all those who have emails so that updates, questions and other items can be sent out quickly and inexpensively.

Make family reunion t-shirts

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Have t-shirts printed in all sizes that say the name of your family as well as "family reunion" and the year. Give these out or sell them to the rest of the family.

A Venue with Value

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When choosing a location for your reunion, consider the ages, interests, and limitations of your family members. Is there a playground for the little tots? Is there a wheelchair ramp? Are there tables for games and crafts? Is there a pool for the teens? When you send out invitations or announcements about the upcoming reunion, mention the features of your venue that would be of value to different family members and you are more likely to get participation from across the board.

Keep a calendar to track dates

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Keep a year long calendar with all the dates things need to be completed to help you track the progress and keep things going as they should.

Prepare special Kid bag

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Not everybody at a reunion already knows each other. That's part of the idea, isn't it --- an opportunity to find and get to know people maybe you didn't even know existed. But if the adults feel a little shy, how about the kids? So, upon arrival, when the adult receives the Welcome Packet of info -- agenda, etc., the child should be handed a bag filled with goodies, small inexpensive toys, books, whatever. In this way you're telling her, "Hey, you're part of this too."

Be sure about the basics

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The basics are things that might be overlooked in the enthusiasm of planning all the fun things. To understand what the basics are, think of your event as though you were a city official assigned the job of crowd management of a public event.. Are there going to be enough restrooms available, will they be in working order, will there be access to water, if there is any incident, such as parents getting panicky because their teen has disappeared, how would you contact the local authorities and who will be responsible for doing so, etc.

Have a guest book for sign-in

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Set out a guest book for everyone to sign in on. Have them list their names, address, phone number and email so you can keep the files and their information up to date for future news and contact.

Save the Date

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The further you can plan your reunion in advance, the more likely you are to have good attendance. Because families often plan even their summer vacations and holidays at least a year in advance, it is a good idea to begin talking about a family reunion at least two years before the target date. Pitch out the idea for a future reunion when many of your family members are already together for a wedding, graduation, or holiday. Give everyone three or four specific dates or seasons to consider. Ask for theme or venue ideas. Then, after everyone has had a chance to check family and work calendars, send out “save the date” invitations to everyone involved. You’ll never get 100% attendance at a family reunion, but the sooner planning begins, the closer you’ll get to your goal.

Before You Depart

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Before everyone goes their separate ways, make sure you have a pow wow about the next reunion. Poll everyone through private questionnaires or open discussion about how soon the next reunion should be, how long it should last, where it might take place, and what activities to include. Try to get a few people to commit to beginning the planning process.

Build a family tree

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Put together a complete family tree and design it in a computer program so it can be print out. Make a copy for each family member and laminate it so they can use it as their personal cheat sheet.

Leave free time

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Don't over plan activities and things. Make sure you leave some free time for people to do their own things.

Ask for group rates

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Everyone you book a service with ask if there are group rates or discounts available.

Create a program

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Have a program printed with everyone's names, the family tree and a schedule of activities. Also include everyone's phone numbers if they are alright with it so people can stay in contact.

Give a welcome address

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Once most everyone has arrived schedule a meeting place and give a welcome address where you thank everyone for making the trip out and hope they have a wonderful time.

Special Food Problems - advance notice

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There are so many dietary restrictions nowadays, such as food allergies, vegetarians, diabetics, etc. You may not have the means to satisfy everyone's needs, but as you plan your menu, it will be helpful if you're aware of the dietary needs of some of the family members -- then, at least if you have a list, you can decide whether to try to supply a variety foods that can accommodate every taste, or if your budget can't handle that, you can let people know in advance and they can decide if they want to bring their own special items or do without. No unpleasant surprises that way. HOW TO FIND OUT:: Work with the committee or person handling invitations/advance registration. Send out notices together with invitations asking that any special dietary info. Be sent in well in advance.

Always have an extra seat

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Plan for more. Lots of people RSVP last minute or end up bringing extra people like teenagers who have a friend tag along so plan for a few more.

Fun Funding

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In order to fund the fun of your reunion you can have mementos such as tote bags, t-shirts, hats, etc. that can be sold at the event above cost. Consider what items might sell best among your family members.

Hire a photographer/videographer

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Hire a photographer and/or videographer to document the experience so you don't have to. Find a college or high school student and they'll be likely to do it for cheap in exchange for the fun experience.

Announcement in the paper

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Put an announcement of your family reunion in the local paper of wherever your reunion is taking place. You can clip it out and save it as a memento as well as have it serve as a reminder for anyone local.

Carpooling

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If you asked reunion planners the question "What's the key to getting a good turnout at a reunion?" a few years ago, it's doubtful that "carpooling" would have come to mind. But that was then. Now, with gas prices remaining in the stratosphere, it's not a stretch to suggest that a well-organized carpooling effort may make the difference between a good turnout and a disappointing, small scattering of members who happen to live close by.

Name tags

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Provide name tags for everyone to write their names in order to make meeting and greeting people easier. For added fun have them also write their home location below their name for example; Stockton, CA.

Registration fees

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Send out the registration fee to everyone and give them a few options how they can pay that; cash, check, PayPal. Plus make sure to give them a couple weeks to get the money to the person handling the finances.

Take a first aid kit

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Pack a first aid kit because you never know what will happen and who will end up scratched or bruised and so on.

Keep a journal

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Write down all your experiences and everything that happens. You'll enjoy looking back on it later or at future reunions.

Updating Information

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Use this opportunity to gather up-to-date information on your family members. Have a designated table or notebook for gathering information such as birthdays, addresses, phone numbers, anticipated graduation dates, anniversaries, places of employment, e-mail addresses, and special skills (so you can put them to work next time!).

Set up a reunion checking account

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Create an account to handle all the financials for the reunion so that it doesn't mix with your personal finances.

Planning Newsletter

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A monthly newsletter that goes out to all family members via e-mail or regular mail for the year preceeding the reunion will help keep everyone informed about what to bring, costs, activities, and special needs. Enlist someone who is willing to gather pertinent information each month from those who are planning different aspects of your reunion. Use the newsletter to enlist family members to sign up to bring specific dishes, favorite hobby supplies, games, and family records. Everyone will be more excited about the big day if they're kept in the loop during the planning stages.

Prepare large Family History chart on poster board

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Prepare line diagram of family tree, on letter-size paper.. Fill in what you know, leaving the rest blank. Get it enlarged to giant size, put it on an easel at the reunion. Have people write in whichever missing names they can.

Have a cooking sign-up sheet

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If the reunion is taking place over several days have a sign-up sheet for meals that need to be prepared. Ask each family to sign up for cooking at least one meal.

Provide equipment for scanning and copying

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Bring along, or rent, computer, scanner and copier, and put in "gathering room" or wherever else attendees go to share photos, etc. The copier, of course, is essential for providing info on the inevitable last-minute changes to the program that was handed out when everybody arrived. .

Specify what kind of photos to bring

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You might think it obvious what kind of photos a person would dig up to bring to a reunion -- but you'd be wrong. We got this true story from one reunion organizer: "I suggested people bring photos; this was especially important because this reunion was bringing together two branches of our family that hadn't been in contact for 40 years. I dug up some pictures of me with the cousins from the other side taken when we were 5 or 6..When I saw that one of those cousins, who was now a grandfather, had brought along an 8x10 photo portrait of himself, I thought that was kind of silly, because the point is to see the person with other family members. But his 8x10 turned out to be the Big Surprise of the reunion, because at one point one of the boys, a kid of about 7, happened to be standing near the photo, a kid from the other branch of the family, and suddenly we all noticed that he was a dead ringer for the boy in the picture!. A discovery we probably wouldn't have made if all we had were those old snapshots-- kids in a group whose faces are relatively small and indistinct.

Whatever Floats Their Boats

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If your reunion is going to last anywhere from a full day to a week, the more activities you plan the better. Encourage all family members to contribute something to the fun by bringing whatever supplies are needed for their favorite games, hobbies, sports, or crafts. Cousin Jay might bring a dozen yo-yos and teach all of his cousins to "walk the dog." Aunt Stephanie could bring extra knitting needles and yarn to teach her teenage nieces to knit. Give everyone the freedom to contribute whatever floats their boats!

Assign one person to RSVPs

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Give one person the task of collecting all the RSVPs and then tracking down those who haven't yet responded.

Name Hangers - not Badges - Are Best

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It is important that attendees wear their names throughout the reunion bur name badges, whether the "Hello, My name is" that is only a one-time use, or the metal kind you get printed up, or the plastic envelope kind that you slip a card into -- are not advisable because they are expensive and/or they have to be pinned on -- which is a bother. A better choice is to make hanging badges ahead of the event. You buy individual wallet-size transparent plastic holders, you print names on a sheet (on your own computer) and then cut to size and slip into the holder. Affix a length of elastic cord to the name holder that is long enough to go around the neck.. Very easy to take on and of when changing clothes. Be sure to bring extras, plus paper and scissors so you can easily whip up name hangers for unexpected guests.

Park Party

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A city, state, or national park can be an excellent choice for a family reunion. While they are usually equipped with picnic tables, public restrooms, and playgrounds, you'll probably want to bring extra chairs, blankets, grills, coolers, and recreational equipment. Also make sure you have a first aid kit, insect repellant, sunscreen, hand sanitizing gel, wet wipes, paper towels, and trash bags.

Choosing a theme

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Think about the location and see if one theme would work best, for instance if the location is on the beach you can go for a tropical getaway theme. Or if it's an important member's 50th wedding anniversary, 70th birthday and so on you can focus on that and create an off-shoot theme.

Say Hello

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If your family reunion is going to be a large one with distant relatives who haven’t seen each other in a while, you may need to plan for introductions. Provide name tags to be worn throughout the event. Lanyards with plastic name tag holders work well if you’ll be meeting for several days or having outdoor activities. You might even put additional information on the tags, such as hometown or family branch. Plan some icebreakers to help distant cousins get to know each other. Encourage each individual family to bring a filled photo album to put on a designated table so everyone can see what they’ve been up to.

Start early

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Begin the planning process early so you don’t have to stress and can find better deals on things.

Come to My House

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Hosting the family reunion at your own home? Here are some things to consider. Secure extra seating like lawn chairs or folding chairs. Empty out your refrigerator of all unnecessary items before the big day. Have a few ice chests on hand for cold drinks and extra ice. Think about parking arrangements well in advance. You may need to ask neighbors about parking in front of their homes or even using their driveways. And look into renting or borrowing tent awnings and other special equipment.

Everyone Can Help

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It’s a good idea to form subcommittees for planning various parts of your family reunion. Tap into different family members’ areas of expertise as you assign roles. If Aunt Faye is a school dietician she might chair the meal planning subcommittee and if Uncle Roy is a basketball coach he would probably do a good job planning outdoor games for the kids. Allow as many people as possible to contribute to planning the reunion and you’re more likely to get a cooperative spirit and full participation from everyone.

Provide relationship definitions

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When distant family relations get together, there's always a haze of confusion hovering over a conversation which is going something like this:"You're my third cousin once removed." Nobody knows what this means, or more accurately, most people don't know and the rest of them knew once but can't for the life of them remember the meaning now. So what you're going to do is print up a brief explanation of second, third, etc. cousins, and what does "removed" mean so that the explanatory sentences fit on a wallet-size card (size of driver license), then duplicate the text many times on one sheet,, print it up, cut, and distribute as part of the Welcome Packet. Attendees can carry it around and be ready when the subject comes up.

Go on a cruise

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Take a cruise with the family. There's no fuss as all the food and entertainment is provided. You just get to sit back and enjoy your family.

Register the reunion online

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Register the reunion online on various family reunion sites so that anyone browsing around can find the details and know exactly when and where it will be located.

Schedule the Fun

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If your family is large and you have a number of activities planned, consider putting it all on a schedule. While a schedule may seem rigid and formal, you'll find that things go a lot more smoothly when people know what to expect and when. Print out schedules on brightly colored paper and post around the venue. You can also fold the schedule into block sized pieces and put them in plastic nametag holders with lanyards.

Send out save the date magnets

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Have magnets made that have the date and event on them then mail them out to all family members so they'll be sure remember the reunion.

Take seating for the elderly

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The elderly can't sit or stand just anywhere. Make sure you have comfortable seating for them wherever your reunion takes you. Take seat cushions if you will have fold up chairs.

Let Them Decide

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If this is your first reunion or it's been a while since your last one, consider starting with a questionnaire. Poll your family members via e-mail, telephone, or regular mail to find out their preferences on dates, location, activities, meals, and finances. Don't include too many open-ended questions on your poll or you'll get as many different answers as you have family members. Instead give a limited number of options for each question and provide one space where family members can write in a few additional suggestions. For instance, you might ask "Would you like for the reunion to be at a) a large rental beach house, b) a campground, c) Grandma Mary's house, or d) a Disneyworld resort hotel?" Once you get as many responses to your poll as possible, plan accordingly.

National Parks

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National parks often offer picnic facilities, campsites, wide open spaces and beautiful scenery. To make a reservation for camping in a national park, go to www.recreation.gov.

Play It Again Sam!

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Have a family member video segments of your family reunion. Be sure to video activities like swimming and horseshoes, meal times, group games, and talent shows. But also video interviews with family members, storytelling of memorable moments, and lively conversations (with permission, of course!).

Set up a photo sharing account

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Go online and set up a photo sharing account where all the family can post the photos they took during the trip so everyone can view them and order prints.

Track down old or lost family members

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Search online through the various sites and through phone books to find lost family members and invite them to the reunion. They would probably love to see everyone again.

Let's Go Somewhere

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If your family reunion is more about getting together and enjoying each other than looking at old movies and having talent shows, consider taking a family vacation together. With a little advance notice and planning, you could convince your entire family to take a cruise, go to a resort, or visit a dude ranch. The entertainments and activities are built in and you don't have to plan as much. The cost will be higher, so make sure you give everyone the opportunity to vote on the excursion and plenty of time to budget for it.

Plan male and female activities

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Plan something for the guys to go do while the girls do something different. It's a great chance for some bonding time.

Send out a poll for the date

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Send a poll out with possible dates and locations for the reunion to be held at. Ask everyone to complete the survey and send it back to you. Compile the results and send out the selected date and location.

Set timelines and deadlines for tasks

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Establish definite deadlines and timelines for when tasks need to be completed. This way there is accountability and responsibility for each person in charge of the task at hand.

Set up a family youth scholarship fund

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Set up a scholarship fund and a committee for selecting the recipient each year. Ask anyone who wants to and is able to donate to the fund.

Show your pride

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Celebrate your family reunion on the 4th of July. It can be held anywhere but you have to wear the country's colors and have some good old fashioned hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie. Plus you're likely to get a free fireworks show somewhere.

What to Wear

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If your family will be visiting a theme park or other public venue for your reunion, consider having special tee shirts for everyone to wear. Not only will you be identifying yourself as the "Smith Family," but the matching shirts will make it easier for you to keep up with each other.

Dorm in the same place

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Find a college or other place that has dorm style living quarters and have everyone stay in the same place so you have more time together.

Go camping

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Make your family reunion a camping trip. Pick a place and reserve a bunch of camp spots or just camp in the middle of nowhere and have all of nature to yourselves.

Be cowboys

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Have a western theme. Break out the BBQs and put on those cowboy hats. You can have an old fashioned hoe down, rope tossing content and do some line dancing while eating great BBQ treats.

Off Season

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Consider booking your reunion at a great venue, but during the off season. If your family can go against the tide a little and be creative with activities, you can get a great deal at some seasonal resorts and amusement parks. For instance, consider a Phoenix, Arizona, resort during the hot months of summer. Yes the temperatures may soar near 110 degrees, but the rooms will be cheaper and you’re likely to have the pool pretty much to yourself. Also some snow skiing resorts offer great deals during the summer months for those who are willing to forego the snow and enjoy hiking instead.

Family Camp Out

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If most members of your family enjoy the outdoors and don't have any special needs, camping out may be the route to go. Families can bring their own or rented RVs, trailers, or tents. You can also let individual family units be responsible for some of their own meals instead of everyone eating every meal together. Recreation possibilities are practically built in, but you can bring equipment for horseshoes, biking, hiking, swimming, and campfires.

Bring the pets

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Invite everyone to bring their pets and have a pet party. Let the dogs all play together or show off your cool lizard.

Go tropical

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Dress up in your best tropical clothes or take a dip in the nearest ocean, lake, pool or river. Plus learn to do the hula and wear your colored leis around.

Take a snow getaway

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Take the family reunion to the mountains and play in the snow. You can make snowmen, have snowball fights and go sledding.