Class Reunion Organization Do’s and Don’ts

1.      Do start planning early – the best reunions are those which have sufficient planning.  Everyone can tell when a reunion is planned “on a whim.”

2.      Do make sure everyone on the reunion committee has a working email account if your committee’s primary mode of communication is through e-mail – Even if you have one person without e-mail it causes a lot more work because you will have to communicate via phone or US mail everything that the committee discusses through e-mail.

3.      Do establish a small reunion committee and delegate tasks to people on the committee and to classmates not on the reunion committee.

4.      Do expect people not to agree to serve on the working committee or oversee certain tasks through a letter or form – If you call people and ask, they will usually say yes.

5.      Do expect some critics – What’s the old saying?  “You can please half of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time!”  Everyone’s a critic and it goes with the territory.  Don’t be offended.  It might just be that same classmate who was a critic in high school.

6.      Do budget appropriately – VILLA HAS NO BUDGET FOR REUNIONS.  Your reunion fees should cover most, if not all costs.  Be fair with your pricing and plan accordingly.  You may want your class reunion to be at the Ritz Hotel with all the “bells and whistles” but your classmates may not want to or be able to pay for all of those costs.  Clearly state what the price of an activity includes if not covered by the reunion fees.

7.      Don’t over schedule – If there are too many activities people may not go to all of them and then you waste time planning them. Also, if there are too many activities, people may not have a chance to catch up with their old friends and classmates.

8.      Don’t forget about your classmates’ spouses and significant others – Many of your classmates may be married or dating.  Decide how you want to include them in your reunion.  Some events may be better with (or without) spouses and significant others.  Make sure that this aspect of your reunion isn’t overlooked. 

9.      Don’t forget to make deadlines – Deadlines are important not only for efficient planning, but also after the planning is done.  Remember to have deadlines for submission of money, materials, registrations, refunds, etc.

10.  Don’t let your reunion go uncelebrated – It would be a shame to let your reunion go without a celebration.  A lot of us made some very dear friends in high school and you surely have some memories that would be really fun to share together.