Back in the now distant April of 1979, musical artists Sister Sledge released what has now become one of our generational celebratory anthems called “We Are Family.” As the calendar changes to March we are now entering a season of family reunions. But how do you plan, prepare and pay for your next family reunion?
Need or Want
This may be a strange place to begin, but this fundamental question must be asked and that is, do we need to have a family reunion, or is it just a good idea? Is there really enthusiasm among the majority, and is there a recognition that failure to do this may contribute towards loss of family legacy, history and future? If after these considerations the consensus is to move forward, then what’s next?
In The Beginning
Before you can get to the numbers and cost of a family reunion, there are basic facts to acknowledge. Most family reunions occur during the
summer as it is difficult to schedule during the school year and expect maximum participation. Another up front fact is that the average family reunion usually lasts three days. While I am not a project manager and you do not need to be one to plan this event, there are some organizational and structural factors you should consider or put in place which can ensure success.
If you are thinking about having a reunion, you should begin with establishing an organizing committee. Bringing together some core family members to form an organizing committee is crucial. The organizing committee should be tasked with selecting a planning committee. The planning committee assignment should be to oversee the entire reunion. However, they will not execute all the plans as they will need to establish sub-committees who will perform the tasks and report to the planning committee.
Now that we have some organizing structure in place, the event is more likely to occur and not left to one person to perform.
Group Help
The sub committee that keeps everyone on schedule and on task is the communication committee. No family event or relationship can survive without communication. Technology savvy family members should lead the way in this sub -committee since you want to connect with individuals from seniors and baby boomers to generation Alpha. Digital contact and social media play such a significant role in sharing information that I cannot imagine planning a reunion without a communication sub-committee.
Another very important committee is the events and activities sub-committee. This committee’s task is obvious. They are responsible for scheduling events and ensuring that there are many options for everyone to enjoy. This does not mean that each moment of the reunion needs to be planned as there needs to be built-in free and unscheduled activities time. You can plan activities such as historical stories about what life may have been when others were growing up or what advice you would give another family member starting out in life. To help record and archive this event you can consider an app such as StoryCorps.org.
The indispensable sub-committee is the budgeting finance and funding sub-committee. Some of the responsibilities of this committee would be negotiating venues, with vendors and contractors on behalf of the group. They would also have to consider hiring individuals such as a professional event planner if necessary for a specific set of services. Their prices can range from $1,000 through $10,000, depending on your family size and attendees. If that cost is too much you could consider hiring a day coordinator for the event. Day coordinators can range from $800 dollars through $3,000 per day.
Other decisions to be made by this committee would include whether you would request guests to pay a flat fee were they to attend or take a more a la carte plan for activities. Perhaps a google spread sheet could be established at the outset so that everyone could see and understand cost, payment plans, lodging, T-shirts, decorations, food and many other surprise costs. Generally, family reunion costs are understated so therefore a cushion or emergency fund should be established to address surprise costs. If there is a balance remaining in the emergency fund after the event, family members can get a refund.
Take Aways
Family reunions can be expensive. If it’s a casual or local venue, planning needs to begin about one year in advance. More sophisticated venues require planning of about 18-24 months. This means that you now have to figure out airline cost, resort cost, seasons and prices being bundled for better cost. It’s not impossible to plan a reunion for this year, but total engagement and structure is necessary for success!
WHAT’S UP!
Today’s What’s Up is about digital currency. The Genius act was passed in 2025 and will go into full effect in January of 2027. Recently the The United States Office of the Comptroller of The Treasury has issued conditional approval for non bank companies such as Stripe to serve as issuers of Stable Coins. Stable Coins are a type of digital currency that is being tied to the United States Dollar. And that’s what’s up!
Ruthven R. Phillip, Esq., is a tax attorney, Stewardship and Philanthropy Ministry Assistant, and CEO of Give2Getrich, LLC. Give2Get Rich, LLC 2026 All Rights Reserved. Any distribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited.
