Planning & Organization
Eight core committee roles with specific responsibilities for each. How to recruit committee members, how to run meetings, when each role is busiest, and how Reunly helps coordinate across your whole committee.
For a small reunion (under 50 guests), one person can cover 2–3 of these roles. For 50–150 guests, aim for at least 4–5 distinct people. For 150+ guests, fill all 8 roles if possible.
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Use this timeline to set expectations with committee members about when their workload will peak.
9–12 months out
Lead Organizer (date/venue decision), Treasurer (initial budget), Venue Chair (venue research and booking)
6–8 months out
Communications Chair (save-the-dates), Registration Chair (registration form setup), Treasurer (fundraising launch — t-shirts, raffle)
3–5 months out
Food Chair (caterer booking, potluck assignments), Activities Chair (activity planning), Communications Chair (formal invitations)
6–8 weeks out
Registration Chair (RSVP follow-ups), Treasurer (payment follow-ups), Venue Chair (vendor confirmations), Memory Chair (photo collection, slideshow)
2 weeks out
All roles (final confirmations), Lead Organizer (logistics reminder to family), Food Chair (caterer headcount confirmation)
Event day
Lead Organizer (overall coordination), Food Chair (meal setup/service), Activities Chair (program facilitation), Registration Chair (check-in), Memory Chair (photography), Venue Chair (setup/teardown)
Post-event
Treasurer (financial summary), Memory Chair (photo sharing, memory book), Communications Chair (thank-you messages, feedback survey), Lead Organizer (next year planning kickoff)
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Reunly keeps every committee member on the same page
Assign tasks, track the budget, and manage RSVPs — all in one place for every co-planner.
For a reunion of 50–100 guests, a committee of 4–6 people is ideal — large enough to distribute work, small enough to make decisions efficiently. For 100–200+ guests, 6–10 committee members is more appropriate. Avoid committees of more than 10 — decision-making slows dramatically and accountability diffuses. Every committee member should have a specific role with defined responsibilities, not a generic 'helper' title.
The lead organizer should be someone who is organized, reliable, and respected by the family — but who also has the time to commit. This is often the family's natural 'administrator': the person who tracks birthdays, sends group emails, and remembers everyone's kids' names. It doesn't have to be the eldest or most prominent family member. The best organizer is whoever is most willing and capable, regardless of age or position in the family hierarchy.
Assign specific, bounded tasks rather than vague roles. Instead of 'help with food,' give someone 'you're responsible for confirming the caterer headcount by June 1, collecting dietary restrictions from the guest list, and setting up the food tables on the day.' The more specific the assignment, the more reliably it gets done. Use a shared document or project management tool so everyone can see what's been done and what's outstanding. Hold brief check-in calls monthly and increase frequency to biweekly in the final 6 weeks.
Keep meetings to 60 minutes or less and always have a written agenda sent 24 hours before. Start with a 5-minute status update from each committee member. Spend most of the meeting on decisions that require group input — not updates that can be sent by email. Assign owners and deadlines to every action item before ending the meeting. For virtual meetings, use Zoom or Google Meet with video on — it's much more effective than phone-only for this type of collaborative planning.
Reunly keeps your committee aligned — shared guest lists, budget tracking, and RSVP management so everyone sees the same information.