Family reunion budgets are the primary responsibility of the finance committee.
They are responsible for forecasting, budgeting and planning the income and expenses of the entire family reunion.
Having a businessman or an accountant lead the group is a good idea as they are familiar with balancing their books and making sure that costs don’t get out of hand.
Below are two free family reunion budget templates. The first one is a simple budget that can be downloaded and changed to your needs. The other document is an excel spreadsheet that helps you figure out a cost per person for the reunion.
Family Reunion Budget: Cost Per Person
What to include in the family reunion budget?
The reunion budget should include shared expenses for the entire group. This will include
- Decorations
- Printing costs
- Shuttle / Transportation to and from events
- Lodging For Volunteers, VIP’s
- Food (cooking out or dining out)
- Telephone calls
- Printing
- Decorations
- Rentals
- Photographer
- Taxes
- Postage
- Website,
- Newsletter,
- Prizes,
- Banquets,
- And entertainment
Other expenses, such as hotel rooms or individual plane tickets should not be included as these will be paid by the attendees on their own. Make sure to include even small items as they add up to a pretty penny once all is said and done. Other considerations are:
Group Hotel Rates, And Just About Everything Else Is Negotiable
“You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate”, is a famous quote by Charles Karass. You family reunion finance committee should have one member that is familiar with negotiating group rates for hotels, or with caterers over food costs. Negotiating even little things like free shuttle runs to and from the event will result in cost savings when you look at the overall picture.
Taxes And Tips, Eyes Wide Open
Before signing the dotted line for any caterer or banquet hall, ask to see every cost time that will be added at the time of billing. We would even recommend asking to see a sample bill before you sign so you can see what “added” costs are included which are not readily apparent in the contract.
Renting Is Cheaper Than Transporting Or Buying
Before buying or renting or even transporting items, go through a cost analysis of what would be cheaper. While it may be better to bring board games from home, it may be easier to rent a large grill rather than drag it with you to the reunion site.
Middle Of The Road Is The Road To A Successful Family Reunion
Before making major decisions like selecting hotels or contracting a caterer, keep in mind that everyone has different means and the committee has to be sensitive to everyone’s needs. Go for the middle of the road over the highly extravagant hotel and if you are organizing a banquet, budget in the $20-30 range for a nice dinner instead of the over the top filet mignon with Kobe Beef. If the family reunion is affordable, it will attract more members.
Moving Targets Are Good
While the budget should be as accurate as possible when created, it should not be set in stone. As things change, so should the budget and the committee should be aware that they can and should adjust it to better reflect the current condition rather than try to fit into an existing plan that is no longer valid.
Following these simple guidelines should yield measurable results and will result in a nice turnout at your family reunion.
What should you read next?
Since you’re planning a family reunion, take a look at some money saving ideas for your next event.