Collecting money early for your reunion
Planning a reunion can be exciting, fun, and rewarding, but it also has its downfalls. As with any event, a budget must be set before any plans can take place, and this can be particularly difficult if you are counting on the financial assistance of others. Even worse, you might not just be collecting from “others”, but old acquaintances and even strangers. Establishing a budget for a reunion can be overwhelming, particularly since it’s impossible to impose any monetary restrictions when you have no idea how much will arrive prior to the event taking place.
While no one likes to badger others for money, high school reunions present a unique circumstance. In most cases, the budget for a reunion is formed by the investments of former classmates and teachers. Once a reunion committee or group has been established, those individuals canvass for funds by charging each person to attend the function. Of course, in order to make plans for the reunion, the money has to arrive early – preferably, several months prior to the actual event.
What throws a fork in early requests is the planning time that each attendee requires. Some former classmates may not have their vacation time approved until one month prior to the reunion, leading them to hesitate before purchasing tickets. Others may have to discuss the event with their spouses or partners before making final plans, especially if travel is involved. It’s easy to procrastinate when it comes to a reunion because there is often a great deal of preparation required.
Unfortunately, if too many attendees fail to buy tickets or pay a required fee, it can affect the entire experience for everyone else. Without a budget to follow, committee members may be forced to downsize the overall event, change venues, or ultimately cancel the reunion altogether. This can be very disappointing for individuals who have been waiting for the day they would be reunited with past friends and teachers. Oddly enough, to bring uncooperative attendees out of the woodwork, talk of a cancellation may be just the ticket.
If you are working with a planning committee, you have no doubt formed an e-mail list or online social networking group to keep in touch with school alumni. If you’re having trouble getting firm responses, there is no harm in starting a sneaky rumor that the reunion is on its way to being called off. After all, if you can’t develop a plan and form a budget, there is little chance that the reunion can go ahead anyway. Don’t be afraid to start a fire underneath their feet to get them moving.
You can also use online networking groups to keep potential attendees up-to-date on the event’s progress. If you receive $1,000 towards your budget in the first few months and that number seems to stand still, perhaps someone will take notice. It’s also important to inform others about the amount of planning involved. Unless they’ve tackled a similar project, they may not understand that there is more to creating a great reunion than booking a venue.
The key to acquiring a sufficient amount of funds is to set a due date. Tell former classmates that their money must be submitted by a certain date in order for the plans to begin. In order to give those last-minute attendees some extra time, choose a fake due date approximately two weeks’ prior to the actual due date. Then, as the makeshift date approaches, start e-mailing or messaging your past schoolmates and provide them with a countdown. Try contacting them two weeks, one week, and finally, three days prior to the date set.
Once the fake date has passed, add up the numbers to see where the reunion budget stands. If the funds are still lacking, send out a final e-mail or message, stating that the date has been extended by another week. Be sure to note that there will be no further extensions granted and that if you don’t receive a response by at least x-number of people, the reunion will run the risk of being cancelled. You may be surprised by the amount of classmates who will succumb to the pressure of a deadline, even if their ability to attend remains unclear.
Although you may be feeling burdened by the responsibility of creating a large-scale event, the pride that you will feel at the end of the journey will make it all worthwhile. Seeing the faces of former classmates as they enter the event, hearing compliments about the food, or listening to attendees rave about the decorations, venue, or music will be immensely satisfying. As you hassle old acquaintances for money, it is important to keep the final goal in sight: an unforgettable night filled with great friends, great food, and great memories.
