Task Board

The family names the next host a year-plus out — the 2021 cycle opened with a "Reunion Planner and Kick-off Meeting," and "schedule the next reunion host & leader" is itself the closing task of every prior cycle. Confirm the chair, agree on the 18-month runway, and put the first bi-weekly Zoom on the calendar before the meeting ends.

Use the family's proven committee list: Communications & Technology; Program Planning; Site-Selection; Health & Wellness; Hospitality (Food/Reservations); Fund-raising; History Preservation; Treasury & Budget; Spiritual Wellness. Every committee needs a named lead — unowned committees stall.

The rhythm that worked in 2021 and 2023: sub-committees meet bi-weekly on Zoom, the whole family gets a monthly status meeting. Log notes every session (the Committee Status deck pattern) so decisions are traceable later.

Planning-guide lesson: send a questionnaire ranking 3 candidate weekends and areas plus what families can afford, before any money moves. The affordability survey in this app is the digital version — results feed the date-lock decision.

Fee leakage is real: in 2020 Wells Fargo fees were quietly draining the account until the family renegotiated a "$500 minimum prior to fees." Confirm the minimum-balance rule, and verify Zelle/e-payment works like Treva did in 2023 — before registration money starts flowing.

Decision gate D0. The family always targets the 3rd weekend of July. Lock by mid-2026: hotel reservation systems only open 365 days out (a real constraint in 2020), so a late date lock costs you the room block. July 16–18, 2027 is the current straw-poll leader.

Use the same Sites-sheet fields the family tracked in Charleston: room rate, suite rate, venue fee, food minimum, tax %, destination fee, service charge, sales contact. Ask EVERY venue the same fee questions — service charge %, food minimum, attrition ladder. HGI North Charleston charged a 22–25% venue service charge on top of quoted prices in 2021. Capacity need is modest: ~30 banquet seats plus a small hospitality room. 2020 pattern: ~20 candidates surveyed, ~10 priced.

2020 playbook: "pinpoint location; visit by July 18; make decision by 31-Jul." Photos and floor plans lie — walk the event room, check parking, elevators, and how far the hospitality room is from the block rooms.

Archive lessons: (1) Ask for a force-majeure/pandemic clause — "clause for acts of nature, pandemic… and at least ½ of deposits" (7/11/2020 note). (2) Expect a 50% non-refundable event-space deposit at signing (2021 HGI). (3) Cancellation ladder is 25%/50%/100% at 90/60/30 days. (4) Watch minimum room-block commitments — Marriott wanted 25 rooms/night — and food guarantees ≥ 80% of the contracted set. Don't over-commit the block.

Decision gate D1 — everything downstream waits on this. 2023 pattern: a small $300 deposit ~9 months out (Oct 2022 for a July 2023 event); the big money only moves in the final 30 days. Record the deposit in budget lines and flip the vendor to deposit_paid.

Follow the historical Budget workbook structure: pre-reunion / reunion-day / post-reunion expense sections with best-case and worst-case revenue. 2020 target was "finalize a projected budget by 31-Jul." The cost worksheet in this app is the working model — lock lines as quotes confirm.

2021: theme + final shield were done by fall. 2023: the domain switched to .family and Duane built the site + e-registration. Get the theme locked before shirt and souvenir-book design starts — everything brands off it.

The winter raffle target was 50 entries in 2020. Key lesson: buy prizes only AFTER sales prove out — the projected prize spend was $465 but only $60 was actually needed. Prizes follow sales, never the other way around.

Decision gate D2 — price must be set before registration opens. Bundle shirt + souvenir book + banquet + Future Fund admin into the price, per the Budget-sheet model. 2020-12-12 note: "Update budget for child pricing and overall projected total expenses per attendee." Needs 2+ real venue quotes and a locked date to be honest math.

Decision gate D3. 2023 pattern: HGI booking links went out to the family right after contract signing. Set a registration close date 30–45 days before the reunion so the final headcount is known in time for the "owe 3 days prior" guarantee. Keep a go/no-go contingency date ~45 days out (the Jan 2021 COVID lesson).

Bobby's 2023 playbook: templates → campaign → drive traffic back to the website. Pair the blitz with monthly newsletters so non-social family members stay in the loop.

Ads pay the printing cost — that is an explicit budget note from past cycles, not a hope. Collect attendee profiles, family artifacts, and skills/hobbies for the book while ad sales run.

2021 pricing reference: men $22 / women $21.50 / child $16, sizes YS–4XL, deposit up front. 2023 lesson: confirm delivery well before reunion week — "T-shirts delivered" was still a July agenda item, cutting it dangerously close.

Group activities book up: the 2021 note was "Need to reserve by end of Jan" for a July event (Gullah Geechee tour, $25/person). Find the Atlanta equivalents — civil-rights sites, aquarium group rates, Stone Mountain — and hold spots early.

The "Registration Financial/Attendee Report" the treasury asked for in Jan 2021: who has registered, who has paid what, projected vs actual revenue. Monthly cadence keeps surprises out of the final month.

The block releases at cut-off: 2021 cut-off was 06/15 for a 07/15 arrival. Chase every unbooked family the week before — after cut-off they pay rack rate or sleep across town.

Menu selections and room setup are due 30 days prior. Food prices are only guaranteed 3 months prior — and the 2020 Marriott clauses let the hotel pick menus for you if you are silent 3 business days out. Never let the venue choose.

The "owe 3 days prior" rule: final headcount guarantee and payment are due 3 business days before the banquet — which is exactly why registration must close 30–45 days out. Balance is paid in progressive advance deposits over the final month (2023: $800 + $546.16 + $222.71 in late June for July 13–16). Guarantee can't drop below 80% of contract.

From the 2021 ideas deck and 2023 July agenda: introductions, icebreakers, talent show, speakers, honors/awards, lineage presentation, DJ/dance, photographer/videographer. Print the program early enough that a printing delay is recoverable.

2023 bags: gifts, T-shirts, hand-outs, souvenir water bottles. Check what the venue bundles before buying décor — 2023 HGI included linens, overlays and centerpieces in the room fee.

The proven shape: Friday arrival meet-and-greet + icebreakers; Saturday daytime activity + evening banquet/ceremony; Sunday breakfast/departure with traveling prayers. Keep the run-of-show printed at the check-in table.

Send the evaluation while memories are fresh (the m28 to-do list pattern). What worked, what did not, what the 2029 committee should change — write it down now, not in 2028.

Thank-yous to family, volunteers AND vendors — the vendor relationships carry to the next cycle (the family re-booked Hilton Garden Inn properties twice for a reason).

Reconcile actuals vs projected on every budget line, then roll the surplus into the Family Reunion Future Fund — the 2021 model carried its projected profit forward to seed 2023. Standing rule: all receipts and paperwork go to shared online storage.

Publish photos, video and the reunion recap, archive documents — then close the loop the way every cycle does: name the 2029 host and city. That decision is the kickoff task of the next reunion.