What to Ask Your Family Before the Reunion

Most Reunion Surveys Are Too Long

You have seen the survey that never gets filled out. Twenty questions, multiple pages, a comment box at the end. The person who made it was thorough. The people who received it took one look and said "I will do this later." They did not do it later.

A good reunion survey has five to eight questions, takes under three minutes to complete, and asks only things that will change your decisions. If a question is interesting but will not alter your plans, cut it.

The Questions That Matter

Date preference. Give three options. Not an open-ended "when works for you?" because that gives you 30 different answers and no usable data. Three specific weekends. Pick the one with the most votes. Move on.

Headcount by household. "How many people from your household would attend? Adults: __ Children (under 12): __" This is your planning number. You need it for food, venue capacity, and budget math.

Dietary restrictions. "Does anyone in your household have food allergies or dietary restrictions? If yes, please specify." Keep it simple. You are not building custom menus. You are making sure nobody goes into anaphylaxis at the reunion.

Lodging needs. Only relevant if the reunion is overnight or destination. "Will you need hotel accommodations? How many rooms?" This tells you how large a room block to negotiate.

Activity interest. Do not ask "what activities do you want?" because people will suggest things you cannot execute. Instead, give options. "Check all that interest your household: family games, talent show, group photo session, kids activities, family history presentation, open social time." This tells you where to put your energy without creating expectations you cannot meet.

Budget comfort. This one is tricky but necessary. "What per-household contribution feels comfortable? $25 / $50 / $75 / $100+" You are not asking people to set the budget. You are gauging what the family can absorb. If 70% of responses cluster at $50, that is your number.

The One Question That Changes Everything

"Is there anything that would prevent you from attending?"

This open-ended question at the end of the survey is where the real information lives. This is where you learn that Uncle James cannot walk long distances anymore, so a venue with a long path from parking to the pavilion will not work. This is where you learn that your cousin's family cannot come if it is the same weekend as their church anniversary. This is where you learn that someone is going through a divorce and is worried about awkwardness.

People will tell you things in a text box that they will not say in a group chat. Read every response carefully. Some of them will change your plans for the better.

What to Skip

Do not ask about t-shirt designs, color themes, or reunion logos in the planning survey. Those decisions can come later and they clog up the survey people actually need to fill out.

Do not ask for volunteers in the survey. "Would you be willing to help with..." gets reflexive "sure" responses from people who will not follow through. Recruit volunteers directly, in person or by phone, after you know what you need.

Do not ask open-ended "any other thoughts?" questions beyond the one barrier question above. Open-ended questions generate noise. One is useful. Three is overwhelming.

When to Send It

Send the survey five to six months before your target date. This gives you enough lead time to act on the responses and enough urgency that people take it seriously.

Set a two-week response deadline. After that, send one reminder. Not three. Not five. One. "Hey family, the reunion survey closes Friday. Takes 2 minutes. Link here." After the reminder, work with what you have. Waiting for 100% response rate is waiting forever.

Aim for 60 to 70% response rate. That is enough data to make decisions. The people who did not respond will go along with whatever the majority chose, or they were not coming anyway.

The Tool Does Not Matter

Google Forms works. So does SurveyMonkey, Typeform, or a simple group chat poll. The tool is not the bottleneck. The bottleneck is whether people open it and fill it out.

Send the survey link with a personal message, not just a bare URL. "Hey family! We are planning the reunion and need your input. This takes 2 minutes and helps us make sure the weekend works for everyone." That framing gets a better response rate than a link with no context.

Share results with the family after you close the survey. "85% of families preferred the July 19 weekend, so that is our date." Showing people their input mattered builds buy-in for the reunion itself.