Planning Your First Family Reunion

Learning about your families history can be both entertaining and intriguing especially when researching with an open mind. Many authors and playwrights base the character development of best selling stories on family members. Often one's best friend proves to be an aunt, cousin or relative twice removed, discovered only after connecting the branches of the proverbial family tree.

What better way to introduce new links to the branch, along with new insights than at the next upcoming family reunion. What? No family reunion has been planned? Why not start planning right now. All that is needed is the right tools and a little motivation.

Plan a meaningful, memorable, inspiring and fun event. How can you accomplish this with minimal difficulty? Family reunion planning web apps are designed to guide you through the maze of event planning with ease.

Yes, there are only a few family reunion apps on the market, but it's amazing what such an app can accomplish. With the right reunion planning app you'll get your event planned in no time. Imagine having it all planned in a matter of days, organized in a few weeks, funded in a month or two and managed from the welcoming meet and greet right down to the fond farewell.

Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Guide and Keepsake will help you plan the entire occasion in no time at all.  

21 Ideas To Give Back This Season

Want to do something special this season? Many are considering how to give back to the community.  Often they consider donating to a worthy cause. Here are 21 gift giving ideas that keep giving back.

Neighborhood Outreach Dinners for the Homeless
Big Brother Big Sister Mentoring
Online Fund Raising
Health Awareness Seminars
Farmers Market Outings with Seniors
Group Canning
Bake Sales For Fund Raising
Winter Wonderland Outings
Winter Fest Activities
Fall Fest Activities
Autumn Crafts
Fall Festivals
Charitable Organizing
Government Aid for Education
Scholastic Achievement Awards
Bible Travel Tours and Creation Sight Seeing
Crafts For Gift Giving
Group Bible Study by Skype
Door to Door Bible Ministry
Motivational Speaking
Bible Drama Movie Events

Check the items you've considered, share it with someone you know has experience participating or planning such an event.  Take action! Get the ball rolling and discover a 2000 year old truth. "There is more happiness in giving then in receiving."

My Gift to you. Brenda and I are active in Group Bible Study, Door to Door Bible Study, Motivational Public Speaking, Fall and Winter Fest Activities, Online Fund Raising, Crafts for Gift Giving, Bible Travel Tours and Creation Sight Seeing, Bible Drama Movie Events.  If you would like to support our work feel free to send us a modest donation.

How To Raise Funds For Your Family Reunion

Need more funds for your family reunion? There are a number of ways to raise funds. Much has to do with the kind of event you're planning. We'll discuss some of the more popular fundraising ideas in this article. But first let's talk about promoting the event.

To raise funds for your event you need the support of key players who will help you plan, organize and manage the event. Consider family members with exceptionally good social and communication skills. The best way to go about soliciting support is to feed your potential volunteers, and feed them well. That's right, invite them over and feed them a light lunch complete with a yummy dessert. About midway thru the course while you are pouring drinks ask them for fund raising ideas. Find out what they have done to raise funds for other charitable events. Next warmly ask for their support. Next you'll to promote your fundraiser. 

The Young At Heart Should Take Part

Get the youth and young at heart involved in the process as soon as possible. Tell them what you want to accomplish and get their ideas on how they plan to pull it off. They'll offer loads of them just brain storming. Get all the ideas down in writing. Make sure your ideas for event activities center around the interests of family members, especially those most prominent and most loved. Get the fun and active family members involved. Give them specific assignments that are in their area of expertise.

1. Have some draw up and mail fundraiser invitational flyers.
2. Have some send animated announcement ecard from their phone or tablet
3. Have others call older family members and arrange for transportation to the event.

Memorabilia and Keepsakes

A great way to raise funds is by way of selling memorabilia and keepsake items like t-shirts, caps, visors, aprons and hand bags. Once you decide on a theme and slogan for the event it's time to begin designing the art for t-shirts and other keepsake items. Fimark's Family Reunion Planner web app showcases pre-designed event theme art on t-shirts, caps, visors, aprons and hand bags via Zazzle.com. The interface allows you to price and sell these items and more online. 

Reunion Website with Fund Raising Features

Another fun idea is to hold an online fundraiser from your family reunion website. Fimark's Family Reunion Planner web app guides you through the process. Just open a family reunion website account, select the fundraiser form and you're up and running in minutes. Send a link to all your event invitees with periodic updates featuring those who contributed. You might even offer a prize to persons donating $50 or more.  Example: Win a free Family Reunion Keepsake Book filled with family reunion recipes, family history charts and a journal and genealogy section. You can also even sell tickets to the reunion event. The family reunion website is enabled with an event ticket sales feature. If you're going to sell tickets to the event you'll want the entertainment to be above standard. How?

Have talented family members? Treat your family reunion like a concert. Invite talented entertainers, artists and craft person to showcase their skills at the family reunion talent show. Have the event catered and hire a highly recommended event decorator and band. Many of these services are a part of the package when renting out a reception hall.

Traditional Fund Raising Ideas

If you want to keep the reunion event simple another way to raise funds is a book and bake sale. Find out what desserts, books, music and DVD's your family members like most. Create a list of deserts and books, music CDs and DVD titles family members like.  Send the list to all family members asking for title and baked goods donations. Next invite all family members to a local book and bake sale and use the proceeds to fund the family reunion event. 

The company is MyEvent.com. They boast having helped raise over $25,000,000 and is the only company that allows individuals to accept donations online and sell tickets without a merchant account on a complimentary fundraising web page that has no ads and hundreds of design themes to choose from.

How To Increase Event Funds

Your family reunion is just around the corner and you need to increase event funds fast? Fund raisers can be costly. Who wants to end up investing more than what was made.

To make your fun raiser a festive, colorful and interest event for all get as many involved in donating used items and craft items.  The more creative the better. Keep in mind that having a fund drive is a craft in and of itself. Setting up attractive displays takes some forethought.

Make items eye catching, inviting and laughable with punchy, witty price tags and colorful persuasive labels.

The key is to sell items that cost close to nothing but are valuable to the buyer. Here are some great DIY Fund Drive ideas courtesy of Fimark Home Online.

DIY Fund Drive Ideas provided by www.fimark.net
Visit us at www.pinterest.com/fimarkhome 

Like three or more of the listed ideas? Why not combine them all. The more variety the more support your fund drive will receive. Detail exactly what will be featured at the fund drive event and send out at least three reminders up to the day of the event.

Online Payment Systems

Many reunion planners have lamented about getting reunion dues in on time. If you are asking attendees to mail you money or drop off cash you're in for a long wait. Why? Some folks don't write checks or handle cash daily anymore. They pay bills online. That said,  setup your Paypal, Google Wallet or other online payment system asap or get a website that takes payments like the one reviewed here...http://family-reunion-planner.fimark.net/familyreunionwebsite.html

Send online payment ready emails to each family member to make the payment process easier. 

Inspiring Incentive

Sometimes attendees need incentive to get those fees paid. Here are some dues payment incentives. Offer rewards for the first 10 0r 20 payees. Offer special seating at the reception for those who send payments early. Offer a special party favor to early payees. Offer mention in the family reunion keepsake booklet. 

Hand out certificates, a baked item or award them with a favorite keepsake heirloom like the family reunion planning keepsake book featured at Createspace... https://www.createspace.com/3601499.  This 132 page Family Reunion Planner keepsake book can be given to timely payees. The event planning book contains a family reunion planner, family tree, pedigree, family recipes section, journal and reunion themes and games. Makes a great fund drive offering, gift, reward and family heirloom. It also contains detailed cost saving fund drive ideas to raise money for your event.

Visit us at www.pinterest.com/fimarkhome