Who's paying: how to avoid financial strain and headaches when planning your family reunion

More than 150 guests gathered in Memphis, Tenn., for the Jordan family event, and the total cost was between $6,000 and $7,000. No, the family didn't gather for a wedding--it was a family reunion.

Held last summer, the three-day affair started on Friday night with a health fair and reception, where light food was served. On Saturday, there was a picnic and a catered banquet, and on Sunday there was breakfast followed by a visit to a church.

ways to cut cost

Plan Ahead of Time

The more time you allow yourself to meet the financial needs of the reunion the better. it expands your options, gives relatives time to submit funds and gives more time to shop around for facilities. Experts say you need at least a year to plan.

Alternative Lodging Needs

Many reunions are held during the summer, so check to see if a nearby college or university. some will rent out dormitory space to large groups. That would be much cheaper than a hotel, advises Dr. Vargus.

While many may not understand how a reunion can cost thousands of dollars, family reunions are a long-standing but often very costly tradition in the African-American community. Many families like the Jordans have events that span several days. Deposits for facilities, money for food and space rental, and postage costs for sending out letters to relatives are just some of the expenses incurred when planning a family reunion.

These reunion expenses tend to vary from family to family, and the total can range from several thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on where the activities are held and the type of food and beverages selected. "There is no typical cost really," says Ione D. Vargus, Ph.D., founder of the Family Reunion Institute at the School of Social Administration at Temple University in Philadelphia. "It depends on where they decide to have the reunion, what the facilities are and how much they cost," says Dr. Vargus, who adds that there are many factors that determine the cost of a reunion.

While family reunions can be expensive, most are organized so that participating members contribute financially with a registration fee. Those fees can vary anywhere from $25 to $125, depending on the estimated total costs. Some families have a set fee, while others have fees that vary from year to year.

For the Jordan Family Reunion, adults contributed $55 and children $25 each. "We tried to keep it as low as possible, and $55 was dirt cheap for all the things that we did," says Carolyn Jordan Cook, founding president of the national family reunion planning committee. The goal for this particular family was to have most of the funds collected at least six months prior to the actual date of the reunion.

Early this year, Flo S. Jenkins of Torrance, Calif., and her brother Robert Jenkins of Columbus, Miss., received letters with details, including fees, for the 2007 Jenkins Family Reunion (the family's 70th), which will be held this August in Little Rock, Ark. Both have helped to plan past Jenkins' reunions. While relatives in the host city generally work together to organize the Jenkins reunion, it is understood that all participating family members must make a financial contribution. "That might sound a little more informal than some other people might do it, but it has been a formula that has worked for us for years," says Robert Jenkins, Ph.D., a retired university history professor who has a doctorate in U.S. and African-American history.

As with most reunions, the major expense is travel to actually get to the reunion, says Flo Jenkins, an editorial consultant and writer, who adds that for most of her family members, it's not an overwhelming expense to pay for the dinner, picnic and T-shirts. "A lot of times family members will just put in some extra money to help out the host," she adds.

Dr. Vargus also suggests that families consider their relatives' individual financial circumstances when asking for funds.

Planning for the reunion, including how it will be financed, should begin at least a year in advance. However, it's important to set realistic deadlines so money can be collected to cover deposits and other upfront expenses.

With finances in mind, some families opt not to have reunions every year, and others ask family members to send a portion of their dues on a quarterly basis. There also are families that host fund-raisers to help cover reunion costs. "Families do all kinds of different things," says Dr. Vargus. "Some are very creative, but some are much like a church organization. They might have a raffle, a dance, a trip somewhere where they can charge more than what the trip costs to earn some money for the reunion."

While some families have the means to host costly and elaborate reunions, many do not. There are several ways families can cut costs to make the reunion more affordable for everyone. Families can choose less expensive facilities or even opt to have a picnic in a relative's backyard. The banquet or dinner can be held at a community center or other facility that may cost a lot less than a fancy banquet hall or a hotel ballroom. Instead of having all the major meals catered, consider asking family members in the host city to cook the meals. Planners also should consider offering lighter foods for some of the more informal gatherings. The bottom line is to keep it simple. "Rather than trying to do something so huge, do something small, even if it's at your home or it's at a hall," says Jenkins. She advises hosts to forgo grandiose plans with hidden costs because they likely will run into financial trouble.