Why "just use Eventbrite" falls short
Most committees start by cobbling together whatever they already know: a Facebook group for outreach, Google Forms for RSVPs, Venmo for money, an Excel sheet for the list, and a stack of hand-written name tags on the night. It works, barely, and it eats dozens of volunteer hours in reconciliation and copy-paste. Generic event platforms solve the ticketing piece but leave the reunion-specific problems, finding scattered classmates, matching yearbook photos to name tags, keeping one clean roster, completely unaddressed. A purpose-built reunion app closes those gaps.
The five-point checklist for any reunion app
Combined RSVP and payment
The single biggest time-saver. When registering and paying happen in one step, your headcount and your money stay in sync automatically. Split them across a form and a payment app and you inherit the reconciliation nightmare.
Classmate-finding tools
Reunions live or die on reaching people. Look for a shared roster, outreach that tracks who has been contacted, and a way to let classmates invite each other. Generic ticketing tools assume you already have everyone's email, which is exactly the problem you are trying to solve.
Name tags and check-in
Auto-generated name tags, ideally with yearbook photos, and a fast check-in on the night save your volunteers from a chaotic front table. This is the reunion-specific feature almost no general event app offers.
Live headcounts
Your caterer and venue need real numbers on deadline. A dashboard that shows paid, RSVP'd, and expected in real time beats counting spreadsheet rows the night before.
An interface anyone can use
Your committee is teachers and nurses and retirees, not software engineers. The tool has to be usable by a non-technical volunteer on their phone, or it will not get used.
How the common options stack up
| Tool | RSVP + pay | Find classmates | Name tags | Built for reunions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class Reunly | Yes, combined | Yes | Yes, with photos | Yes |
| Eventbrite | Yes | No | No | No |
| Facebook group | No payments | Partial | No | No |
| Google Forms + Venmo | Separate | No | No | No |
| Spreadsheet | Manual | No | No | No |
The pattern is clear: general tools each solve one slice. A reunion-specific platform is the only category that covers the whole job, which is why it saves committees the most time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best reunion planning app?
What should I look for in a reunion app?
Are reunion planning apps worth it?
Try the app built for reunions
Class Reunly puts RSVPs, payments, classmate outreach, and photo name tags in one place your whole committee can run from a phone.
Start your free reunion page →