Class Reunion Planning Checklist (Free)

Why a checklist beats a to-do list

Most reunions are planned by a handful of volunteers with day jobs, and the number-one reason things go sideways is not money or attendance, it is dropped tasks. A caterer never confirmed. Name tags ordered too late. A deposit missed. A real checklist fixes this by pinning every task to a month and an owner, so the committee always knows what is due next and who has it. Below is the exact sequence we recommend, refined across hundreds of reunions.

60+

discrete tasks in a typical reunion

12 mo

ideal lead time to start

3–5

committee members to share the load

Tasks check off top to bottom as your countdown shrinks from 12 months to event week.

The checklist, by countdown

12 months out: foundation

Recruit a committee of three to five, elect a chair and treasurer, and open a shared bank account or payment platform. Pick your date (avoid holiday weekends and homecoming), then tour and book a venue with a signed contract and deposit. Draft a rough budget dividing fixed costs (venue, catering minimum, DJ) by an honest attendance estimate.

6 to 9 months out: outreach and invites

Build your classmate list, launch a class group or reunion page, and start finding lost classmates now, because this is the slowest task. Send save-the-dates, then formal invitations with a clear RSVP link and deadline. Lock in caterer, photographer, and DJ. Open ticket sales, ideally with an early-bird tier to pull cash in early.

1 to 2 months out: lock it down

Send RSVP reminders, close the headcount, and give the caterer final numbers and meal counts. Order name tags (yearbook photos are a crowd favorite), print a check-in list, buy decorations, and build the run-of-show. Confirm every vendor in writing with arrival times and a day-of contact.

Event week and day-of

Assign a setup crew and a check-in team, print signage, and pack a day-of kit (tape, markers, cash box, extension cords, first-aid). Arrive early, walk the room with the venue manager, and station greeters at the door. Assign one person to nothing but troubleshooting so the committee can actually enjoy the night.

“Reunions rarely fail on budget. They fail on the one task nobody remembered to own.”

Turn the checklist into shared accountability

A printed checklist is a great start, but a reunion has too many moving parts for a fridge magnet. The fix is a single shared list every committee member can see, with an owner and a due date on each line. When the venue coordinator updates the deposit status or the outreach lead marks a batch of classmates found, everyone sees it instantly, and nothing gets planned twice or forgotten entirely.

Assign an owner to every task, not just a due date, so accountability is unambiguous
Keep RSVPs, payments, and the task list in one place instead of scattered spreadsheets and DMs
Review the checklist at the top of each committee meeting to surface anything slipping
Build in a two-week buffer before the event so late tasks do not collide with setup

Frequently asked questions

What should be on a class reunion checklist?

Core items include forming a committee, setting a budget, finding classmates, booking a venue, sending invitations, collecting RSVPs, ordering name tags, and planning day-of logistics.

When should each checklist task be done?

Group tasks by countdown: 12 months out for venue and committee, 6 months for invites, 1 month for final headcount and name tags, and week-of for setup.

Can I share the checklist with my committee?

Yes. In Class Reunly the checklist is shared so every committee member sees the same live task list and who owns each item.

Run your checklist live, together

Class Reunly gives your whole committee one shared checklist, RSVP tracker, and payment log, so the whole plan lives in one place instead of five.

Start your free reunion page →