How to Prepare a Class Reunion Survey

When you're on the class reunion committee and getting ready to plan the next gathering of your fellow graduates, there will be a lot of questions that you will want to ask to help you plan the event. Things to be settled include how often to hold reunions, where to hold them and how much money to budget for events. You may also want to get personal information from the class to put together for everyone to read in a memory book.

Instructions

1. Find out from all the committee members what kind of information they need to prepare for the next class reunion, to ensure that you ask these questions in the survey. Make your request at a meeting, post it on your group's website or send out an email to them. For example, you may not have current information about classmates' families or careers.

2. Ask the class questions about the previous reunion event to get feedback. Include such questions as, "Did you enjoy the food?," "Were you pleased with the venue that you used, and its location?" Other questions to ask include: "If a band played, did you like it, or would you prefer that we hire a DJ next time and play music that was popular when you were in school?"

3. Find out how often classmates would like to meet. For example, ask if they want to get together in five years, or wait until the 10th or 15th year for the next reunion. You should also ask in the survey if they'd like spouses, significant others and children to be invited as well.

4. Write questions to find out what time of year the classmates prefer to meet. For example, ask if most of them want to meet in the summer, when more of them will have vacation time, or if winter is more convenient for them. Also find out what time of day they would like for the event--for instance, they might prefer you to serve a breakfast, hold a luncheon or plan a dinner event with dancing.

5. Solicit personal information from the class for inclusion in a memory book that you will print up and distribute to each person. Also ask for information about deceased classmates that the committee can use to write tributes. Remember to double-check this information with another source, such as newspaper obituaries.

6. Get an idea of how much money the classmates are willing to spend. This information will help you budget for the next events. You can make multiple choice questions, such as, "Would you be willing to pay $100 to cover the costs of this particular type of banquet hall, a photographer and a live band?"

7. Find out if any classmates would like to volunteer to be on the planning committee. Ask them to add comments or other information not addressed by the survey.

References

• Reunion Class 101: Class Reunion Planning 101
• Class Creator: Class Reunion Survey
• High School Reunion Ideas: Class Reunion Ideas
• Roncalli High School: Alumni Class Reunion Guide