How to Design a Family Newsletter for a Family Reunion

Create a delightful family newsletter to hand out at your next family reunion.

Design an impressive family newsletter for your upcoming family reunion. The newsletter can update family members on new family members, important events in the family, or an individual family member's year including stories and family history. Producing the newsletter on your personal computer will enable you to email it to family members who are unable to attend the reunion. You can provide printed copies to those in attendance.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Printer
• Word processing program
• Newsletter template

Instructions

1. Communicate with family members to obtain articles and stories for the newsletter. Email or call new moms, newly married family members, new business owners, new home owners and anyone in the family who has a story to tell. Inquire if they would be willing to write or type a small article for the newsletter or if they grant permission for their names and dates to be printed in an announcement section.

2. Provide those willing to write with a deadline for submitting the story to you. The deadline should allow you enough time to compile and edit the newsletter, as well as print enough copies before the reunion date.

3. Open any word processing program installed on the computer such as Microsoft Word. Click "New" and under "Template" click "Newsletters."

4. Click any newsletter template that fits your needs and then click "I Accept" if there are usage terms or "Download" to open the document. If you choose "Download" the file will be downloaded from the online gallery and may take a few seconds to a few moments to open, based on your internet connection.

5. Edit the name, subheadings and article sections by replacing with articles received from family members. In some instances the pictures can also be changed, if you would like to insert a photo instead of the pre-inserted clip art.

6. Perform a spelling and grammar check on the document and adjust any misspelled words as needed. Save the document.

7. Print a sufficient amount of copies for your expected attendance level. The newsletter can be printed on colored paper if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• Provide each relative you contact with your contact information in case they need to reach you in regards to the newsletter.

References

• Microsoft Home Magazine; Make headlines! Create a family newsletter

Resources

• A Weber Communications; Quick How-To: Create a Family Newsletter
• Family Reunion; Ideas