A strong, well-organized committee is an essential part of a reunion. Generally, reunions are executed by a committee of class volunteers, led by a reunion chair or co-chairs. Smaller classes may opt for one or two planners. Committees will determine the date, location, style or theme and overall approach that best suits your planners and your class. An engaged committee makes reunion planning easier and promotes the greatest outcome – high attendance at your reunion!
The most effective committees keep it simple and are organized and can involve a diverse group of classmates. Assigning specific responsibilities to committee members helps clarify roles in reunion planning and ensures success.
Tasks to Consider:
It is our sincere desire to provide committees with the necessary tools to plan a successful and memorable event.
Law School Liaison: First, committees should select a member to serve as the liaison to the law school. Liaisons will be responsible for providing the law school with information regarding the celebration so that it can be posted on the class celebration web page. The law school's reunion liaison is Melissa Lobato, Development Operations Manager (lobato@law.unm.edu or 505-277-1457).
Your website: Register and See Who's Coming: The law school will provide each committee with valuable online tools, including a web page for each class. Classmates will be able to register on the class page, and an email notification will go out to committee members as classmates register. A running tally of who has registered will be visible on each class page (unless a classmate elects to remain off the list).
Get Your Committee's Class List: The law school will also supply the committee with a class list, including contact information and 2 sets of mailing labels. This list will allow committee members to determine who has not registered and who they should personally contact to achieve maximum attendance. Please notify Melissa Lobato of any errors or omissions.
Please feel free to contact Melissa Lobato lobato@law.unm.edu or 505-277-1457 with any questions or concerns. We're here to assist you!
Communicate Regularly: Your reunion committee should plan to meet once a month either in person or via conference call. It is important that from the beginning the committee establish regular meetings in order to ensure that all tasks are completed.
Use the Provided Secure Message Boards: To help facilitate effective communication, the law school will provide each committee with access to a message board where committee members can provide updates or ask questions at any time. Committee members will be provided with log-in information to access each class' individual message board.
It is up to the discretion of the class reunion committee to determine the best date for your class celebration. Typically reunions are better attended between June and September. Certainly Fridays or Saturdays are the most desirable dates to consider for your reunion.
You may wish to schedule your class celebration in conjunction with other events, such as a tailgate reunion party, but of course it is not obligatory.
Below is a list of upcoming law school and university events:
Friday, August 12
The 10th Annual School of Law Alumni/ae Association Summer Golf Classic
UNM Championship Golf Course
11:30 a.m. Lunch
12:30 p.m. Shotgun start (18 holes)
Best Ball Scramble
Cost: $125 per player or $450 per foursome
Saturday, September 24
University of New Mexico Homecoming football game
The Lobos will play Sam Houston State
University Stadium
Friday, November 4
School of Law Alumni/ae Association Distinguished Achievement Award Dinner
UNM Student Union Building
6:00 p.m.
Based on feedback we have received from past reunions, the most successful celebrations are private, informal gatherings in a classmate's home or office, or held in conjunction with the School of Law annual golf tournament in August (see above) - register your class foursomes and play! 19th hole reception is included in the tournament, so this is a GREAT venue for classes that don't have a "planner" among them, or who wish to keep it simple and fun. Classmates who don't golf should be encouraged to arrive post-play for the 19th hole happy hour. However, there is no standard reunion format and each committee should determine the location of their event. Here are some pros and cons to consider when planning your celebration:
Choosing to hold your event at a classmate's home or office should result in the least amount of financial planning and pressure. Hosts often volunteer to cover the cost of the event, in which case the committee is freed from the burden of dealing with financial planning.
Home or Office
Pros
* Highly successful venue
* More intimate
* Less expensive
* Better attendance (typically)
* More memorable
* Unlimited catering options
* Flexibility on start and end time
Cons
* Finding a classmate with enough space to accommodate classmates and guests
* More planning on host's part
* Clean up after event
* Committee may need to set up bank and/or Pay Pal account to collect payments if gathering is not covered or gifted by the host(s).
Hotel or Restaurant
Pros
* Large venue
* No clean up after event
* Ambience of particular location
Cons
* Significantly more expensive
* Less intimate
* Cost could deter attendance
* Committee would have to negotiate contracts
* Catering restricted to location
* Up-front deposits (usually paid out of pocket by committee)
* Committee would have to set up bank and/or Pay Pal account to collect payments
* Celebration must begin and end at prescribed time
* Licensed server required if serving alcohol (hotel)
Holding your celebration at a hotel or restaurant presents various financial planning challenges. First, restaurants and hotels will require a deposit, which means the committee will have to provide funding up front and be reimbursed once money from classmates is collected. Second, if serving alcohol at a hotel, you will be required to pay for a licensed server even if it is a cash bar (which also means you will have to factor that cost into your cost per person calculation). Lastly, should problems occur with the event and money be refunded to the committee it will be nearly impossible to redistribute the funds to classmates.
Committees set the tone for the entire celebration. Committees can determine a theme for the celebration, whether to present a class gift to the law school or to have any type of presentation during the event. Whether you want to have an `80s theme or no theme at all, it is important to bear in mind that the purpose of your class celebration is to reconnect with classmates. While music and dancing can provide a lively atmosphere, feedback from prior years has shown that loud music detracts from the experience and makes communicating more difficult.
Sharing a few memories about professors and significant events during your three years at the law school can be a fun way to begin the event. Remembering departed classmates and sharing news of ill classmates is also appropriate. Do keep in mind that "good things, when short, are twice as good."* Classmates' motivation to attend the class celebration is to catch up with friends!
* Baltasar Gracián y Morales, 17th century poet
Class gifts are a lovely way for classes to join together in giving back to the institution that played a significant role in their lives and in their lifelong relationships. Some classes have elected to challenge their classmates to raise a certain dollar amount as a group - such as $2,500 and up to $10,000, to date. Classes have made gifts to many different areas and needs of the law school, and we would be honored to have the opportunity to work with your class on this should you determine your class would like to contribute in this way as a group and to create an opportunity like this for class recognition for your class at the law school. Some classes prefer not to co-mingle reunion and this type of fundraising, and some are energized and connected by it. If your class committee decides to make a class gift to the law school as part of your reunion, please contact Hannah Farrington Parker at farrington@law.unm.edu or 505- 277-1038 for ideas and guidance. We thank you for considering this option.
The committee will direct and send out all invitations and reminders for the class celebration. Invitations and reminders should always include the link to the class celebration web page.
Invitations can be mailed, emailed or both. The law school will provide you with the most current contact information it has for your classmates. It is critical that invitations are sent out as soon as the date, location and time are finalized.
We have designed an email invitation template for committees to utilize should they choose to do so. Contact Melissa Lobato at lobato@law.unm.edu or 505-277-1457 if you are interested in using our email invitation.
Should your committee opt to mail invitations the law school will provide you with two sets of mailing labels. Contact Melissa Lobato for more information.
You might consider ensuring good attendance by sending out reminders 60 days, 30 days and 1 week before your celebration takes place.
The UNM School of Law Development Office will provide committees with class lists with the most current contact information it has on file. If the information provided is not valid, then we ask for the committee's assistance in searching for missing classmates. Please do report new information on classmates to the law school reunion liaison.
In order to encourage maximum attendance, the committee can monitor the list of attendees on its webpage and personally contact those who have not registered.
Updated Contact Information: Please provide all updated contact information received on your classmates to the law school to to assist with planning the next reunion and ensure we have the best data for our alumni on file. You can email or mail updated information to Melissa Lobato, or direct your classmates to update their information online and share news about themselves or your class.
The location and type of celebration you hold can determine the amount of financial planning needed. In many cases, the host or hosts, or group of classmates, have opted to cover the associated costs -i.e. providing the catering and their home for the event. Depending on where you hold your event, the committee may need to calculate costs associated with the event. It is best to make these determinations before any invitations are sent out to classmates, in the event you wish to include a suggested per person amount to be provided before or at the event. In many cases, class committees have opted to have a $10 - $25 or more request included in their invite. Most classes have found it simplest to collect this money at the event and reimburse themselves or the host later, versus collecting in advance.
Other things to consider in you committee discussions are menus and mailing costs (if any), along with alcohol costs, costs for decorations (if any), and any other costs you might incur. Once you have identified all of the expenses, then the cost per person can be calculated. The cost per person, along with when and how to pay, will need to be indicated on your class web page and on all invitations and reminders that are sent out.
The committee will need to collect the required fees from classmates. If you choose to collect in advance, we recommend that these funds NOT be deposited into an individual's account, in order to avoid co-mingling funds. Even if you designate one member of the committee as a treasurer, it is recommended that at least two people on the committee be able to access funds in case of emergency. You may also consider opening a PayPal account. Should you choose to take this route, you will need to factor in the transaction fee into the cost per person of your event. Visit here for instructions on how to set up a PayPal account. Or, simply collect "at the door".
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Melissa Lobato, Development Operations Manager, at lobato@law.unm.edu or 505-277-1457.
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