T he process of planning a family reunion is as important as the event itself. Key: Involve family members in planning. This way you accomplish much of what the reunion itself is supposed to do.

Planning a family reunion is not like planning a wedding. Your goal is not to have a perfect event that comes off without a hitch.

You want your family to bond into a community that they want to maintain. Like a potluck dinner, this means parceling out tasks to relatives from different age groups and different parts of the family, however imperfect the results.

PICK A THEME

Uniting the family is easier if there is a theme for the event. Celebrating an older relative's birthday, the grandparents' wedding anniversary, the anniversary of your family's arrival in the US, the anniversary of family members becoming American citizens--such themes make the gathering a must-attend event.

BROAD CATEGORIES

Find out how many people will attend and how far they will travel. Next, think cost and time commitment. You want a reunion to be doable for most of those invited.

I advise first-timers to go for small and simple--a barbecue or picnic reunion. It is easy to organize and doesn't require much time or money from participants. Broad categories of reunions...

Category one: 15 to 75 people. One-week-plus family camp. Informal. Moderately priced to expensive--$25 to $125 a day for each adult... half that for children. Includes the shared cost of lodging (renting condos, cabins, cottages or houses), food, housekeeping, entertainment and transportation. Some structured activities. One year for planning.

Category two: 25 to 60 people. One-day backyard or local park picnic or barbecue. Informal. Low cost--$5 to $20 each adult... half for children. Food provided by host family with potluck contributions. Possible fee for park use. Unstructured activities. Two to six months for planning.

Category three: 50 to 100 people. One- to two-day homecoming. Informal. Moderately priced--$10 to $25 a day for each adult--half for children. Includes the shared cost of food or caterer, rental of tent or other shelter, fee for use of town park or other site. Some structured activities. Six to 12 months for planning.

Category four: 50 to 300 people. Two- to four-day weekend or extended weekend classic. Formal. Moderately high to expensive--$30 to $150 a day for each adult... half for children. Includes registration fees, shared cost of transportation, T-shirts or other handouts and keepsakes, meeting rooms and activities, lodging, catered meals. Structured activities. One to three years for planning.

DIVISIONS OF LABOR

Contact as many potential reunion attendees as possible and assign them a role in the planning. These people will help decide the reunion's location and cost. They will also plan the activities and keep relatives in touch with each other before, during and after the event. Delegate the following responsibilities...

Correspondence person/secretary: Will contact relatives in writing, by E-mail or phone, checking on the status of their tasks, soliciting volunteers, updating addresses and telephone numbers. Will also get in touch with any organizations--such as hotels, caterers or a town's parks department--with which the family will be dealing.

Strategy: Choose two secretaries (one is likely to be you) from different parts of the family. This divides the work while multiplying the number of people involved in the reunion.

Treasurer: Responsible for collecting money from reunion-goers and for paying all bills. If the reunion group is small, the Treasurer can write checks on his/her own account. If the group is large, set up a special reunion bank account on which checks can be drawn. For all reunions, once the Treasurer has figured out each family's dollar contribution, add 15% for unexpected expenses.

Location committee: As few as two people, as many as five. These folks will canvass would-be participants regarding their physical needs and financial limitations.

Computer whiz: Builds and maintains an address directory.

Historian: Provides some tidbits from family history for the reunion. Keeps a record of the reunion to be shared later in the year.

Activity committee: As few as two people, as many as four. Responsible for planning or investigating activities for the different age groups attending the reunion.

One person should deal exclusively with activities for children, including arranging for older kids to take turns baby-sitting the younger ones.

Anticipate bad weather and plan indoor activities for all age groups. Visits to museums or local historic sites are good choices, or an indoor playground for the kids. How about a housewide treasure hunt for the whole family? Make sure that in case of bad weather there is indoor space for the reunion itself. Consider setting a rain date at the start.

Example: Schedule the barbecue for a Saturday, with Sunday as the alternative.

Opportunity: Your garage, emptied of cars and tidied up, with the door open and decorations on the wall can make a lovely setting/shelter for a family barbecue.

WHERE AND WHEN

Summer is good for any reunion. Children are not in school, and the weather usually allows for outdoor activities.

Extended holiday weekends are also good choices.

Deciding where to hold your reunion is tricky. Again, consider cost and convenience.

The location committee should canvass would-be participants to determine how far they are willing to travel, their interests, likes and dislikes and any special limitations or needs. A contingent of older relatives averse to strong sunlight, for example, would rule out the beach for your picnic. But someone's backyard or public park and picnic grounds might satisfy everyone.

If relatives are coming from a distance and have disparate financial and physical needs in terms of living arrangements, look for someplace that offers variety--perhaps a family member's home with nearby motel and public camping grounds.

The committee should choose a location that makes the most sense for the largest number of people. An excellent choice is a dormitory.

Many colleges and universities are renting dorm space during the summer. Dorms are cheap, clean, safe. They can accommodate young and old, physically handicapped and able-bodied. Dorm guests are usually allowed to use recreational facilities. These can include swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, waterfront, walking and running paths, picnic areas... and more. Most are in or near a town, which means that shops and movie theaters are readily available, as are religious institutions.