Like many families this year, you may have planned a family meeting at a wonderful destination which involved a mix of planned activities, business and education. But now you realize that the family may not feel comfortable traveling at this time. Even as you cancel travel plans, the family may still need to make some decisions, and you have business to discuss, regarding your family business, investment strategies or general financial education. And what about the connectivity that meetings provide for the overall health and development of the family?
Consider a virtual family meeting
If you are like many families, your meetings include part business, part development and part fun. Rather than cancelling all of these, holding a virtual family meeting is a great way to accomplish your original objectives. But how do you avoid virtual meeting fatigue and actually have some family fun?Recreating the family development and fun activities in a virtual environment works best when you are willing to reimagine the meeting, looking for and playing to the strengths of the virtual world. We present some ideas below to help your family spend quality time “together” and grow your skills.
Create family togetherness experiences
If you can’t physically be together, think about activities that would allow you to spend time together in an online environment. Once the activities are determined, create “welcome packages” of items that can help facilitate this family togetherness and mail these out to the families before the start of the meeting. Ways for the family to get together virtually include:
Do some family development
You probably have some unspent budget since you are not paying for travel and accommodations for everyone. Use these funds to work on group skills for the family, help family members develop themselves or help them learn about the family legacy.
Start preparing for the “family” part of a virtual family meeting
Warner can assist as you reimagine your family meeting and bring your vision to life. Our attorneys have facilitated virtual meeting sessions for families and helped families to plan their virtual family meetings. Reach out to your Warner attorney for assistance or contact Jennifer Remondino, Chair of the Trusts and Estates Practice Group, at jremondino@wnj.com or at 616.396.3243.
