One of the things I love most is taking messy time-consuming processes and turning them into smooth, automated systems. Last week I worked with a client who needed help managing registrations for their family reunion event.

What started as a simple registration form quickly grew into a full event management system with automated data parsing, financial tracking, and dashboards. the end result? a solution that saved the client hours of manual work, gave them complete visibility into registrations and payments, and can now be reused for future events.

This project is a perfect example of how the right tools + the right systems can make life and work easier, regardless of organization or teams of any size.

The Challenge

Most family reunions (and honestly, many small organizations) handle registration with a simple form or email chain. But once you start collecting:

• Names and ages of hundreds of attendees
• shirt sizes and orders,
• registration dues and
• tracking who has and hasnt paid…

Things can get messy, fast.

The client needed a system that could:

1. Collect detailed registration info for multiple attendees per household
2. Track T-shirt sizes and achievements
3. Automatically calculate costs for registration dues + shirts
4. Give organizers a dashboard to see exactly who still owed money
   

The Solution We Built

1. Smart Registration Form

• Families submit one form for their household.
  
• They can enter multiple attendees at once, with name, age, shirt size, registration type, and even achievements since the last family reunion.
  
• Submissions go directly into a Google Sheet.

2. Automated Parsing

• Instead of dumping all attendee details into one messy cell, a custom script breaks the data into clean rows.
  
• Each attendee gets their own record, with calculated registration cost, shirt cost, and total owed.
  

3. Payment Tracker

• A dedicated tab where organizers can mark Paid?, log Amount Paid, and leave notes.
  
• New attendees are automatically added here so nothing gets missed.
  
• Manual payment entries never get overwritten, even when new data is synced.
  

4. Dynamic Dashboard

• At a glance, organizers see:
  
  • Total attendees.
    
  • Financial summary: dues, shirts, and total owed.
    
  • Total collected vs outstanding balance.
    
  • List of attendees who still owe money.
    
  • Shirt size breakdown (for ordering).
    
  • Achievements by attendee.
    
• With one click, the dashboard refreshes with updated totals and charts.

The Impact

What used to take the client hours of manual reconciliation can now be managed in minutes. The planning committee doesn’t have to dig through emails or guess who paid, it’s all right there, live in the dashboard.

But more importantly: this system isn’t just for family reunions.

• Nonprofits can use it for fundraising events.
  
• Schools can adapt it for trips, clubs, or banquets.
  
• Community groups and churches can use it for conferences, retreats, and youth events.

Anywhere you need to track people + money + details, this system can be tailored.

Why This Matters

This project shows what’s possible when you blend automation, organization, and clear dashboards. Instead of hiring an expensive event platform, we created a custom solution that was affordable, flexible, and built exactly around the client’s needs.

And that’s the kind of work I love doing: helping teams and organizations cut through the chaos, eliminate manual busywork, and focus on what matters most!

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Let’s Build Something for You

The project you just read about is one example of how I help clients streamline their processes with automation, data solutions, and smart systems.

If you’re running a business, nonprofit, or community organization and you’re tired of juggling spreadsheets, emails, and manual busywork, I can help.

I design and build custom solutions that:

• Save you time,
• Keep your team organized, and
• Give you real visibility into your operations.

Ready to explore what this could look like for you? Let’s connect.