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Tips for planning a graduation party

Balloons spelling out "Congrats"

School may be out—but we’ve still got some knowledge to share. Follow these top 10 graduation party dos and don’ts for planning a graduation party your high school or college grad deserves.

DO send your invitations early

Smart graduation party planning starts with securing your VIP guest list of family members and friends. Weekends are in high demand for grad parties, so send out your graduation invites and grab your party date before anyone else does. Our handy guide on when to send your graduation invites is here to help you achieve grad invitation success!

DO plan ahead

Prevent day-of stress by prepping as much as you can the night before. Set up tables, chairs and decor, and clean your place so food and drinks are the only things you need to take care of on the day of the party. Our downloadable and printable graduation party planning checklist can help keep you on track and ensure you don't miss a single step on the road to celebration success! BTW, if you have some guests who aren’t physically coming to your home, think about how to provide the best video chat experience. Set up your device in a room with natural lighting and a strong internet connection.

DON’T keep your neighbors in the dark

If you’re expecting a large group of people, let your neighbors next door and across the street know ahead of time about limited street parking and potential noise.

DO set the stage

Make a statement as soon as guests walk through the door. Set up a special entrance table with your grad’s pics or other school memorabilia and a well wishes jar or guest book so everyone can jot down some sweet notes and words of advice. The table also provides a central location for guests to drop off gifts.

DON’T worry about the food

Every party calls for delicious party food. Make it easy on yourself—order catering to satisfy everyone’s tastes, such as a fajita or taco bar, so guests can serve themselves.

DO rent or borrow extra chairs and tables

The last thing you need is Aunt Charlotte spilling her Champagne on your rug because she can’t balance her plate while holding a drink. Borrow folding tables and chairs from friends or rent them from a party store.

DON’T forget the ice

Summer is kicking off, and guests will want to celebrate with a cold beverage. If you’re short on freezer space, ask a close friend to pick up ice on the way to the party.

DO create an epic playlist

There was a lot of hassle for that tassel, so it’s time to let loose! Play music in the background to set the mood or set up an area for dancing if your family and friends are down to get down on the dance floor.

DON’T forget to plan an activity

Keep the party popping by offering more than just food and drinks. Make up a trivia quiz about the grad and offer a prize for the most right answers, put together a photo booth or selfie station, or set up backyard games like cornhole.

DO customize your party

Stand out from the rest of the grad parties this season by getting creative and personalizing your grad party. Not sure where to start? Check out our top grad party decor picks from Amazon! Etsy also offers tons of personalized decor, party favors and more to elevate your graduation party, no matter what your grad party theme is.

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Developed hand-in-hand with community organizers, PTA presidents, parents and teachers, Evite's signup sheets are designed to make organizing volunteers a breeze. Here are a few ways SignUp Sheets are different than other signup tools:

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Signup sheets are the perfect way to streamline scheduling, volunteer recruitment, class parties, snack duty, potluck organization, parent-teacher conferences and more! You can think of them as your digital assistant for coordinating events and tasks and ensuring that your event is a success.

Evite SignUp Sheets offers parents, teachers and event planners customizable online forms that organizers and volunteers can access and update effortlessly. Volunteers can choose their preferred time slots, sign up for tasks or indicate what they'll bring to the event. It only takes organizers a few minutes to create a signup sheet and send it out with a shareable link, so they can get the word out via text, email or social media—whichever way they prefer! 

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Creating a signup sheet has never been easier than with Evite! Here’s how to create a sheet that’s sure to make your event an absolute success:

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What information should be included on a SignUp Sheet?

When it comes to signup sheet information, there are some essentials to include regardless of what you’re organizing:

  1. A title for your signup sheet. Tip: Aim to keep your signup sheet title concise but clear. You want volunteers to read it and have a general understanding of what your event is about, and also make it easy for them to look for later if they need to reference your sheet again. You have the option to include a more descriptive note in a different field about your event, so save the more in-depth details for that!
  1. When and where the event is taking place. 
  1. The organizer’s name and phone number.
  1. Slots for volunteers to choose from. Once you choose the SignUp Sheets template that fits the occasion, the slots you’ll need for your sheet will be right there and ready for you to add the relevant info, such as dates, times, items to bring and tasks to complete. 

When adding your slot information, clearly define what people are signing up for, especially for a what-to-bring list or role assignments. If you want someone to bring healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after a game, specify that. You want your volunteers to feel confident in what they’re bringing and to make it easy for them to know what’s expected of them. It will save them time and stress (and you, too!). That being said, if you make your ask too specific (for example, asking for a hard-to-source item or something expensive), you may not end up with a volunteer for it. So be clear about what you expect, but also be reasonable!

Aside from providing the basic signup information, you can also add optional descriptions to both your entire signup sheet and individual slots. While not required, they can help guide your volunteers further and provide more information. You can add information about allergies, preferences and general info about the event. You can also add a wish list to make it easier for your volunteers to bring exactly what you need!

What are the benefits of using a SignUp Sheet template?

Signup sheet templates offer a ton of advantages for both organizers and volunteers and with Evite SignUp Sheets, you'll enjoy even more benefits than other digital and paper signup sheets! Some benefits our signup sheet templates offer include:

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  • Clean, modern designs with no pop-up ads.

With Evite SignUp Sheets, you can enjoy organizing and coordinating all your events with ease. Signup sheets streamline the signup process for everyone involved, ensuring that everything will go to plan on the day of your event while saving you precious time in the process.

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