How Should a Family Gather Input From Relatives Who Live Far Apart?

A family can gather input across distance by using the same process for everyone and making participation easy to plan. Share the topic, relevant materials, and response deadline in advance. Offer a remote meeting and a written way to comment so relatives can contribute across time zones and schedules.

Define the Question and Decision

Before seeking input, state what the family is deciding and what is already settled. Explain whether relatives are being asked to provide information, recommend an option, or vote under an established rule. Identify who will make the final decision and how the input will be considered. This prevents a discussion from creating expectations that every participant has equal authority.

Keep the request focused. Provide background in a short written brief, list the options under consideration, and identify any constraints such as budget or timing. If the question concerns the office's role, share the relevant policies and explain which part is open for review. Family governance is the set of management rules for working together, including with the office team. The governance guide can help the family document those rules.

Offer More Than One Way to Participate

Schedule a remote meeting with enough notice and choose a time that does not consistently favor one location. Send the agenda and materials ahead of time. Invite written comments before or after the meeting for relatives who cannot attend or prefer to think through their views privately. Use a facilitator when the topic is sensitive or the family expects disagreement.

For each discussion, give participants a clear route to speak and keep a record of the main concerns and proposals. If the family uses a council or town hall style meeting, define how representatives are chosen and how their input is reported back. A family compass can give those conversations a shared reference point; see creating your family compass.

Close the Loop

After the discussion, send a short note summarizing the views heard, the decision, who approved it, and any follow-up work. Where the decision does not follow a widely held suggestion, explain the reason in plain terms. Invite corrections to the meeting record, but avoid reopening settled questions without a clear process.

Keep a list of unresolved concerns and assign someone to report back. For ongoing topics, set a regular update schedule so relatives do not have to ask repeatedly for status. If the family is planning a new office, explain how its purpose and responsibilities fit the wider setup plan, using the family office startup hub as a reference.

Use a Consistent Record

Store agendas, materials, comments, and decisions in an organized place with access limited to the appropriate relatives. This gives people who missed a meeting a reliable record and helps the family apply the same rules in future discussions. If a decision affects office costs or services, connect the update to the family's regular reporting. The costs and results reporting page can help define that communication.

Distance calls for more structure, not less family participation. A clear question, fair chance to respond, and written closeout let relatives contribute without confusing consultation with formal authority.

Some of these families have family councils and town hall-style meetings to seek input and votes from the entire family.

Sources: How to Start a Family Office, The Single Family Office. Informational only, not financial, legal or tax advice.