Host a family meeting across countries

Decide what the meeting is for before you send the link

A family meeting called "to discuss things" runs for three hours and decides nothing. Write one sentence: "Agree how we share the cost of Papa's memorial and who coordinates." Send that sentence with the link.

Send one link where the family already talks

Schedule the meeting in the family group and paste the link in the family WhatsApp group with the date, the time in the main time zones, and the purpose. Relatives open the link in a browser, type their name, and join. Nobody needs an account except the host.

Make it easy for the elders

An elder can join from any phone's browser, or sit beside a grandchild who joins on theirs. Ask them to speak first while everyone is fresh. Turn off video for anyone on a weak connection; voice is what matters.

Handle late joiners and time zones

Start on time for the majority. Relatives in a far time zone join late or watch the recording. Keep the decisions until the end of the meeting so latecomers hear them, and open any vote with a deadline so people asleep in another country can still weigh in.

Record the decision and the money

Before the meeting ends, read out what was decided and who contributes what. Record it on the meeting, and keep the contribution record in the family group. When the argument starts three weeks later, the record ends it.

Follow up in the same group

Post the minutes, the recording, and the contribution record in the family group. Relatives who missed the meeting catch up without a phone call, and the next family meeting starts from what was agreed.