What makes a good Thank You gift? - YouLookFab Forum

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What makes a good Thank You gift?

Helen11

Veteran

Hi fabbers,
I hope I might draw on the collective experience here : )
I am part of a kids playgroup, and we have some wonderful retired ladies who volunteer their time with us. We want to show we appreciate them with a little gift for the end of the year.
I'm guessing that plenty of you have experience in both giving and receiving for this sort of thing. Could you share your favourite ideas with me?
Thanks in advance for saving me from the rabbit hole that is Pinterest!

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22 replies

Latest reply was from Helen11

JAileen

Veteran

I'm in a nonprofit consisting mostly of retired teachers. Some have mentioned getting gifts in the past from students/parents. They did not like getting things such as mugs, etc.

If I were being given a gift I think a gift certificate to a restaurant or coffee house would be nice.

Peri

Veteran

Before you go with the coffee house, make sure they drink coffee! In short, do some spying and find out what they actually like. I've gotten so many gift certificates I couldn't use and just passed on to friends. Target, etc, gift cards are useful but don't feel special. Maybe something like a Mall gift card, where they can choose from so many options.

catgirl

Veteran

Movie tickets!

Sal

Veteran

Something created by the children - ie taking one of their drawings and turning it into a print or a box of cards.
Cafe vouchers.
Mini hamper.

These are very common gifts but ones I always use and appreciate
- plants
- flowers
- lovely soaps
- tea towels.

abc

Veteran

Depending on the kids age level and effort to do it, you could make handmade items or bake things for them.

unfrumped

Veteran

I think this can be tougher than it seems because often you don't want to spend a lot per individual, so it seems easy to get something "small" like a candle or soaps or whatnot, but as mentioned ( and maybe I'm channeling KonMari here) I doubt anyone wants more "stuff" ( or whatnots!).
You do have to think about your budget because a gift card says right out there, you are worth $___ and may look chinchy for the mall, for example, whereas, and I say this as a not-coffee-drinker, for Starbucks you can give $10 and it's useful to a coffee fan.

Then I'm often paralyzed by whether to give everyone the same thing, or try to individualize.

My approach is usually something edible but healthy because it gets used up (can be hard and also not the cheapest because I end up doing something "gourmet" or specialty store), or a gift card to an inexpensive or specialty item restaurant ( coffee, pizza) and I also like alaskagirl's movie ticket thing because you basically work with the movie house for 2 tickets or equivalent.

See, I struggle with this also, for work team members, volunteers, church people.

unfrumped

Veteran

Oh and when I am channeling Martha Stewart, I have had some luck with making "gift bags"--this is if there are several giftee's and you want to everything the same and are on a budget. You can then put small edibles like gourmet dried fruit and/or nuts, and perhaps useful cosmetic item such as fancy emery boards or purse-sized hand lotion, and toss in either a handful of dark chocolates or truffles, or a specialty dark chocolate bar, and some sparkly ribbon. Again this brings up issues if someone is deathly allergic to something!

greycat6

Veteran

Agreeing with the comments above that something consumable is my preference when both giving and receiving.

Movie tickets, note cards, plants, flowers, edibles are all great ideas. When doing something small in size and consumable I often package it with another consumable that makes the gift appear 'bigger'. For kids and movie tickets, movie candy works well. A nice pen works with pretty notecards.

Packaging a small gift in a unique way can make it appear more special. Beautiful ribbon and tissue paper can go a long way.

I commend you thoughtful approach to thank you gifts!

Helen11

Veteran

Thank you for all those terrific ideas!
How lucky am I to put the request out there before I go to bed, then have the answers in the morning. You ladies are fabulous : )
I will come back tonight to comment a bit more.

catgirl

Veteran

Just to add, Costco often has discount movie ticket packages so you can save there (movies are expensive these days!).

Eliza

Veteran

So hard to sort these "simple" things out, especially when there are more than one volunteers.

My favorite volunteer gifts were photos of the group I was working with, perhaps accompanied by a thank you note or home-made "certificate", signed by the kids if old enough. Of course, kids' photos usually require parental approval. A simple small picture frame and the photo is all you need to purchase; the photo could alternatively be affixed to a card. For me, less is more.

Good luck!

Eliza

Veteran

Deleted double post

Sorry.

Anonymous

I often get gifts from children and would not recommend getting mugs, soaps, lotion, or jewelry. Gift cards to places like Paneras, edibles ( I can't eat sweets but can use them for guests), gift certificate for a book store or gift shop are nice. My favorite is a bookmark or holiday ornament a child has made or donation to a charity.

Summer

Veteran

I don't think you can go wrong with beautifully-packaged edibles or flowers.

Anonymous

Sometimes a generic gift card to a shopping mall (lets you spend the card wherever you want) is a great gift. Or a local spa gift card. This way they can use it to get their hair cut and/or colored, a manicure, massage, facial, etc. Plus a lot of these spas carry products for sale. Or even a certificate to an upscale supermarket (in my area that would be Wegman's)

Use your detective skills to get a better idea of what might be appreciated. For me personally, I would love a spa certificate.

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

I would say a small gift card (Amazon or Starbucks) and some small homemade food item, like chocolate truffles or macarons.

Anonymous

I agree, it would be pretty hard to find someone who wouldn't love an Amazon gift card or some gourmet chocolate or nuts (or both!)

Anonymous

A Visa gift card that can be used practically anywhere

elpgal

Veteran

Our school organized chair massages for all the teaching staff - they loved it. They all went home with a kid- decorated candle and a bar of chocolate. Cost the parents $25 a piece.

Cerinda

Veteran

A pretty, but inexpensive, basket filled with fresh seasonal fruit. And flowers, always flowers.

Helen11

Veteran

Thank you for more great ideas. I know no one needs more 'stuff', so it's good to see others feel the same way. Movie tickets are a great idea. No Costco near me (gee, they must sell everything!) but I can get discount vouchers through the auto club.
Joy, thanks for your insights. One of our helpers is diabetic, so I wondered about the wisdom of giving sweets.
I'm thinking of adding some personal touches from the kids on the cards.
I better get my act together, I only have a couple of weeks!
And now I have some other thoughts for teachers now as well. You're all terrific!

Helen11

Veteran

Sorry, duplicate post.