Thank You Washington!

Call it good juju or good planning, but I'm happy to report that from: Everyone is catching on. A group of Executive Assistants in the gorgeous state of Washington have joined together to give a Thank You gift to a co-worker and they've used from: Everyone to make it happen. Leave it to the savvy EA's to know a good thing when they see it: make it simple, save time - no more passing around the envelope, no more collecting checks, and no more rushing out on your lunch hour in search of the perfect gift. Thanks for your support and we hope you'll spread the word!

You just never know ...

After a sluggish holiday season on the group gift front, I'm happy to report business is picking up at the start of the New Year - thanks everyone!

I'm not one to pass on causes, but this one feels different. I had an Organizer this week who was scrambling at the last hour to get her contributors to pitch in on a birthday gift for her boyfriend. Turns out they're a bunch of college kids from the west coast (shout out!) and they really like this guy. This girl was able to rally 13+ people in less than 24 hours - I was impressed. Makes me feel a little warm and fuzzy about the youth of our generation, a) wanting to show their generosity and b) being able to pull it off successfully in a limited amount of time. It turns out, time may be this young woman's greatest motivator. Read more about her and see if it doesn't pull at you just a bit (facebook link to Janet Liang). And if you're brave enough, register.

Thanks,
Paula

Group Gifts Make Sense

It's already November people, time to start thinking about shopping early for the Holidays. It'll be here before you know it, and we'll all be kicking ourselves - AGAIN! So put on your holiday thinking caps and get to it. And while your at it, give a serious nod to the idea of giving together. You might just save some precious time, gas, and money!

Group Gifts Make Sense. Times are 'financially challenging', no question, so pooling money together enables you to give more. If ten of you contribute $10 each, that's a heck of a nice gift card to Williams Sonoma for Aunt Sophie, or Eddie Bauer for Cousin Joe, right? I don't know about you, but I love getting gift cards and choosing what I really want, so much better that ten little knick knacks. And what about for the boss, did you get stuck with passing the hat around again? No worries, there are a plethora of sites (see previous post) that let you bypass that ardous task and still get your 'real' work done.  No one should have to beg for money, but anyone can send an email.

Organizing a group gift is 'green' - well, sort of right? It is if you do it online. There's no driving around wasting gas to collect money or searching for the perfect gift. Thanks for sparing the air on that one. I've even read that some companies are recycling gift cards; brilliant (kudos to Rodd Gilbert @ Earthworks)! It takes a minimal amount of your time to organize online, (and a minimal amount of electricty for your laptop), which leaves plenty of opportunities to bake cookies, get together with friends or just bask in the joys of the holidays.

Now go pour that second cuppa, boost up your laptop, it's almost Christmas people.

Happy Holidays,
from: Everyone

Shout Out of Thanks

As this business plugs along, I just think it's nice to say thank you to those of you who make it work along the way. To anyone who's just taken a peek to see what the heck a group gift is - Thank You. To the looky-lou's who take the time to set up a group gift in the name of checking out the competition - Thank You. To the spammers who can't help themselves - hmmm, no thanks. But mostly to the Organizers and Contributors, a huge Thank You for trusting your gut, for using from: Everyone and for providing great feedback to make your experience even better. I hope you'll continue to pass us along and share the gift of giving.

I'm happy to report from: Everyone's been spotted on the East Coast. Keep it up folks, and thank you.

Paula

Meet the competition

I know, it's unsual to intentionally name one's competitors, but in this case, I think it's important, as each of us offers something a little different; that, and I believe in karma. Hopefully, the next time your in charge of the group gift, you'll look one of us up.

So, here we are (at least those that I know of to date):

from: Everyone
eDivvy
FrumUs
FromGroup
Lolligift
Socialwise
Wisheo

Take some time to peruse each site the next time it's your turn. Some offer gifts, others offer gift cards so your recipient can get what they really want. Some ask you to contribute a specific amount and others allow you to give whatever you'd like. Some ask you to register just to contribute toward a gift, and others are happy to have you participate without 'signing up'. Some charge for shipping and for others, shipping is free. Enough input, you can decide what works best for you.

Paula

Still not sure about the Group Gift thing?

Just in case you're not quite sure what the buzz is about Group Gifting, check out what people have said about from: Everyone!

Real Simple
Mommy Track'd
Simple Human
Today's Mama
Haute Today Gone Tomorrow
In Her Words

We think you'll agree, make it simple.

Group Gifting 101

Group Gifting saves you money; from: Everyone saves you time; it really is that simple. If you're trying to make your dollar go farther, especially when it comes time for gift giving, organize a group of friends to give together. For the same cost as sending a card or a small gift, you can pool your money and give a more substantial gift, from everyone! It's like getting more bang for your buck and that makes sense in today's economy.

And more, from: Everyone is all about the gift card - the gift of choice. Let that special person choose what they really want, either online or at a brick and mortar store. No more 'white elephant' gifts that sit in the closet collecting dust. Afterall, you want them to be happy right?

So get to it people, there are Teachers to Appreciate, Coaches to Thank, Brides to Congratulate and Babies to Welcome!