The end of the Nippers’ season is a mere 6 weeks away and we’ve been fielding calls from parents. They want to organise a gift for their hard-working, volunteer Age Coordinators but are finding it overwhelming. In some cases it’s trying to manage the sheer number of parents involved and, in other cases, it’s not knowing how to contact the parents, e.g., no email addresses.
But in all of the cases, the parents, overwhelmingly, want to give two gifts to mark the end of a successful Surf Life Saving season. First, they want to give a meaningful and thoughtful gifts to the coach. Second, they want to give back to their clubs that have invested so much training in their children. In today’s post, we will look at the best way to organise a thoughtful group gift and a donation to the Surf Life Saving Nippers Program.
The odd bottle of wine or two is sure to be appreciated by the Age-Coordinators. But if everyone rocks up with a bottle, there could be long term consequences :). Rather than going solo for the gift, why not pool the resources of your fellow Nipper parents? If everyone chips in the cost of a bottle of wine, not only can you give one great gift, but you’ll also be able to donate a portion of the gift money to your SLSC (we think 20% to the club is a very generous thank you). It’s a win-win situation. Your coaches and managers get a great gift and your club can afford to buy some new equipment for next season.
In order to give the best group gift possible, a well-rounded understanding of your Age-Coordinators interests is needed. You’ve spent the past few months on the beach with them, so chat with the other parents during the next Capture the Flag Challenge and exchange stories. You’ll be sure to learn something about them that you never knew before! Start a list of potential gift ideas, keeping in mind a budget based on the number of parents in your group and what you’d like to spend.
By mid-February everyone should have agreed upon the group gift you’d like to get. Don’t forget to make sure it is available and within budget. Bring up your calculator app or guesstimate how much each of the parents will need to contribute to buy the gift AND donate a bit of the gift to your SLSC club.
Now’s the easy part, use GroupTogether.com as a hassle free way to collect contributions from the other parents! GroupTogether will invite, collect, track and transfer the gift money for you. We make it easy to allocate any % of the group gift to the your surf club. If you have email addresses, automatic and polite reminders will be sent. If you don’t, GroupTogether provides a link you can share on social media or in a newsletter. Parents can contribute online and leave a message and photo for the Group Card. The gift funds can be transferred to any bank account in Australia and the SLSC funds can be transferred directly to your club!
Now the fun part! Decide with your group where and when the gift will be given. Should you bring it to the last Nippers session or at the end of season BBQ? Don’t forget to print out the GroupCard and enjoy the look of surprise and delight on the faces of your Age-Coordinators and Managers when they open the gifts!
Giving a fabulous group gift doesn’t need to be financially stressful or an organisational nightmare. By grouping together with other parents, you will be able to give a group gift that will be cherished for many years to come. Start by working together to learn more about the coaches, and then begin searching for gifts that match their interests. Once you’ve made your choice, be sure to check it falls within your budget and is available. Use GroupTogether.com to collect contributions for the gift, donations for the club and messages and photos for the Group Card from all the Nipper families. Finally, enjoy giving the gift of a lifetime!
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