It’s that time of year again when we hear mums asking, “What are the best teacher gift ideas to say thank you?”. The answer is not a personalised mug.

This year the ‘thank you’ gift is even more important. With nightmares of homeschooling still haunting many parents, our survey revealed 53% of parents are much more grateful for teachers. However, only 15% of teachers are feeling considerably more appreciated.

So, how can parents say thanks when COVID has put a stop to gathering at the school gate to organise something special or even giving home cooked goodies?

Our survey revealed the #1 gift idea for teachers is a gift card. 

A whopping 77% of parents surveyed prefer to get their child’s teacher a gift card when it comes to end of year gifts, and 82% of teachers said that they prefer to receive a gift card rather than a tangible gift. So it seems that everyone is in agreement and has received the memo when it comes to gift cards.

GroupTogether lets parents chip in and give a gift card from the whole class, so the teacher will be able to buy something they really want. It’s simple to set-up! Just create, collect and spend. Find out how it works. 

Worried a gift card doesn’t feel personal enough? 

GroupTogether has that sorted too. The group card lets everyone write a message and upload a photo, which is a great keepsake for the teacher. Parents simply clink on a link and can choose to contribute (or not, depending on how you choose to set it up) and then sign the card and add a pic. Simple!

If you want to just give a group card, you can do that too. For free!

Send it online, print it out at home or get it printed professionally.

It’s the best of both worlds – a thoughtful card from the whole class AND a gift they actually want.

Better yet, select a GroupTogether Any Card which can be printed inside the card and the teacher can choose their own gift card from any of our retailers.

FAQs

• PRIVACY AND SAFETY: We’re two Sydney mums with 7 school children between us. We understand the privacy issues! We don’t share your pictures or your emails.
• ARE TRANSACTIONS SECURE? – All transactions are encrypted and credit cards are processed by SecurePay and bank transfers by Poli. We do not store credit card details.
• FEES – It’s free if you convert your gift collection into a gift card, however, if you require a specific gift, we can transfer the collected money into your nominated account. Transferred funds will incur a 1.5% fee.
• GOT MORE THAN ONE TEACHER? – There’s one card that parents can sign per collection. So, either write a title like “Thank you Miss Manning, Mr McGoo & Miss McGee” or create a separate collection for each recipient.
• WHAT’S THE AVG AMOUNT THAT PARENTS CONTRIBUTE? – Most classes state on the invitation “There’s no obligation at all, but if you’d like to contribute …“. You can either specify a set amount or leave it open and suggest a range. Generally we’ve found that people collect about $20 per child for a teacher but it’s up to you.
• CAN YOU PRINT THE CARD? – Yes. It’s super cute – and easy! Just print at home or take it to be printed on card for about $2 at Officeworks.
• HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR PEOPLE TO CONTRIBUTE? – Give people as long or little as you like. We find that sometimes short times (2 -3 days) can work a treat to get people moving. After all, they can pay online from their phone via direct debit or credit card.
• WHICH CARDS DO YOU OFFER? – The brilliant thing is that we let the recipient (teacher or friend) choose. We send you a voucher to give or forward. The teacher clicks the link, a smart gift box magically opens and lets them choose the gift card they really want.

GroupTogether talk about Teacher Appreciation in 2020 with Ticker TV.

Watch our Co-Founder, Ali Linz, talk about Teacher Appreciation and the best teacher gift ideas with Ticker TV.

Related articles:

Thanks Teacher: What to Write on a Card to Thank Your Teacher

A+ Group Gift Ideas for Teachers: budget and better!

Best (and worst) gifts for Teachers (2019)