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A team gift exchange nobody has to chase

Add the team, flag who should not draw each other, and everyone gets a private link. No spreadsheet, no reply-all, no colleague left out.

Set up our exchange

Free · Up to 100 people · No account for your colleagues

You are giving toEthan

Why teams run a gift exchange

A team exchange gives everyone a reason to celebrate together without anyone spending much. Each person draws one colleague and buys a single present, instead of everyone buying for everyone.

It works as well for a team of six as for a department of sixty, in the office or fully remote. The draw is identical — only the handover changes.

How to organise it

  1. 1

    Pick a budget the whole team can meet

    Keep it low enough that nobody hesitates. Fifteen to twenty-five works across most teams, from the newest joiner to the director.

  2. 2

    Add the team

    First name, last name, work email. Nobody installs anything and nobody creates an account.

  3. 3

    Set the exclusions

    Managers and their reports, desk neighbours, pairs who already exchange privately: flag them and the draw avoids those matches.

  4. 4

    Send it and follow the progress

    Everyone scratches a card to find their colleague. Your dashboard shows who has opened theirs, so you can nudge the two who forgot.

Worth settling before you send it

A budget that ignores seniority
The ceiling has to work for the lowest salary in the room. A gift exchange that quietly compares pay grades stops being fun very quickly.
Taking part stays optional
Ask the team before you add anyone. Someone who would rather sit it out should be able to say so without explaining why.
Exclusions that respect the reporting line
A manager drawing their own report puts both of them in an odd position. Flag those pairs up front rather than re-running the draw.
A plan for whoever is remote
Decide early whether remote colleagues post their gift or bring it to the next on-site day. Half a team holding parcels they cannot hand over is the usual failure.

Common questions

How many colleagues can take part?

Up to a hundred per event, which covers a department. Three is the minimum, since with two there is no secret left.

Can I stop a manager from drawing their own report?

Yes. Flag the pair and the draw routes around it. If the exclusions make a valid draw impossible, Pindao tells you before a single email goes out.

Will I see who drew whom?

No. The matches are encrypted and never displayed, including to you as the organiser. Your dashboard reports progress only.

Do my colleagues need an account?

No. Each person gets a private link by email that works immediately — useful when half the team cannot install new tools.

What if someone joins the team after the draw?

Add them anyway. Pindao slots the newcomer into the cycle, so exactly one existing match changes and only that person is told.

Can we use it for something other than gifts?

Yes. Teams use the same draw for compliment cards, book swaps or handwritten notes. Only the brief changes.

Your team exchange is three minutes away

Add the team, send the draw, and let everyone scratch.

Set up our exchangePindao