Set the rules in the sheet details
Put the spending limit, the exchange date, and the deadline to join in the sheet details. That way the rules travel with the link instead of living in a message nobody can find.
A limit of twenty or twenty five dollars suits most groups. Say whether homemade gifts count, because someone will ask.
Use the note for gift hints
Ask everyone to add one or two things they would actually like when they put their name down. Sizes, favourite drinks, hobbies, anything concrete.
This is the single thing that most improves a Secret Santa. Drawing a name is easy. Buying for a colleague you barely know is not.
Close the list before you draw
Set a hard deadline and close sign-ups on that date using the manage link. Drawing names twice because someone joined late is a mess.
Print the final list before you draw. It is the cleanest way to check everyone is in exactly once.
Common questions
- How do I draw names once everyone has signed up?
- Close the sheet, print the list, and draw from a hat, or paste the names into any random pairing tool. This sheet collects the participants, it does not do the drawing.
- What is a good spending limit?
- Twenty to twenty five dollars works for most workplaces. Whatever you pick, put it in the sheet details so nobody has to guess.
- What if someone wants to join after the draw?
- Adding a person after names are drawn means redrawing, which is worse than a late no. Set the deadline clearly, close the sheet on that day, and draw the next morning. If someone misses it, they can still come to the exchange without being in the draw.