You know how it goes. Someone is leaving, or retiring, or turning forty. Someone else says “we should get her something”, and before you know it you're the one holding an envelope, a list of names and three colleagues who'll “pay you on Monday”.
Most of us have been that person at least once. That's why we built Gift Together: nobody collects money, nobody pays upfront for everybody, and nobody has to keep a spreadsheet.
How it works
You open the pot. On the Gift Together page, you say who it's for and what the occasion is, pick the cat you have in mind (or “not sure yet”, that's fine too) and pay the first share yourself.
You share one link. The pot gets its own little page with a short link. Drop it in the team chat or in an email. Each colleague picks a share (from CHF 20 to 150, or the same amounts in their own currency), pays online and can leave a message for the card.
You order the cat. Every share tops up a single AlwaysCat gift card that's emailed to you, the organiser, and stays valid for two years. When the pot is full, you use the code at checkout and the cat goes into production.
If you'd like to see what your colleagues will see before you start, here's an example pot.
What the pot page shows, and what it doesn't
The page shows the cat you chose, a gauge of how close you are to its price, the total so far, how many people have chipped in, and everyone's messages. What it never shows is who gave how much. Nobody should feel judged for putting in 20 when someone else put in 100.
Pot pages also stay out of search engines, so only people with the link will find them.
Give yourself a bit of time
We'd allow a week or two for everyone to chip in, then 4 to 6 weeks for the cat itself, because each one is painted to order and shipped from Switzerland (free, wherever you are). If the leaving drinks are sooner than that, you can always hand over the gift card instead and let your colleague choose their own cat.
For inspiration, have a look at our gifts for colleagues and retirement gifts.
Things organisers usually ask
Who actually gets the money?
Nobody gets cash. Each share is added to one AlwaysCat gift card, emailed to the organiser, who uses it to order the cat.
Can colleagues in other countries join in?
Yes. We sell worldwide, and each person pays in the currency shown at checkout.
Someone paid twice by mistake. Now what?
Just get in touch. We can refund a share within 14 days, as long as the pot's gift card hasn't been used yet.
What if the pot ends up with more than the cat costs?
The rest stays on the gift card for two years. Enough for a painted name, or the start of a second cat.