Our Best Tips for Collecting Money for a Teacher Gift % (2024)

Collecting money for a teacher gift often falls squarely on one person (and we’re guessing it’s you). While other parents have only one responsibility — giving money — your list includes: choosing, requesting, collecting, tallying, purchasing, prepping, delivering. Does it feel like a lot?

Don’t fret: Cheddar Up was tailor-made for multi-taskers, so we’ve learned a thing or two about how-to. Here are our responses to the most common group-gifting conundrums.

We see two primary methods for teacher gifting — a classroom parent collects for one teacher, or the PTA/PTO collects gift funds for the entire faculty/staff.

For class parents (or other go-getters):

Reach out to other students’ parents to let them know you’re collecting for a teacher gift and to request any donations. (Most schools won’t release other family’s contact information, but you can create your own form, to be sent home by the teacher, to collect those details. Create a free custom form right here!)

School-wide gifting (processes vary):

Some allow you to choose a teacher to donate to, where others accept any donations to one “pot”, then divide the total funds among all faculty and staff. NOTE: Check your PTA bylaws because, in many, it’s not permissible to use existing funds (which includes membership money) to purchase personal gifts. It must be a separate, disclosed collection, where all money collected goes to gifting.

In short, yes. School support staff and specialty teachers sometimes get overlooked because they don’t have dedicated classes (thus, no class parents) — but they give just as much of their time and energy to your child’s education and well-being.

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of other staff to consider:

• • Office staff and school nurses
  • Lunchroom workers
  • Library, art, music, drama, P.E., and other specialty teachers
  • Foreign language and elective/adjunct instructors
  • Teacher assistants and learning specialists
  • One-on-one aides
  • Custodians
  • School resource officers
  • Bus drivers

If you’re just shopping for one teacher, count backwards three weeks from the class party (or other designated gifting day), and that’s your start date. Give yourself at least one week each to plan, to collect money, and to prepare the gift. If you’re collecting for multiple gifts, we suggest adding a week at the end since purchasing and prepping will take the most time. Also add an extra week if you’re ordering something to be shipped.

Don’t have that much time? We have ideas in that case, too.

Hot Tip:

Our data also tells us that collectors who ask for “Any Amount” donations raise 45% more than set amounts.

We asked, and they told us: the ones that are thoughtful. But practically, what does that look like? It means finding out what’s important to your teacher. Get to know them and how they spend their out-of-school time. One teacher mentioned that the class parent discovered she wanted a new sewing machine, and they raised money to cover the amount. Another teacher received an Amazon gift card to cover the cost of her children’s Christmas gifts — a thoughtful gesture to remove a stressor during a busy season.

Ask teachers to complete a favorite things questionnaire to help you pick something they love. (We love this printable one, or we made an online form template to use as a guide!) But when in doubt, or short on time, go by the “short shelf life rule” — stick to consumables. Teachers told us that, but it’s been validated by our users.

We recommend you choose the gift before asking for donations. It can help you determine a suggested amount, and people like to know what they’re giving to.

Here’s what 4000+ Cheddar Up payers bought their teachers:

78.5% of families bought their teachers a gift card

Here is a closeup of the gift card category:

Runners-Up

These gifts followed gift cards in popularity:

The No. 1 thing we’ve learned is to present an opportunity, not an obligation. In fact, collections that use broad, inviting language like “any amount”, “thank you”, “appreciative” raise more donations per person. (You can find more wording examples here.) Clarity and transparency are also extremely important: Providing as many details upfront can encourage more prompt payments because people don’t have lingering questions — or suspicions.

Be sure to include:

• • Who you’re gifting to
  • Why you’re giving a gift
  • What gift you’ve picked out
  • Suggested donation amount
  • Giving deadline

Here’s an example teacher holiday gift collection letter: