Teaching is one of the toughest and most important jobs on the planet.
Teachers pour their hearts into helping our kids learn and become better humans. They’re part educator, part therapist, part snack-monitor and part hero who somehow remembers every child’s preferred pencil thickness.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are trying to remember when library books are due and whether it’s “crazy sock day” or “crazy hair day.”
By the end of the school year, most parents are running on fumes. But we still want to say thank you to teachers in a meaningful way. The struggle is real.
The “What Do I Get The Teacher?” Dilemma
We’ve all been there – standing in Kmart holding three different “World’s Best Teacher” mugs, wondering if any teacher actually uses them. You want to give something heartfelt…but between work, homework and the school disco costume that needed to be a rainbow sloth (??), who has time?!
We all know the idea of one gift from the whole class makes sense. Give the teacher one great gift they might actually use rather than 30 knick-knacks. But no one wants to be the person chasing $10 transfers from the class WhatsApp group. Right?
Enter: GroupTogether (aka the sanity saver)
GroupTogether was made for exactly this kind of chaos. Literally! Two Sydney mums, Ali and Julie, built GroupTogether to take the hassle out of organising teacher gifts from the whole class.
They make it ridiculously easy to give one beautiful, meaningful card and gift that everyone has contributed towards. One parent starts a collection, shares a link, and – boom! – parents can chip in and write a message on the card online.
The card fills up with sweet notes and cute kid photos, and when it’s done, GroupTogether can even help you sort the perfect gift. You can choose from eGift Cards, physical gifts or even withdraw the funds. Most parents opt for the AnyCard, which gives teachers the freedom to choose what they really want – whether that’s a spa day, a Myer splurge or a peaceful Airbnb getaway where no one says, “Miss, I lost my shoe.” You can even download the card as a PDF to print.
No spreadsheets.
No “who still owes $5?” texts.
No awkward “oh no, we forgot you on the card” moments.
Plus, contributions are optional and stay private from the rest of the group, so it’s truly inclusive.
Why We Love It
Teachers don’t need thirty boxes of Ferrero Rocher (although no judgment if that’s your Plan B). What they’ll actually appreciate is something that says, “Everything you do for our kids doesn’t go unnoticed.”
That’s why we love a gift that’s both practical and heartfelt, and GroupTogether does just that. You can easily create a beautiful card for a keepsake from the year, with an eGift Card that the teacher can spend on something they really want or need. Because who knew Miss Honey loved fishing on the weekends?
So, this year, skip the Kmart queues. Say thank you from the whole class with GroupTogether.
Top Questions About Teacher Gifts
Is GroupTogether free?
It’s FREE to use GroupTogether if you organise a money collection & group card, and then spend with the collection with GroupTogether (e.g. on an AnyCard). In Australia, you can also withdraw the funds for a flat 2% fee. Just need a group card? That’s $5.50 AUD. Check out their pricing info for more details.
Is GroupTogether safe?
Yes, your pictures and emails are not shared with any third parties.
Are transactions secure?
GroupTogether take security very seriously. They have an SSL certificate that provides security for all online communications (https). They don’t process payments – they leave that to their payment gateway, checkout.com (AU). They don’t handle your credit card details, even temporarily, and each collection is secured by 2-factor authentication to prevent someone else from accessing your funds. Our website is built on Microsoft Azure platform and is hosted on secure Microsoft servers that have rigorous safety features embedded in their architecture.
Can I do gifts for several teachers at once?
Yes you can! Once your collection closes, you can split the money into as many eGift Cards as you’d like. For each collection, they only create one group card with messages and photos (though you can download it and share it or print it as many times as you’d like), so just give it a title like “Our Amazing Year 2 Teachers”.
What’s the average amount that parents contribute to a teacher gift?
Most classes state on the invitation, “There’s no obligation at all, but if you’d like to contribute XYZ.” You can either specify a set amount or leave it open and suggest a range. Generally, we’ve found that people collect about $26 per child for a teacher but it’s up to you.
What about the Department of Education gift guidelines?
Always check the guidelines for your state/school, but these rules are largely concerned with one parent buying a lavish gift that might compromise impartiality. In the case of group gifts, that is never the case. For example, in Victoria, the policy explicitly allows group gifting.
