By the end of the school year, every Aussie parent knows the feeling. The fridge is buried under permission slips, the car smells like a cricket bag (gross) and the class group chat is about to explode with the same question: “Are we doing a teacher gift this year?” That’s exactly how we felt before we created GroupTogether.

And of course we are. Because teachers are absolute heroes. They’ve spent the year navigating NAPLAN nerves, playground politics and six thousand variations of “Miss / Sir, can you help me?” They deserve something thoughtful. But by December, even simple tasks like collecting cash from parents, finding a card and handwriting messages start to feel monumental.

That’s Exactly Why We Built GroupTogether

We’re Ali and Julie, two Sydney mums with seven kids between us (including two sets of twins!). For years, we were the ones standing in the school car park waving envelopes, tracking mystery transfers and trying to remember who had promised to chip in “tomorrow”. In the last week of school, we’d be handwriting names in cards ‘til midnight and swear every year that next time we’d be more organised. The intention was always from a good place; it was just the process that made us want to cry.

One year, we were talking in the school carpark and thought…surely there has to be a better way. There wasn’t, so we created one. Our little idea became GroupTogether, a simple way for parents to easily chip in for a gift, sign a card online and give one meaningful group gift without the stress or the endless group chat messages

One Link, One Card, One Gift, Everyone’s Happy

Here’s how GroupTogether works. One person starts a collection, shares a link with the group and everyone else can sign the card and contribute online. No chasing, no guilt and no awkward “who still owes $5” messages. When the collection closes, you’ll have one beautiful card with everyone’s messages and photos, which you can even print if you want something tangible to hand over.

If you do a gift collection, most parents go for the GroupTogether AnyCard. It’s a digital eGift Card that lets teachers pick exactly what they want from over one hundred leading stores like Apple, Woolies, The Iconic, Airbnb, JB Hi-Fi, Myer and endota spa. It’s practical, thoughtful and guaranteed not to end up collecting dust next to another “World’s Best Teacher” mug.

Because we’ve been those mums, it was important we built GroupTogether to have zero pressure. Contributions are private, so no one sees who gave what, and everyone can join in even if they just want to sign the card. It’s inclusive, easy and, dare we say it, actually fun.

Why parents love GroupTogether:

  • Simply share a link and parents can sign the card and chip in for the teacher gift online.
  • Make contributions optional – choose to let parents sign the card without chipping in.
  • Parents don’t see who gave what (no pressure).
  • Unlimited messages on the card and unlimited message length.
  • Choose from 1000’s of customisable card designs (including photo upload).
  • Download the card as a PDF to print and give in person.
  • Local customer support – live chat on our website. We’re real people, not bots!
  • Built-in AI Magic Message Writer tool to help busy parents craft the perfect message.

What Teachers Actually Want (We Asked!)

We didn’t just guess. We asked more than 140 Aussie teachers what gifts they really want. Their answers were clear. They don’t expect gifts, but they do love a heartfelt thank-you card filled with messages from their students. 88% said they prefer one group gift from the class instead of lots of smaller ones, and 86% said their dream combo is a class card plus a gift card so they can choose something they genuinely want.

In case you’re wondering, the runners up were chocolates / food hampers (3.5%); flowers / plants (2%); pamper gifts e.g. candles & hand cream (2%) and personalised items (2%).

Teachers don’t want clutter or knick-knacks. They want a heartfelt keepsake (a greeting card) paired with something practical they can actually use (don’t overthink this – an eGift Card is perfect).

 

“What a gift!!! To open the card and see all the beautiful messages left by the families and students had me crying happy tears. The whole experience was so personal and the gift was easy to redeem.” – Claudia .”

Trust by 1M+ Aussies

When we launched GroupTogether ten years ago, we just wanted to stop losing sleep over teacher gifts. We had no idea it would grow into something used by more than a million Aussies. These days, people use it for everything from teacher gifts and milestone birthdays, to office farewells and coach thank yous. Today, someone uses GroupTogether every 12 seconds!

So when the class parents chat lights up this year, take a deep breath and skip the stress. Head to GroupTogether and start your teacher collection, share the link and consider it done. The teacher will love it, the other parents will thank you and you’ll finish the year with one less thing on your plate.

 

 

GroupTogether

GroupTogether is a female-founded Aussie business with over 1 million users. Co-Founders Ali and Julie have 7 kids between them and were spending a tonne of time shopping, wrapping and giving gifts that weren’t necessarily what was wanted or needed. They were always chasing people to sign the card and chip in for teachers, coaches and milestone birthdays. PING! The idea – why not use some simple tech to do the chasing up, tracking and even sorting the gift? Now it’s easy for everyone to give a beautiful card and gift that’s actually appreciated and will be cherished forever.