Organizing an Exchange

How can I send invitations to people?

There are several different ways of inviting your friends and family to join in an elfster gift exchange. Check out our Tips and Tricks section, to see what we recommend for your specific exchange.

Is there a way to invite Facebook friends or members of another online community?

Yes. You can share the sign-up link on your Facebook wall or send Facebook messages to your friends by clicking the Share link on your Exchange page. You can also copy the text in the box of the sign up link and send it to your Google Group, Yahoo Group, or other email list or post it on your blog or online forum. People who click on the link in your post will be able to join the exchange.

When are the names drawn?

Names are automatically drawn the day after the sign up deadline. If you have already gotten all of the responses from your exchange participants before the sign-up deadline, you can initiate the draw yourself by clicking on the "draw names" button at the top of the exchange home page. Once names have been drawn, no more people can be added to the exchange.

Can I make it so that one person cannot draw another person?

Yes. To do this, first go to the exchange home page. Click on the name of the person you want to restrict. This will bring you to the participant setup page for that person. On this page you will see a list of all the other people in the exchange. Choose the people you don't want the selected person to be able to draw and then click the "Save" button.

As Organizer, can I see who each person has drawn?

Yes. Sometimes participants need a little help and the organizer can take a peek at the draw to find out who they have drawn. First go to the exchange home page. At the bottom of the page below the replies is a link to peek at the draw. You can then choose to see the entire draw.

To see just who an individul participant has drawn without viewing the draw for the whole exchange, go to the exchange home page and then click on the person's name in the list of replies. Then click the "show me their draw" link at the top of the page. Their draw name will be displayed at the top of the page. Click the hide link to hide the name.

Can people participate that don't have an email address or web access?

Yes. To do this, enter their first and last name as usual on the exchange home page. For the email address, just use your own email address. Any email messages for this "offline" Santa will be directed to you. As the organizer, you can accept on behalf of the person without even viewing the email. From the exchange home click on the person's name. This will take you to the exchange setup page for that person. Click on the "accept for this person" button. You can then communicate the exchange details with the offline Santa in whatever way is most convenient for them.

What if I put in the wrong email address for one of the participants?

You should fix this before drawing names and before the sign-up deadline. To fix it, go to the exchange home page. Click on the person you need to fix. Click on the button next to their email address that says "Change" (if you did not originally add this person to elfster, the message will be a bit different). Enter the corrected email of the person, and click the "Change" button.

What if two people share the same email address, can both participate in the same exchange?

Both can register via the sign up link. When multiple people are signing up from the same computer, make sure you log off before signing up the next person.

Any email they receive from elfster will always include the name of the person it is for, so that it is easy to keep things straight.

When adding people's names and addresses your self, just add the people in one at a time, and remember to send the invites.

Some of the participants are not receiving the email messages from elfster, what should I do?

Make sure participants have added santa@elfster.com to their address book. Also, make sure they check their junk mail or bulk mail folders. If you are in an office environment, let your IT team know that you are expecting and want to receive email from the address santa@elfster.com.

You can also have people sign up at elfster using the same email address you invited them under, or you can send them a sign up link to register from there.

How can I add a participant after names have been drawn?

Click the "undo draw" button, add the person, accept on their behalf, and draw names again. NOTE: This will reshuffle the names so be sure to tell your participants names have changed.

If you want to preserve the names that everyone has drawn, you should first jot down who each person drew (from the exchange home page click on each person's name and then click the "Show me their draw" button). Then, at the exchange home page, click the "undo draw" button. Next, add or remove people from the exchange as you normally would. Since you know the new person will be participating, you can accept on their behalf without sending an invitation and waiting for an RSVP. If you are preserving the earlier names drawn, go into each participant's setttings page and check as excluded all people but the one person you want them to draw. Finally, go to the exchange home page and click "draw names". (If you preserved the original draw selections, be sure to go back and unselect the checkboxes that you don't want to be permanent restrictions in future exchanges)

How can I remove a person from the exchange after names have been drawn?

You can remove someone after names have been drawn just as you would before the draw, but clicking on their name on the exchange page, and then clicking the "remove this person" button. If names have already been drawn, Elfster will make the necessary adjustments. Think of the exchange like a circle where everyone is buying for the person on their right. When a person is removed, we close the circle by telling the person to the left of the deleted person that they now have to buy for the person to the right of the deleted person. We'll send an email to let them know, but as the organizer you may want to follow up yourself as well.

As organizer do I have to add myself as a participant in the exchange?

By default, the organizer of an exchange is automatically added to an exchange as a participant. You don't have to add yourself in. If you will not be participating in the exchange but only organizing it, when you create the exchange, uncheck the box that says "Include yourself in exchange".