You've been matched — now the fun (and sometimes tricky) part: choosing a gift. Here's what to know.
Working with limited information
Most of the time you'll only have a child's age, gender, and initials to go on. That's completely normal, and plenty of gifters have asked us how to choose with so little to work with. A few reliable approaches:
Pick something popular and well-loved for that age group (think: well-known toy brands, books, art or craft sets, sports gear, hygiene/self-care packs for older tamariki and rangatahi).
A mix of something fun and something practical (e.g. a toy plus socks, a drink bottle, or stationery) tends to go down well.
If in doubt, a soft toy, backpack, or similar "safe bet" gift is always appreciated — you don't need to overthink it.
If you'd really like more detail than age/gender/initials, you're welcome to ask — we can check with the school or organisation, though they don't always have extra info to share.
Does it have to fit in a shoebox?
The "shoebox" size is a guide, not a strict rule. It exists so that the schools and organisations receiving dozens (sometimes hundreds) of gifts can manage and distribute them consistently. If you'd like to gift something larger — a ball, a bigger toy, anything that won't physically fit in a shoebox — that's absolutely fine. Just try to keep it to a single, manageable gift or parcel.
Wrapping and labelling
Please write the child's initials, age, and gender on the outside of the gift (a sticky label works well) before you wrap it or drop it off. This is how the school or organisation matches your gift to the right tamaiti once it arrives, especially when they're handling a lot of gifts at once.
If you've already wrapped your gift and realise you missed the label, don't stress — just pop a label on top of the wrapping, or let us know when you drop it off so we can help make sure it reaches the right child.
A quick checklist before you drop off
Gift is wrapped (or clearly parcelled if it's an odd shape/size)
Label with initials, age, and gender is visible on the outside
You know your drop-off location and hours (see Dropping Off Your Gift)