Two hundred sounds like a lot until you have done it. The trick is to push as much of the decision-making forward as possible, and to refuse to do the parts a logistics partner should do.
The timeline that works
- Week 1. Pick the gift. One gift. Not three. Two backups for dietary restrictions.
- Week 2. Lock the list. Ship the address-collection form. Set a hard cutoff.
- Week 3. Sweep the people who didn't reply. Get them via their manager.
- Week 4. Hand the file off. Sign off on the card proof. Walk away.
The four things that will go wrong
- Someone's name will be spelled wrong on the card. Get an address-and-card proof before the print run.
- Three to five percent of addresses will be bad. Plan a returns/reships buffer.
- One person has a serious nut allergy and your gift basket includes almonds. Always ask up front.
- The CEO will add seven names on Friday. Have a way to bolt them on.
What to outsource
Everything except the list and the message on the card. Curation. Packaging. Address collection. Per-recipient personalization. Carrier handoff. Tracking. Replacements. Invoicing. If your gifting partner asks you to fill in a CSV, you are doing their job.
GiftLoft handles bulk sends from 25 to 2,500 units. Tell us about your send.
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