Group card
A card the whole team signs
Often the part people keep. Give everyone room to write more than “good luck”: a memory, a thank-you, a joke only the team will get. Pair it with a gift everyone chipped in for.
Leaving gifts for colleagues, and alumni swag worth keeping
Short answer
Good leaving gifts for colleagues are personal rather than expensive: a group gift with a card everyone signed, a keepsake that carries the team’s words, or something useful for what comes next. And if you’d like leavers to stay fond of you, alumni swag they’re proud to wear keeps the connection going.
Ten leaving gift ideas.
From the team, to keep, for the next job, and for the alumni. Filter by the kind of gift.
Photo book
A book of team photos
Offsites, launches, the office at its messiest. A printed book of the team’s own photos is a group gift nobody else could give, and it costs time more than money.
Notebook
A notebook filled with notes
Hand a plain notebook round the team before the last day and ask everyone to fill a page. It becomes a keepsake and a useful notebook for whatever comes next.
Branded notebooks
Pen
A good pen for the next job
A small, useful thing to take into the first meeting somewhere new. Choose one that writes well and feels good in the hand.
Tote
A tote for the desk clear-out
Every leaver goes home on the last day with an armful of things. A sturdy canvas tote solves that problem and keeps being useful long after.
Mug
A mug for the new desk
Something from the old team on the new desk. A good ceramic mug is a daily reminder of where they started.
Donation
A donation in their name
For someone who doesn’t want more things, a donation to a cause they care about, with a card from the team, says the same thank-you.
- Alumni swag
Alumni hoodie
An alumni hoodie they’ll wear
Make it a design current staff can’t get: an alumni mark, the years they were with you, a colour that isn’t the company kit. People wear what makes them proud of where they’ve been.
Alumni T-shirt
A T-shirt for alumni events
If you invite former staff back for meet-ups, a simple alumni T-shirt gives the room something in common and costs little to send.
Cap
A cap with a quiet mark
Easy to post to anyone who has already left, and worn well beyond work. Tonal embroidery makes it a cap first and a logo second.
Managed
Not sure which to choose?
Tell us about the team and the budget, and we’ll suggest a gift.
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What makes a good leaving gift.
It’s about them, not the company. A leaving gift marks a person’s time with you. Their in-jokes and their team’s words matter more than your logo.
Everyone gets a say. Pass the card round early, collect contributions privately and let people give what they can. Nobody should feel watched.
It’s ready on the last day. Notice periods can be short, so keep a plan and a few gifts in hand rather than starting from scratch.
It travels. Choose something light enough to carry home on the last day, or send it to them afterwards.
Rules and policies to check.
Tax on gifts from the company. A gift the company pays for may be taxable. Check with your payroll provider or tax adviser before you send.
Contributions. Keep a collection voluntary and private, and don’t publish who gave what.
Their details after they leave. Ask before you keep a leaver’s home address for alumni sends, and only use it for what they agreed to.
Running it for every leaver.
Reaching people after they’ve gone.
Leavers move on, and their address is often the first thing you lose. Send them a link to a branded Claim Page instead: they share their preferences and where it should go, and we use that information to prepare and send it, to 180+ countries, with customs and duties handled.
Claim Pages™Making it automatic.
Notice periods can be short, so the gift shouldn’t depend on someone ordering in time. Agree an alumni collection once, and your approved collection can stay with us between sends, ready for every leaver.
Milestone gifts
From our work
From our work for Lovable: a black hoodie and a white T-shirt, each with a small embroidered mark. Pieces like these work as alumni swag because people wear them by choice.
Worth knowing
In the UK, an employee who has been in a job for more than a month must give at least a week’s notice, so a leaving gift sometimes has to come together in days.
Source: GOV.UK, “Handing in your notice”, accessed 6 October 2026. Source 1
Questions about leaving gifts.
What is a good leaving gift for a colleague?
Something personal: a card the whole team signs, a notebook filled with notes, a book of team photos, or a useful thing for their next job. The words from the team usually matter more than the object.
How much should you spend on a leaving gift?
There’s no right figure. Work out what most people can comfortably give, make contributions private, and choose a gift that fits the total rather than a price you’ve set first.
What is alumni merchandise?
Swag made for former employees: a hoodie, cap or T-shirt with an alumni mark that current staff don’t get. It keeps leavers connected to the company and gives alumni events something in common.
How do you organise a group leaving gift?
Name one organiser, set a deadline before the last day, collect contributions privately, and pass the card round early. Choose the gift once you know the total.
Sources
1 source
- 01Handing in your notice (opens in a new tab) · GOV.UK, accessed 6 October 2026.Back to reference 1
Want us to handle it?
Tell us who you are sending to and what you have in mind. We’ll help connect the products, the packaging and the delivery plan.
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