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Last-Minute Gifts? This Busy Mom of 3 Has You Covered!

Guest contributor: Jennifer Heilbron

Keeping track of three kids and a busy life is no joke! From birthday parties, to bridal showers, to teacher appreciation gifts, I almost never have a gift ready to go. My goal for 2023 (shh, I know there’s only 2 months left) is to get my ducks lined in a row—and I don’t mean my three little duckies. They are fine. It’s everything else that’s a mess! Although keeping a closet full of ready-to-go gifts sounds dreamy, planning is just one more thing I actually don’t have time to plan.

So, in an effort to launch “Operation: Stop the Last-Minute Stressing,” I’ve decided the gift of gift cards is the way to go. Being able to gift just about every person and for every occasion via one click? Win win! Each eGift card comes with a free eCard that can be delivered seamlessly via text or email. Can you hear my brain taking a big sigh of relief? 

Here are some of the eGift cards I have my eyes on the next time I’m in a scramble.

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All of the products we feature are hand-selected by our editors! You see only what we love and what we think you'll love too. If you buy something through links on our site, Evite may earn a commission. Prices are subject to change.

Hostess Gift: Crate & Barrel

Instead of bringing wine, consider sending an eGift card from Crate & Barrel to the hostess with the mostest as a thank you for a lovely evening. Perhaps your note can say how much you love her beautiful home!
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Best Friend’s Birthday: Sephora

You forgot to put girls night in your calendar and now you have to be there in two hours. Unfortunately, your get-out-of-jail-free card was already used last month. (You weren’t sick. You just wanted to binge on “Love Is Blind”), so dinner to celebrate one of the girls is a must! Sephora is the perfect gift for your birthday bestie. From makeup, to fragrance, to bath and body essentials, she will have so much fun pampering herself… and you will have so much at the dinner you really didn’t want to be at!
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Teacher Holidays: Target

Holidays come quickly and of course, I always wait until the last minute to figure out what to get the teachers. With 3 kids at 2 schools, there are a lot of teachers! This year, I’m gifting each teacher an eGift card to the mother of all happy places, Target!
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New Mom: Lululemon

Postpartum can be one of the most challenging times for a new mom. In addition to operating on little to no sleep, new moms also struggle with their new post-baby body. I relied on athleisure wear to get me through those first few months. Okay, who am I kidding. I still rely on it to get me through life. Lululemon is the perfect gift for a new mama! (And maybe throw in a Starbucks gift card for dad. We need him for those early morning feeds)! 
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Kid’s Birthday: Roblox

I’m going to make this easy for you. Roblox. Have a nephew? Roblox. Have a niece? Roblox? Have a cousin’s daughter’s brother’s friend’s birthday? ROBLOX. It’s what every kid plays and what every kid wants. Your cousin’s daughter’s brother’s friend will thank you for not having to put together that 800 piece lego set too. Did I mention get them a Roblox eGift card? Okay, good.
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Mother-in-Law: HomeGoods

Your mother-in-law is finally retiring! We sure do hope this means more babysitting availability for you! Send her an eGift card from HomeGoods and offer to take her on a lunch date to shop. She will love that (and never know your next goal is to get her to convert your father-in-law’s den into a “grandkids playroom.”) 
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Babysitter: GrubHub

I always feel strange giving the babysitter extra cash during the holidays, but I never know what to give her. A friend of mine suggested giving her a gift card for a meal delivery or shared ride service. Brilliant! This year, I’m giving her an eGift card to GrubHub. Since she is a student, she stays up late studying and can use the card wherever she wants. 
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Sports Coach: Foot Locker

If you have kids like mine, then 99.9% of your weekend is spent on some sort of field. My husband is a coach and I know the kind of commitment that it takes to lead a team. Other parents are always asking what to get him for the end-of-season gift or holiday. Without question, an eGift card to a store like Foot Locker or Fanatics will check off a million boxes for him (and save you time texting with all the other parents on the team)!
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Okay, now that I've essentially shared my go-to gift list with you (shhh...don't tell my friends or family!), go check out all of the eGift cards available on Evite. They even have a guide on how to send an eGift card in case you have any questions. Happy (easy) gifting!

Jennifer is a writer, mom of 3 and shopaholic. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, 3 sons and endless amounts of Amazon deliveries.

All of the products we feature are hand-selected by our editors! You see only what we love and what we think you'll love too. If you buy something through links on our site, Evite may earn a commission. Prices are subject to change.

What makes Evite SignUp Sheets different from other signup tools?

Developed hand-in-hand with community organizers, PTA presidents, parents and teachers, Evite's signup sheets are designed to make organizing volunteers a breeze. Here are a few ways SignUp Sheets are different than other signup tools:

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  • Automatic reminders and notifications: Stay on top of your event with automated reminders and notifications for you and your participants. Perfect for busy parents, teachers and anyone juggling multiple commitments.
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Choose Evite SignUp Sheets for the easiest, most streamlined way to get volunteers and signups for your next event!

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Signup sheets are the perfect way to streamline scheduling, volunteer recruitment, class parties, snack duty, potluck organization, parent-teacher conferences and more! You can think of them as your digital assistant for coordinating events and tasks and ensuring that your event is a success.

Evite SignUp Sheets offers parents, teachers and event planners customizable online forms that organizers and volunteers can access and update effortlessly. Volunteers can choose their preferred time slots, sign up for tasks or indicate what they'll bring to the event. It only takes organizers a few minutes to create a signup sheet and send it out with a shareable link, so they can get the word out via text, email or social media—whichever way they prefer! 

Long story short, SignUp Sheets save everyone involved tons of time, avoid scheduling headaches and ensure everything runs smoothly before and during the event.

How do I create a SignUp Sheet?

Creating a signup sheet has never been easier than with Evite! Here’s how to create a sheet that’s sure to make your event an absolute success:

  1. Go to Evite SignUp Sheets and choose the template that best fits your needs. Evite offers multiple signup sheet templates perfect for every occasion, including:
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    • Signup sheets for single or multiple day events (with time slots), perfect for when you’re organizing concession stand volunteers, fundraisers, parent-teacher conferences, meal train, post-game snack duty or during appreciation week.
  1. After selecting your sheet template, create a title for your signup sheet and add the date, the location, the time (if applicable), who the organizer is, the organizer’s phone number or email and an optional note describing the event to your volunteers. You can also change your signup sheet background and title image if you wish!
  1. Next, create slots for your signup sheet. If you aren’t logged into your account, you will need to do so at this point, but luckily, you can use your existing Evite account (no need to create yet another login!). What you’ll include here will depend on what your event needs, but you can include a list of what’s needed (along with optional descriptions), how many volunteers are needed, and dates and times.
  1. After creating your slots, you can then add a wish list from any retailer or include supply suggestions from Evite’s retailer partners. These are to help your volunteers find and purchase supplies quickly and easily.
  1. Finally, review your sheet, copy your shareable link and send it out to everyone on your list! Every time a volunteer signs up for a slot on your signup sheet, Evite will email you. We will also send reminders to you and your volunteers before your event so no one will forget about it, and we’ll even let volunteers know if you remove their slot or cancel your event sheet so you don’t have to!

What information should be included on a SignUp Sheet?

When it comes to signup sheet information, there are some essentials to include regardless of what you’re organizing:

  1. A title for your signup sheet. Tip: Aim to keep your signup sheet title concise but clear. You want volunteers to read it and have a general understanding of what your event is about, and also make it easy for them to look for later if they need to reference your sheet again. You have the option to include a more descriptive note in a different field about your event, so save the more in-depth details for that!
  1. When and where the event is taking place. 
  1. The organizer’s name and phone number.
  1. Slots for volunteers to choose from. Once you choose the SignUp Sheets template that fits the occasion, the slots you’ll need for your sheet will be right there and ready for you to add the relevant info, such as dates, times, items to bring and tasks to complete. 

When adding your slot information, clearly define what people are signing up for, especially for a what-to-bring list or role assignments. If you want someone to bring healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after a game, specify that. You want your volunteers to feel confident in what they’re bringing and to make it easy for them to know what’s expected of them. It will save them time and stress (and you, too!). That being said, if you make your ask too specific (for example, asking for a hard-to-source item or something expensive), you may not end up with a volunteer for it. So be clear about what you expect, but also be reasonable!

Aside from providing the basic signup information, you can also add optional descriptions to both your entire signup sheet and individual slots. While not required, they can help guide your volunteers further and provide more information. You can add information about allergies, preferences and general info about the event. You can also add a wish list to make it easier for your volunteers to bring exactly what you need!

What are the benefits of using a SignUp Sheet template?

Signup sheet templates offer a ton of advantages for both organizers and volunteers and with Evite SignUp Sheets, you'll enjoy even more benefits than other digital and paper signup sheets! Some benefits our signup sheet templates offer include:

  • A 100% free experience (no subscriptions required!).
  • Shareable links for quick and easy sharing.
  • No need to create another login—you can use your existing Evite account.
  • The option to add a wish list to help your volunteers out.
  • Automatic reminders—we’ll remind everyone on your behalf.
  • An easy-to-use experience with eye-catching guided templates.
  • Clean, modern designs with no pop-up ads.

With Evite SignUp Sheets, you can enjoy organizing and coordinating all your events with ease. Signup sheets streamline the signup process for everyone involved, ensuring that everything will go to plan on the day of your event while saving you precious time in the process.

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