Going-Away Gifts for Coworkers (Eight That Land — One That Doesn't)

Someone on your team is leaving. They've been here three years, or eight, or fifteen. They were a good colleague — sometimes a great one. Last week they put in their notice. Now you have a Slack channel of seventeen people trying to organize a gift, and one person (you, probably) who's quietly become responsible.

Here's how to do this well in about an hour of total work.

First, what kind of departure is this?

Tone follows context. Match it.

• Promotion / better job — celebratory. Lean toward the funny gift, the personalized cartoon, the "you've made it" energy.
• Quiet exit / personal reasons — warm, low-key. Skip the funny stuff. Lean toward the "we'll miss you" handwritten note.
• Forced out / political — extra warmth, no comedy. Show solidarity, not "haha look at this."
• Retirement — different post entirely (we have one — see funny retirement gift ideas).

If you're not sure which one, ask the person organizing the farewell event. They'll know.

The structure: card + gift

The most-remembered going-away gifts have two components:

1. The card — signed by everyone, with personal notes (not just signatures). This is what they'll keep.
2. The gift — physical, useful, ideally something with personality.

The card is non-negotiable. The gift varies by budget.

The card: make it good

Two rules:

1. Pass the card a week before, not the day of. People need time to write something real, not "Best wishes! - Mike."

2. Give people a prompt. Don't just hand out a blank card. Slack the team:

Hey all — Sarah's last day is Friday. I've got a card going around. When you sign, please write one specific thing you'll remember about working with her — a moment, a habit of hers, a project she pulled off, anything specific. ("Best wishes" is fine but unmemorable.)

This single move turns a forgettable card into a keepsake. Half the people will write one line; that's fine. The other half will write paragraphs. By the time the card reaches the leaving coworker, it's a small book about what they meant to the team.

The gift, by budget tier

Tier 1 — under $30 (the small office)

• A high-quality version of the thing they always borrowed. The pen they kept stealing. The mug everyone fought over. Buy them their own.
• A small custom artwork referencing an inside joke from your team. Etsy, Instagram artists, $15-$25.
• A box of the snacks they kept in their drawer. Whatever the office "Sarah snack" was — a year's supply.

Tier 2 — $30 to $80 (most teams of 5–15)

• A custom cartoon of them in the role they played on the team. We make these — caption it with their actual catchphrase, set it in a recognizable office scene. Print as a poster, mat-board it from the local frame shop, hand it over framed. ~$60-$80 all in.
• A nice notebook + a great pen, paired with a card. The classic professional move.
• A care package for their first week at the new job: a desk plant, a new mug, a $20 coffee shop gift card for the area around their new office.

Tier 3 — $80 to $300 (large teams, longtime employees)

• A custom cartoon, expanded version — features the whole team in the scene, set in a memorable team moment. Print as a large framed poster, sign the back like a yearbook with notes from each teammate.
• A nice piece of professional gear — a Knomo bag, a leather portfolio, a quality wireless setup, a high-end notebook. Pick the thing they'd buy for themselves if their next job was paying their relocation.
• An experience near their new city / role. Tickets to a show, a nice dinner reservation, a cooking class. Pre-booked, instructions in the card.

Eight ideas that land

1. The "best of [their name]" book

Compile their best Slack messages, their funniest project nicknames, their iconic email sign-offs. Print as a small spiral-bound book. Hand it over with the card. Total cost: $15.

2. The custom cartoon

A cartoon of them in the role they played on the team. Print as a framed poster. They'll hang it at their new desk, then in their home office, then their kid's playroom, then probably forever.

3. A team-photo throwback

Find an old team photo from when they joined. Get a copy printed and framed. Bonus: get everyone in that photo (and any newer team members) to sign the matting around the photo.

4. A "company-history" gift

For someone who's been there a while: a printed timeline of company milestones since their start date, with little notes about what they specifically contributed. ~3 hours of work to compile, lasts a career.

5. The "first day at the new place" care package

For someone moving to a new job: a small box delivered to their new office on day 1. A card from the old team. A snack. A $20 coffee gift card for the area. A note that says "You've got this. - The old crew."

6. A donation in their name

For a colleague who's leaving for non-work reasons (illness in the family, big life change): a donation in their name to a cause they care about. Lighter touch, no pressure to display anything.

7. A scheduled team reunion

Block an afternoon on everyone's calendars for 6 months out. Plan a casual lunch or drinks. Hand them the calendar invite at the farewell. Tell them: "We're not just saying goodbye. We're saying see you in October."

Cost: zero. Power: significant.

8. A LinkedIn-recommendation chain

Coordinate with the team: everyone writes a LinkedIn recommendation for the leaving person, all delivered in the same week. They'll log in to find five new recommendations from their old crew. Practical for their job hunt; emotional for them.

The one thing that doesn't land

The generic "leaving gift" from the office-supply store: the engraved pen set, the leather portfolio with the company logo, the "Thank You" plaque. They'll be polite. They'll throw it out within a year.

It's not that those gifts are bad — they're generic. The leaving coworker has been in a real-life, specific role for years. The gift should reflect that.

The logistics playbook

If you're the one organizing:

1. One week before: Slack the team. Give them a clear ask (sign the card, contribute $10-20 if they'd like, send you a memory).
2. Five days before: Buy / commission the gift. If commissioning art or a cartoon, do this first — turnaround time is the constraint.
3. Three days before: Card collection deadline. Chase the slow ones.
4. The day of: Present at the team meeting / farewell event. Three minutes of "this is from the team" — read one line from the card if you must, then let them open it.

Don't let the moment last too long. The leaving coworker's job is to get emotional and gracefully accept; your job is to keep it tight enough that they don't have to perform.

If a custom cartoon is the move

Send us a photo of the leaving coworker — ideally one taken at the office or at a work event — plus a paragraph about their role on the team and one or two specific things they're known for (the catchphrase, the recurring joke, the role they always played). We'll send a proof for approval before printing.

Aim to commission at least 1 week before the farewell so we have time for revisions and you have time to print and frame it.