Set who can't draw whom in the draw. Perfect for couples, close family members, or teammates who already know each other too well.
Exclusions let you configure who can't draw whom in your Secret Santa. It's a way to customize the draw to ensure that people who already know each other very well or who already exchange gifts regularly aren't paired together.
Each participant can exclude up to 50% of the other participants in the group, ensuring the draw is still feasible and fair for everyone.
Spouses, partners, or significant others who already exchange gifts can set it up so they don't draw each other in the Secret Santa.
Example: John and Mary are married. Set it so John can't draw Mary and Mary can't draw John. That way, both get to gift someone different!
In large family groups, you can prevent parents from drawing their own children (and vice versa), encouraging interaction between family members who see each other less often.
Example: In the Smith family Secret Santa, set up parents so they don't draw their children. This way, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents exchange gifts, strengthening family bonds!
In companies, people from the same small team can set up exclusions to encourage interaction between different departments.
Example: In the company Secret Santa, the marketing team (4 people) can set it up so they don't draw each other, ensuring they get to know colleagues from other areas like IT, HR, or sales.
Very close friends who already know each other extremely well may want the experience of gifting someone else in the group.
Example: Anna and Beatrice are best friends and already exchange birthday gifts. In their college group Secret Santa, they set it up so they don't draw each other and get to know other classmates better.
If you remember who drew whom last year, you can set up exclusions to ensure this year's pairings are different.
Example: Carlos drew Pedro last year. This year, set it so Carlos can't draw Pedro again, ensuring variety in gift exchanges!
Go to the admin panel of your group
Locate the exclusions settings section
Select who can't draw whom
Pay $4.99 to activate it for the draw
Each participant can exclude at most 50% of the other participants. In a group of 10, each person can have up to 4 exclusions set.
The system automatically validates whether the draw is possible with the configured exclusions. If it's not feasible, you'll be notified to make adjustments.
The system prevents a participant from being blocked by everyone else, ensuring that everyone can be drawn.
Our algorithm prioritizes participants with the most exclusions first, significantly increasing the draw success rate.
Not automatically. If John can't draw Mary, that doesn't mean Mary can't draw John. You need to set up both exclusions separately if you want it to work both ways.
Yes! You can add or remove exclusions at any time before the draw takes place. After the draw, exclusions can no longer be changed.
The system validates before the draw and warns you if the configured exclusions make the draw impossible. You'll need to remove some exclusions to proceed.
No. Only the group admin can see and configure exclusions. Participants don't have access to this information.
Create your Secret Santa group and set up the exclusions that make sense for your group!