Add the whole group
Enter three to fifty participants, an optional gift budget, exchange date and a short message.
Free private group organizer
Secret Santa generator and name picker
Draw names fairly, avoid awkward pairings, add gift ideas and share a private reveal link with each person. No sign-up and no email addresses needed.
Make a fair name draw
Everyone receives one different person. Exclusions help keep partners, relatives or last year’s pairings apart.
Share private results
Copy one reveal link per participant. The organizer can manage the event without seeing the assignments.
Simple from start to finish
How to run a Secret Santa name draw
Create the group
Add each participant once, along with optional gift ideas.
Set the rules
Choose a budget and block any pairings that would not work.
Send the links
Create the draw, save your organizer link and privately send each reveal link.
This Secret Santa maker uses a server-side draw so the finished assignments are not placed together in the page or exposed to the organizer. Each person opens only their own long, unguessable link to discover the name they drew.
Choose a comfortable limit
Secret Santa budget ideas for different groups
The best budget is one everyone can join without pressure. Agree on one maximum amount before drawing names, then treat it as a limit rather than a target that must be reached.
$15–$25
Casual work teams or large groups
Treats, a small plant, stationery, a book or a useful desk item.
$30–$50
Friends, whānau and smaller teams
A hobby item, local experience, quality food, a game or a practical gift.
$50+
Close groups who agree in advance
A larger wish-list item, experience voucher or several smaller gifts.
Make the limit clear: say whether postage, wrapping or event tickets count towards the budget, especially when the group lives in different places.
Useful Secret Santa rules
- Agree on an NZD budget or price range before the draw.
- Set the date and decide whether gifts are opened together or delivered privately.
- Use wish lists as inspiration, while leaving room for a thoughtful surprise.
- Keep reveal links private and tell the organizer before asking for a redraw.
Gift ideas without the guesswork
Ask for two or three broad ideas such as favourite snacks, books, hobbies, local experiences or useful desk items. A short wish list gives the giver direction without turning the exchange into a shopping order.
For work groups, consider whether handmade gifts, joke presents, gift cards or alcohol are appropriate. Clear rules make the game easier for everyone.
Adapt the draw to your group
Secret Santa for work, friends or whānau
The name draw works the same way for every group, but the rules should fit the people taking part. A short organizer message prevents most awkward surprises.
Workplace Secret Santa
Keep the budget modest, make participation optional and say whether joke gifts, food, alcohol or gift cards are suitable for the team.
Family or whānau draw
Use exclusions for partners or people who already exchange gifts. Wish lists are especially helpful when ages and interests vary.
Friends and community groups
Add a theme such as local, handmade, second-hand or experience-based gifts, then include the rule in the organizer message.
Private links explained
Know which Secret Santa link to send
The organizer link and reveal links have different jobs. Keeping them separate protects the surprise and makes it easy to check who still needs a reminder.
Organizer link
This is the private control key. It reopens the dashboard, participant links, reveal progress, redraw and delete controls.
Participant reveal links
Every person gets a different link. It shows only that person’s assignment and lets them maintain their own wish list.
Opened status
The dashboard can show whether and when a participant opened their result, but it never reveals the name they drew.
Never post the organizer link publicly. Anyone who has it can manage or delete the event. Send reveal links one at a time to the matching participant.
Before creating the draw
A quick organizer checklist
Two minutes of planning now can avoid a redraw after somebody has already seen their assignment.
- 1Confirm every participant before creating the draw; names cannot be added to an existing event.
- 2Use distinct names. Add a surname initial when two people would otherwise have the same name.
- 3Agree on the budget, exchange date, delivery plan and any gift restrictions.
- 4Set exclusions in both directions when two people must not draw each other.
- 5Save the organizer link somewhere private before sharing individual reveal links.
- 6Send each participant only their own link and ask them not to forward it.
Secret Santa generator FAQs
How does the Secret Santa generator work?
Add at least three people, set any pairs who should not draw each other, then create the draw. KiwiTools assigns one recipient to each person and gives you a separate private reveal link for every participant.
Can the organizer see who drew whom?
No. The organizer dashboard shows participant names, reveal links and whether each link has been opened, but it does not display the assignments.
Can I stop partners or family members drawing each other?
Yes. Use the optional exclusions to block any giver from drawing a particular person. Exclusions are directional, so block both directions when neither person should draw the other.
Can a Secret Santa group have an odd number of people?
Yes. A Secret Santa draw does not require pairs, so groups with an odd number work normally as long as there are at least three participants.
Are the results private?
Each participant receives a long, private reveal link. Anyone with that link can see that participant’s assignment, so share links directly and do not post them in a public group.
Can participants add a wish list?
Yes. The organizer can add an initial wish list, and each participant can update their own wish list from their private reveal page.
Can I redraw the Secret Santa names?
Yes. The organizer dashboard can create a fresh draw while keeping the same participant links. A redraw replaces every previous assignment, so tell the group before using it.
Is the Secret Santa name picker free?
Yes. The generator, organizer dashboard and private reveal links are free to use without creating an account.
Do participants need an email address or account?
No. The organizer shares one private reveal link with each participant. Nobody needs to register, install an app or provide an email address.
What happens if I lose the organizer link?
Events created in the same browser appear in the saved-events section while that browser data remains available. You should still copy the organizer link and keep it somewhere private because another device or cleared browser storage cannot recover it for you.
Can I add another person after creating the draw?
No. Adding a person would invalidate the completed assignments. Create a new event with the full participant list and share the new links instead.
Can two participants use the same name?
Participant names must be distinct so the organizer can send the correct private link. Add a surname initial or another clear label when two people share a first name.
How long do Secret Santa links remain available?
A new event remains available for at least 180 days. When an exchange date is provided, the expiry can extend beyond that date. The exact expiry date appears on the organizer dashboard.
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