Help

• Lost link

  • 
    I lost the link to my Wish list.
    Go to your Overview page. On it, you will find the link to your Wish list.
  • 
    I lost the link to my Drawn name.
    Go to your Overview page. On it, you will find the link to your Wish list.
  • 
    I lost the link to my Overview page.
    Use this page to retrieve your Overview page.

• Wish list

  • 
    Can I update my wish list?
    Yes. When you are invited to the Group, you will receive an email containing a link to your Overview page. On this page, you will find a link to your wish list, which you may update at any time. The person who has drawn your name will receive a notification of any update.
  • 
    Are the wish lists visible to everyone in the Group?
    Yes. You can view all your Group's wish lists. You can ask questions about these wish lists anonymously. The Organizer has the option to make a person’s wish list only visible to the person who has drawn that name.
  • 
    I would like to ask multiple anonymous questions to the person I've drawn.
    You can ask a second question after the first one has been answered.

• Email

  • 
    I didn’t receive emails, or the messages entered my Spam/Junk box. What do I do?
    Most likely the Spam filter of your provider didn’t allow it. Add to your Contact list and place the address on the safe list. Then use this page to retrieve your email.
  • 
    Is it possible to resend an email that I didn’t receive?
    Use this page to retrieve the link to your Overview page, drawn name or wish list.
    An invitation to your Group can be sent again via the Overview page by the Organizer of the Group. Also, incorrect email addresses can be corrected by the Organizer via the Organizer page before the names are drawn. After the names have been drawn, the Organizer can resend the drawn name email to a member of the Group via the Overview page by clicking on “Send drawn name email again."
  • 
    Can several members use the same email address?
    Yes, that’s possible. The name of the member that each email is intended for is stated in the subject of the email.
  • 
    Can I send a drawn name to another email address?
    No. You cannot change an email address after a member has accepted their invitation. However, you can resend a drawn name to the confirmed email address via the Overview page.
  • 
    Why did all Group members not receive the message that I have sent via the Group page?
    The Group messages are sent to every member who has joined the Group. When the Organizer resends an invitation, the last message is sent. All messages can be read from the Overview page.

• The Draw

  • 
    I want to add another person after the names have been drawn.
    This is not possible. Please start a new group.
  • 
    I would like to join the Group on behalf of someone else.
    As an Organizer, you can change the email address of this person to your own email address on the Overview page. You will then be invited to join the Group. Important: you cannot change the email address back, so you will have to forward the drawn name to this person.
  • 
    I would like to draw names even though everyone has not joined the Group yet.
    This is not possible. See the question above to speed up the process.
  • 
    I would like to draw multiple names within one Group.
    This is possible. Set up a Group and draw names. The Organizer then sees the option, "Additional drawing for this Group" on the Overview page. The names of the first drawing will then be automatically excluded in the second drawing. You cannot set additional exclusions for the second drawing.
  • 
    Is the process of drawing names really random?
    Yes. It works like drawing names from a hat, only a lot easier! If you like, you can test it on the bottom of the page by clicking How to Draw Names.
  • 
    Does the Organizer of the Group know who has drawn which name?
    No. This is a secret to everybody. The Organizer doesn’t know every match, only his/her own.

• Last year's Group

  • 
    Can I reuse the Group I created last year?
    In October, we will send all Organizers an email that links to last year's Groups. You will be able reuse all names and email addresses, in addition to using last year's drawing exclusions.
    

• Organizer

  • 
    As an Organizer, I do not want to participate in the drawing.
    The Organizer always participates in the drawing. Please set up a Group with an email address of someone who participates in the drawing.
  • 
    What happened to the Organizer page?
    The Organizer page has been replaced with the Overview page. It has the same options, plus a few more!
  • 
    I forgot somebody. Can I still add this person?
    Yes. The Organizer of the Group can add new members via the Overview page, as long as the names are not drawn yet.
  • 
    Can I remove somebody who doesn’t join?
    Yes. The Organizer of the Group can remove members via the Overview page, as long as the names are not drawn yet and the Group still contains more than 3 members.
  • 
    Where can I declare who cannot draw which name?
    The Organizer can set exclusions by checking the box, Exclusions, when starting the drawing process. It's also available on the Overview page, as long as the names are not drawn yet. You must have more than 3 members in your Group to be able to set exclusions.
  • 
    I have set some exclusions. Can other Group members see the exclusions?
    By default, the exclusions are not visible to the Group. The Organizer can change the visibility of the exclusions on the Overview page, so everybody can see all exclusions.

• Error messages

  • 
    The link in my email doesn’t work. What do I do?
    First, check your Internet connection by seeing whether another website works. Then, check whether the DrawNames.com website is hidden behind the screen containing your email. If the web page states that the link isn’t valid (anymore), ask the Organizer who set up your Group to invite you again (via the Overview page).

• Other

  • 
    New this year!
    We've added a lot of new features in response to all the great suggestions we received from our users. The new features for this year are:
    • All wish lists can be viewed by everyone in the Group (optional setting for the Organizer)
    • A second drawing for an additional present or celebration is supported
    • Everyone can send Group messages
    • The exclusions are invisible to the Group, by default