Organizing a DCL FE Exchange
By Joelle White Brennan
There are just as many ways to organize an FE exchange as there are organizers. There is no one right way. This document offers a sampling of the most common ways to organize an FE Exchange and some of the items that you may need/want to be consider.
(Fair warning - this is a comprehensive document. If you are a fly by the seat of your pants, see what comes up and deal with it then kinda organizer this might be not up your alley but may come in handy in the future for when questions or issues come up.)
1. When to start?
FE signs ups usually open fairly soon after the sailing group opens. Even if you don’t plan to open sign-ups until later, most people like to know that it is happening and when to look for how to participate
I start by sharing basic info on FEs and letting the group know that sign-ups is coming.
Here’s a link to the FE basics file I created - FISH EXTENDER 101 - Updated 2018 https://docs.google.com/document/d/10CyMc-qSwTmxxMPqBnJn7HZMhyRgkzD4CQWCjydOmOA/edit?usp=sharing
2. How to handle sign-ups?
Consider - do you want to have people input their own information or do you want everyone to send it to you and you will enter the info into whatever system you choose?
I tend to favour having people add their own info as it leaves the responsibility for name spelling, room numbers, etc on the individual rather than a typo from me.
Options for having people add their own info
- Excel spreadsheet or google sheet open to all to view and add their info
- PRO - easy to find and view for all, CON - people can accidentally (or on purpose) edit the info or erase info of other people, add sheets and put info in other places…
- Google Form - allows participants to enter their own info into a survey and then compiles into a spreadsheet (google sheet) for the end user.
- PRO - easy to find, guides people with the info they need to provide, prompts for necessary info so there are no blank spots, CON - ?
Here’s a link to a generic Google Form I created that includes some prompts for information you will want to edit to customize it to how YOU are handling sign-ups. PLEASE MAKE A COPY AND THEN CUSTOMIZE YOUR COPY. Do not edit the original or everyone after you will have your groups specifics.
GENERIC FE SIGN-UP FORM – (AGAIN MAKE A COPY and save under a different name BEFORE YOU EDIT)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SQOClx4YxosNXooSmhp-wyaa3GQPoaaxtqIWpNC9lo4/edit?usp=sharing
Options for you gathering all the info
- Dedicated FB Group Post - ask each cabin to make a comment under the dedicated post with their information and what groups they would like to participate in then copy that information into whatever format you want to use for storing info and making groups
- Have members PM or email you with their information and then copy it over into whatever format you wish to use for storing and organizing
What information should I ask for when people sign-up?
- You’ll need some basics from everyone:
● Cabin Number
● Name of lead guest
● Names of other guests in the cabin
● Contact info like Facebook Name and/or email address (I like to ask for both so I have 2 options for how to communicate in the future)
- Optional information to include
● Ages
● Gender (M/F/N, for gift giving purposes)
● Favourite character
● Special celebrations
● Allergies
Things to consider when forming groups and starting the sign-up -
Group Options - What types of exhcanges are you going to offer? Popular options include general, adult only, magnet, ornament, recipe. (You can always add options when people start to request them - general FE is the most popular and offered on every exchange)
Group size - How many cabins will you be putting per group (10-15 is usual, mini groups 5-8)
How will you handle Combined Cabins - what do you want to do if you have a family sailing in two rooms? Or a group in two rooms that want to combine? Some options are:
● Allow combining in cases of immediate family (parent and minor children)
● Allow combining only if max guests does not exceed 5 (as this would be a cabin max capacity anyway)
● Do not allow cabins to combine
How will you handle requests to be assigned to multiple groups - will you allow people to sign up for multiple groups of the same exchange type? Ie 3 groups of the general exchange. Will you want them to indicate on the sign -up sheet you are using or sign up multiple times?
When will groups be assigned - Are you going to be assigning groups right away as people sign up or waiting until a designated date before assigning groups?
Things to think about
● Assigning groups right away - easy as groups form themselves as people sign up and groups fill. People know fairly quickly who is in their group and can start gathering gifts however there tends to be a lot of changes as people cancel or move their sailing closer to the PIF date
● Assigning groups at a set date - most pick at or around Paid in Full (PIF) or slightly before. Tend to be less changes with these groups as everyone is now committed to sailing. Some people do not like waiting until a few months before the sailing before knowing their actual groups. (I usually do 100 days pre-sailing for group formation as I would rather form groups once and go from there rather than constantly monitoring who has left group, removing their sign ups and finding another participant to fill the spot. Also even after being warned that groups can change up until PIF, many people personalize gifts and then end up with items they cannot use.)
● Once you have released your initial round of groups (if doing a set date), the remainder of the groups close as they fill until your close date.
When will groups close(sign-up close) - this is usually separate from when you form groups. When will you stop accepting sign-ups for your exchange groups? Some groups do 60 days, some do 30 days, some do even closer to sailing. I tend to prefer cut off at 30 days and then open a late comer group option.
How will you be confirming groups - either before assigning groups or somewhere along the way at least once, it is a good idea to confirm people are still around, still want to participate in what they have signed up for and their information is correct. I usually include in my sign-up the Facebook name of the main contact (for tagging purposes) and an email address so I have 2 methods of contact. At the confirmation point(s), I email and tag everyone to check if they are still sailing, still participating and info is correct. People do cancel and leave the group without letting anyone know or cancel and stay in the group or change their minds so before others get invested in getting gifts for them, it’s great to confirm everyone.
How will you handle drop outs - drop outs happen either because people are no longer sailing or don’t want to participate in that group anymore. Hopefully this will happen before the groups are formed (if you are waiting) but if not, how will you handle it? Will you fill the spot with a new sign up or will you leave the group as is with 1 less cabin.
What are your Late Comer Options - people join sailing groups right up to the last minute so it’s best to consider how you want to handle late requests to participate in FE groups. Most groups offer either a late comer exchange option that stays open until closer to sailing (closing at 2 weeks, 1 week or even days before the sailing - whatever you choose with either the group closing as it fills and a new one opening or just one big group) and/or a pixie dust list. Pixie dust list is a list of cabins not participating in the FE exchange groups but hoping to have a little pixie dust dropped off at their cabin. I tend not to offer these lists as Pixie Dust is suppose to be random and unexpected but some groups do. It is best to be clear with people signing up for the list though that they are expected to give as well to others on the list.
Another option I have recently tried and liked is the Cabin - to -Cabin exchange. It’s great as a late comer option since you sign up to exchange with 1 other cabin so you can really do much more customized gifts (or not) and it takes less time to plan for. Ours was a SWDAS so I called it a JAWA Trader exchange however other people have called it an OLAF exchange. Participants sign themselves up (or you could create a form and add the info yourself). Here’s the sign-up sheet - JAWA Trader. AGAIN - PLEASE MAKE A COPY AND THEN EDIT YOUR OWN COPY.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dXkKyifK0hNjolOKEg94v-ut3hvH4Y_IdQnp-_e449c/edit?usp=sharing
You may also want to consider options for individual exchanges. Rather than exchange with a given number of cabins, participants are exchanging with specific individuals. This works well with a kids only exchange as it eliminates the inequity of the cabin with 1 child exchanging with the cabin with 3 children. It also works great for specific exchanges like the sock exchange, beer exchange, tsum tsum where participants are exchanging a single item. Here’s a generic example I set up for a kids only exchange but can be adapted for other types by editing the info PLEASE MAKE A COPY AND THEN EDIT YOUR OWN COPY.
KIDS ONLY Exchange (Generic) - https://goo.gl/forms/XUo3rcnBY4h9SE9V2
3. How to form groups?
If you have done the form as people sign up option, your groups will mostly create themselves with a little editing to add those wishing to participate in multiple groups.
If you have done a group release date, after you confirm everyone, I use a google sheet to start lumping people into groups. Some organizers group based on ship location (ie deck, fwd vs aft), others do a totally random assignment and some still stick to the order people signed up in. It’s entirely up to you. Once I form the groups I post the sheets to the group (locked so people cannot edit it accidentally or otherwise) and tag people in each group to confirm they have seen the group lists.
4. How are you going to handle cabin changes (and late GTY assignments) at check-in?
It’s best to plan ahead for how you want to handle those that change their cabin assignment or don’t get it until check-in.
Some organizers have a white board on their door for updates and ask that any updates be posted there before sail away and that everyone check it before delivery (in reality that is a lot of people having to find your door.)
You can also designate one leader for each group and have them post a white board. Since people will be delivering to that cabin anyway, it makes it a bit more realistic to expect people to go there first to check for updates.
Or, you could make it the responsibility of the participant who changed cabins to let everyone know by either delivering a note to each cabin they are exchanging with before dinner the first night or calling each stateroom via their wavephone (just like you would call another hotel room at a hotel) and leaving a message.
Or, post on the FB page before sail away so that everyone can see them before losing wifi but since some people disconnect right away, it’s good to have another system as a back-up.
I post my DCL Navigator number on the FB page as well once I have it assigned in port so that anyone who has an update can text it to me or has forgotten their list or needs a cabin number, etc can reach me. Someone always forgets the list and there is always at least one cabin change :)