Online leaving card
The online leaving card the whole office signs, even from home
Updated · by Milad, founder of Ouvella
Someone’s moving on? Instead of a paper card doing the rounds in an envelope, create the card online and post one link. Every colleague adds their message from their phone, with a photo or a voice note if they like, and nobody who signs can read the others. On the day of the leaving do, they discover every message at once, on the big screen if you want. €14.99 once for the whole group, no subscription, no account.
What they open at the leaving do
Leaving card
Good luck, Hannah!
Thanks for every brew and every Friday laugh. Good luck!
Priya
I’ll miss your desk plants almost as much as you.
📷 photo
Callum
I’m keeping your trick for surviving all-day meetings.
🎙️ voice note
Siân
The new lot have no idea how lucky they are.
Dev
Signed by Priya, Callum, Siân, Dev and 31 others
- A card that opensA tap and it opens on your welcome message and the cover photo.
- Every message, one by oneEach on its own coloured paper with its photo and voice note, or all together as a wall.
- Slideshow modeFull screen on the meeting-room TV, the messages play by themselves.
- Their colleagues’ voicesA one-minute voice note each, to replay whenever they like.
- Every signatureAt the end, everyone who signed, and a button to thank the team.
- A booklet to keepEvery message in one booklet, to print or save as a PDF.
Paper leaving card or online leaving card?
The big card in a brown envelope still has its charm. But it only reaches the people who happen to be in the office that week, everyone reads what was written above, and it spends days hidden in a drawer in case the person leaving walks past. Here is how the two compare.
| Point | Paper card | Online leaving card |
|---|---|---|
| Who can sign | Whoever is at their desk the week it goes round | Anyone with the link: at home, in another office, on leave |
| Privacy | Everyone reads the messages above theirs | Nobody who signs reads anyone else’s message |
| Room to write | The last few squeeze into a corner | Up to 200 messages, each on its own page |
| What goes in | Ink | Text, a photo and a one-minute voice note |
| The surprise | Hidden in a drawer, hoping they don’t walk past | A link nobody can stumble on |
| Afterwards | One card | The online card plus a booklet to print |
Still want something in their hands? Every message ends up in a keepsake booklet you can print and slip into the leaving present.
How it works, in 3 steps
- Step 1
Create the card
Their name, a title, a short welcome message, a cover photo if you like, a theme and the date of the leaving do. Two minutes, and you write the first message.
- Step 2
Post one link
In Teams, on Slack, in the team WhatsApp or by email, with the invitation already written. Each colleague adds a message, a photo, even a voice note, in about two minutes, no sign-up.
- Step 3
Open it on the day
Pay €14.99 once, before or after the messages come in, and get a link and a QR code. On the big screen or on their phone, the card opens in front of everyone.
Nothing to download, for you, your colleagues or the person leaving: it all opens in the browser, on a phone or a computer.
Nobody reads over anyone’s shoulder
When a colleague signs, they see how many people already have, and their own message, never the others. Only the person leaving reads every word, plus you, the organiser, so you can check it all before the day. With no audience, people write the real memory and the real thank-you, not another “Good luck! x” copied from the line above.
At the leaving do
Whether it is cake in the meeting room or drinks after work, open the card on the screen and start the slideshow: the messages play full screen while everyone raises a glass. Or put the QR code in the leaving present so they can open it on their phone, now or later, quietly on the train home. Leaving remotely? Send them the link at the right moment.
Doing a whip-round for a leaving present? Add the link of your online collection to the card: the people who sign see it, the person leaving never does. Ouvella never touches the money. If you would rather have the collection inside the card itself, our comparison of group card websites shows which services do that.
The leaving card at a glance
- Price
- €14.99 once, for the whole group
- Subscription
- none
- Signing
- free, no sign-up, about 2 minutes
- Messages
- up to 200
- Each message
- text + photo + 1-minute voice note (optional)
- Privacy
- nobody who signs reads the others’ messages
- Look
- a theme for the occasion and 4 writing styles (Handwritten, Classic, Modern, Calligraphy)
- On the day
- link, QR code, full-screen slideshow
- Keepsake
- booklet to print or save as a PDF
- Whip-round
- your collection link, shown to signers only
- Payment
- before or after collecting the messages
You can also pay in your local currency at checkout.
34 leaving card messages for a colleague
Written for this page and free to reuse, on our card or a paper one. A good leaving card message fits in two or three lines: a memory, a thank-you, a wish for what comes next. Replace what is in brackets.
For a colleague you’ll miss
Message #1
The tea round will never recover. Thank you for every brew you made without being asked, and for the chats that came with them.
Message #2
[Name], you made Monday mornings bearable and Friday afternoons brilliant. Wherever you’re going, they’re in for a treat.
Message #3
I’ll miss our catch-ups by the kettle more than any meeting. Keep in touch, properly.
Message #4
Thank you for covering for me, cheering me on and always knowing where the good biscuits were hidden.
Message #5
You were the first friendly face I met here, and you stayed that way every single day. Good luck, you’ll smash it.
Message #6
Whoever gets your desk has very big shoes to fill, and a very tidy drawer to live up to.
Message #7
It won’t be the same without you, but I’m so proud of you for going for it. Lunch is on me next month.
For someone off to a new job
Message #8
Congratulations on the new role. Go and show them how it’s done.
Message #9
Go and show them what you showed us: patience, good humour and a spreadsheet for absolutely everything.
Message #10
New job, new commute, same brilliant you. Wishing you every success.
Message #11
Leaving takes courage. Doing it with a smile takes even more. All the best for the next chapter.
Message #12
Don’t forget us when you’re famous. Or at least when you’re on LinkedIn.
Funny leaving card messages
Message #13
Officially the end of an era. Unofficially, we’re keeping your mug hostage.
Message #14
Who’s going to reset the Wi-Fi now? Please leave instructions. And a forwarding number.
Message #15
You’re leaving us alone with the Monday meeting. We will never forgive you. Good luck!
Message #16
We agreed to say only nice things in this card, so: you were occasionally on time.
Message #17
If your new place asks for a reference, we’ll mention the Christmas party. Kidding. Mostly.
Message #18
Please return your lanyard, the stapler and the five teaspoons we know you took.
Message #19
Thank you for laughing at my jokes, even the ones that didn’t deserve it.
For a manager who is moving on
Message #20
Thank you for backing us when it mattered and for always asking how we really were. You’ll be a hard act to follow.
Message #21
You never made any of us feel like a name on a rota. That’s rarer than you think. Thank you.
Message #22
You gave me a chance before I believed I was ready. I won’t forget it.
Message #23
The calm in every storm and the voice of reason in every meeting. Wishing you all the best.
Message #24
You led by example, even on the days nobody was watching. Thank you.
Short leaving card messages
Message #25
Thanks for everything. Don’t be a stranger!
Message #26
Good luck, and keep in touch.
Message #27
You’ll be missed more than you know.
Message #28
All the best for whatever comes next.
Message #29
So glad our paths crossed here.
Message #30
Onwards and upwards!
For a retirement
Message #31
Happy retirement! May your only deadline from now on be the garden centre’s closing time.
Message #32
Thank you for years of wisdom, patience and excellent stories. Now go and enjoy the lie-ins.
Message #33
Enjoy every long lunch and every holiday out of term time. You’ve more than earned it.
Message #34
This place won’t feel the same without you. Thank you for everything you taught us.
Need more words? See our farewell messages for a coworker and retirement messages. The same card also makes a group retirement card or a group birthday card, and if you are weighing it against Kudoboard, here is our honest Kudoboard comparison.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an online leaving card cost?
€14.99, paid once by whoever organises it, for the whole group, however many people sign (up to 200 messages). There is no subscription, and signing is free, with no sign-up. You can also pay in your local currency at checkout.
Can colleagues who work from home or in another office sign?
Yes. Post the link in Teams, on Slack, in the team WhatsApp or in an email: everyone signs from their phone or computer, wherever they are, including people on leave or working part-time. A ready-made invitation message is included, and if you set the date of the leaving do, everyone sees how long they have left to write.
Can people read what the others have written?
No. Someone signing only sees how many people have already signed, and their own message. Only the person leaving reads them all, plus you as the organiser, so you can check everything before the day (and remove a message if you need to).
How many people can sign the leaving card?
Up to 200 messages per card. Each message can come with a photo and a one-minute voice note, and two colleagues can sign one after the other on the same phone.
Can we do a whip-round for a leaving present?
Yes, alongside the card: paste the link of your online collection into it. The people who sign see it, the person leaving never does. Ouvella never handles the money, it is only a link.
When do I pay?
Whenever you like. You can create the card and collect the messages first, then pay before you give it. The signing link stays open after payment, so latecomers can still add their message.
How do we give the card at the leaving do?
After payment you get a link and a QR code. Open the card on the meeting-room screen and start the slideshow, slip the QR code into the leaving present, or send the link if they are leaving remotely so they can read it in their own time.
Can we print the leaving card?
Yes. The card comes with a keepsake booklet holding every message and every signature, which you can print or save as a PDF from the browser. Voice notes stay playable in the online card.
Does anyone need an account?
No: not to organise, not to sign, not to open the card. You keep a private organiser link to follow the messages coming in, and you can email it to yourself so you can find it later.
Does it work for a retirement or a Christmas card?
Yes. The same card works for a retirement, the end of an internship, a birthday, a new baby, a wedding, a get-well card, a thank-you to a teacher and a Christmas card from the whole team. Only the welcome words, the theme and the writing prompts change.
Start the card today, the office signs before the leaving do
Once for the whole group · no subscription · no account