How To Write an Effective Farewell Card

Farewell cards can be one of the hardest things to write—not always because the goodbye itself is difficult, but because sometimes, you just don’t know what to say. We at Kudoboard are here to, hopefully, make that easier for you by offering some rules of thumb.

1. A goodbye card is always easier with more people in on it

Think about it this way. With a group of people contributing their own farewell notes to your leaving card, there’s much less pressure on you as the card creator to write the best, most eloquent farewell ever known to humankind. And chances are, your recipient would be way more touched to receive a goodbye card that 10 people contributed to. That means getting all of your fellow classmates in on your teacher’s retirement card, or asking your colleagues to contribute something short and sweet to wish your boss well on her maternity leave. The more other people write, the less you have to write!

2. Your relationship with the recipient should set the tone of your message

It should go without saying that the closer you were with your card recipient and the longer they’ve been around, the more you need to think about what to write—whether it’s a cheeky, witty message to a coworker reminiscing on all the good (and bad) times you had together, or a heartfelt, reverent letter to your manager thanking them for all of their years of contribution to the office. If you’re not that close to the person leaving, then don’t worry and stick to the bare minimum: even 1-2 lines of a simple, friendly comment goes a long way.

Here’s one example of what you can write in your farewell note: “I can’t believe you’ve been here for X years. You’ve been an absolute pleasure to be around for everyone here at the company, and we’ll be sad to see you go. Best of luck in all of your future endeavors—I hope that only good things await you!”

3. What’s even better than a farewell card?A farewell gift to go along with it

Presents make everything better; that’s just an accepted fact. Invite your classmates, colleagues, or team members to contribute not just messages but also funds to split a goodbye group gift card for your recipient.