What do you do when someone won't accept a gift?

[columbine]

Respectfully, I kind of agree with her. You do a heck of a lot for the little ones, and she's probably not comfortable taking what might go directly to them.

How about a nice little ad in the local paper thanking her for being such a conscientious vet?

Love, Columbine

[RICHARD]

Be sneaky.


Ask the front desk what she may need?

Office supplies, paper, pens?

Med supplies? Cotton balls? gauze pads?

Buy a lunch for the office?

If you show up with stuff like that she cannot turn it down!

[jenluckenbach]

Be sneaky.


Ask the front desk what she may need?

Office supplies, paper, pens?

Med supplies? Cotton balls? gauze pads?

Buy a lunch for the office?

If you show up with stuff like that she cannot turn it down!

I actually thought about getting a 'THING', but here's the deal....

she is not in the building yet. she needs EVERYTHING. But I didn't want to get the wrong style. I am sure she wants to make this her own, probably wants things to coodinate, to get the correct file folders, for example. That's why the gift card.

Right now she is only working from her home which is where she is set up for the clinics she does for the rescues. There is no way forr me to know what one THING she might want.

Respectfully, I kind of agree with her. You do a heck of a lot for the little ones, and she's probably not comfortable taking what might go directly to them.

I understand this, and I can see this as being a valid reason, but I'm stubborn I WANT her to have this.

[Freedom]

A few thoughts to consider:

1. I don't know what any ethics code is for vets. For attorneys, there are limits to what can be accepted as gifts from clients.

2. When I was working in banking, we had strict policies on what we could accept as gifts from clients and what we had to decline.* Now she is working for herself, but she has to set some limits, set some guidelines, for herself and for her soon to be staff. Perhaps you have gone over them.

* To give you and idea: VP's could not accept anything worth more than $25. Executive VP's could not accept anything more than $35. Lower levels were limited to $20. My point here is, for professions which have limits, they are quite low!

3. While YOU consider this a thank you / best wishes for the new practice, she may worry you expect more in the way of after hours service, pricing breaks, payment arrangements, and so forth. And what she has been able to do in the past may not be on offer in the future if she has start up debt as a part of her new over head.

4. You mentioned Staples. Not every office uses them. There ARE other supply companies, lol. W. B. Mason comes to mind as one of many.

I suggest you graciously accept that for now, this is not something you can do. Send her a lovely card for her opening. Once the office is open, consider one of the other ideas on offer, like lunch for the office one day. But I wouldn't suggest tucking this in the card; she has already made it clear this is beyond some limits she is / or feels obligated to comply with. She is trying to do what she believes is the professional thing. Please try to respect that.

Trying to open a new business is worry enough, lol, don't give her more worries just now! You will have many opportunities in the future to deliver something.

[Karen]

I have an idea:

Make her a gift she can hang in the office - whether it's a posterboard covered with cat footprints (non-toxic paint, of course) and says "We love Dr. SoandSo!" and some human-drawn hearts, or a collage of cat pictures of kitties she has treated with that message nicely printed in the middle - something she can hang in her new place, to let new people know she's got lots of happy clients who love her already.

[RICHARD]

Anonymous donations!!!!!- No WORRIES!

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Be patient. She may grab all the things she thinks she needs. By that time?

I like Karen's idea? A step further?

Find a trophy shop and get a 'gag' plaque. World's Best Vet! Something a little fun that states a nice thought.

Think off the beaten trail!

[carole]

I think you have to respect her wishes, it may well be an ethical thing, and she may feel obligated to you as pointed out before, and it seems it makes her uncomfortable, i think some of the ideas here are great and would be better appreciated than a cash gift,or maybe you could offer to donate some time, in helping her set up her practice, a nice bunch of flowers on opening day and a nice card from the furbabies, i think the best gift you can give her , is to pass on to all your friends and family just what a great vet she is.