I once did a guild secret sister and those who wanted to participate filled out a form of likes and dislikes so it made it easier to get something they would like.
examples of questions:
What style of quilts do you like; (country, contemporary, applique, etc)
What colors do you use; (brights, muted,etc)
Any allergies
There were several other questions
It gave us a starting point
Not only did I do the # of gifts. Once a month I sent a "thinking of you card" in the mail. How many of us get fun mail anymore?