To think left over prom money should be given back?

[settimocielo]

The prom committee at DD's school was made up of 3 self appointed girls.

They collected the money and booked the hotel. They did a good job, everyone had a lovely night.

However, they collected £200 too much. They have announced today that it was donated to charity.

I am a bit - it's an awful lot of money and I really think it should have been divided back up and given back to the rest of the kids. There was about 60 of them, so that's about £3 each.

Is that being stingy over £3?

Perfectly acceptable though probably would have donated to school fund to provide equipment for school

Do they have a letter from the Charity? receipt style, thank you for your donation blah blah

(i am always suspicious of "we donated the excess to charity - too cynical for my own good)

many many years ago I was involved in organising our end of school formal. We ended up with money left over too. After a quick chat amongst ourselves we decided that the best thing would be donating to charity instead of trying to split the something hundred into something pounds and pence each. No one had a problem with it at all. I honestly can't see why you would, unless you are doubting the honesty of these girls

Right, so these girls excluded her, and not politely?

So the AIBU to want £3 back is actually anger with them. And the real AIBU is "AIBU to think these girls should have been inclusive, or at least polite?"

Yabu although they should announce which charity and show donation.

At least they didn't pocket it!

Which charity and where is the proof? Sorry but £3 each is not a lot but £200 is a very substantial sum.

£3. Not much you can get for that.
£200 to a charity however is a lovely gesture.
YABVU.

But it seems like a secretive thing, no-one allowed to help organise, no-one allowed to see the spare money, no-one allowed to talk about what to do with it, and no-one allowed to see proof of where it has gone. I would feel very cross if this was my money. It's not the amount, it's the principle. What if they didn't donate it to charity? Who would ever know?

Yabu, don't embarrass yourself chasing after 3 pounds. The time to complain about not being included was during all the organizing of the prom not after.

OP YABVVU, as are those suggesting the girls may have pocketed the money. How would you even know about the surplus money unless they told you? You wouldn't. So if they were planning to pocket it, wouldn't they have just done so and not made a big announcement about it?
Its 3 quid ffs, get over it

YABU, but I'm afraid the cynic in me says that with no info about the charity makes me think it might have been divided three ways and claimed as 'payment'.

I don't think YABU, and I think something shoudk be said because these girls have made a huge mistake. They are especially out of order for not saying which charity they have chosen. If they wanted to donate it to charity instead of giving the money back, they shoudk have held a vote on which charities the rest if them want to support. Yes it would be more work for them, but that's what happens when you choose to be an organiser.

I really wouldn't like this, there are some charities I actively choose not to support. Not all charities are worthwhile causes.

Our lot had money over and did leavers t-shirts, but that depends on knowing what you've got over in time to do anything about it.
I think I would have expected any surplus to go towards some sort of extra treat or the school PTA funds, but charity is as good.

Are you saying your daughter, one of the children, wanted to organise it?

£3 is nothing per person to donate.

I don't think they went wrong in deciding the charity themselves. 60 lots of opinions, hundreds of charities to choose from. Even if they'd said please nominate out of x, y,z choices, who decides what those choices are.

Money to charity is a good deed done, whatever the charity. It takes the shine off a great event to be unhappy about this little aspect.

Given the efforts these girls went to in organising the event, choosing the charity is a small privilege.

Yes, you are being stingy; have you considered how much time and effort would be involved in distributing money to sixty people?
I was criticised for donating £15 excess to The Salvation Army after organising a Christmas meal, and cooking it, for 35 people. I should have calculated the cost more accurately!

Goblin I wouldnt have been happy that you donated my money to a homophobic charity. But I have to agree that it would be at your discretion to do so.

I agree with pp that ideally the excess should have been used for the benefit of all the children - if it had been spotted in time there could have been a few bowls of sweets dotted round the ballroom or they could have bought boxes of Cornettos for after the last exams or something. There might have been something they crossed off the list during planning which could have been included after all and which their friends might have preferred to a charity donation.

They certainly need to say which charity and preferably produce the acknowledgement - does it say "Three Legged Donkeys Home thanks Susie, Amy and Carrie for their donation of £200" or "... Thanks to High Street School leavers 2015..."?