To put aside some money from a collection for the next one

[TonaldDrump]

I have in my team two people who are going to be leaving within the space of two months. Both came in for a short period of six months. Both are great and well liked.

So I arranged a collection for the first to leave. I got way more than I thought I'd get, close to £200! Enough for a goodbye spread and gift and then some.

I was talking to one of my colleagues who suggested I keep some of this money aside for the next one who is leaving. She thinks that the next collection won't be so generous and that people are giving so generously because it's the first one I've arranged (im fairly new and is this first time a team member has gone)

I get her point and I do have more than enough for a nice gift and good/drinks. But something feels a bit wrong about keeping the money aside when people gave it to me to spend on her.

What do you think? Wibu to keep some aside for the next person who will leave??

I think if people gave for that named person, that's who it should be spent on.

I would probably handle it by doing the other collection before spending any money if possible and let people know that any money is going to be split evenly between the two as you don't want either to feel like they're not as appreciated. I'm sure people will understand where you're coming from and will want it to be fair as well

I think it's wrong.

Even the mindset there of "I got way more than I thought I'd get" (I understand it's because you collected it though)

And "I do have more than enough for a good gift and drinks" (again, understandable as you collected).

But the money was given for this colleague, not the other one.

That's a good idea but I should have thought of it before! It's a bit late now. I just didn't expect people to give so much. I've even told a couple of colleagues who are away etc and wanted to give to save it for the next one! Hmm, maybe I just work in a really generous place (I got a mug when I left my last job so need to change expectations here!)

Well, I mean I because I'm collecting and organizing the whole thing, not because I think it's my money! We can be clear about that from the start.

It's not a question of mindset anyway. I'm asking here because I'm not sure.

But the objective is to make sure both staff members - who are equal in time they've been with us and in their functions - have a good send off.

If it's not ethical to save the money from one collection to the next, then we'll just need to take our chances and hope for the best.

I could save MY contribution of course and ask my colleague who suggested it if she is happy doing the same. Then well have a little bit of leeway.

I thought I was pretty clear in my post that it was because you were collecting

It can be more about the mindset though, IYSWIM?

The money was given for that person alone, so it's not really up to the collector to decide to do something different with it, once people have given.

So why even raise the issue of the pronoun and highlight it? It's clear it's not a reflective of a mindset that the money is mine.

But point taken that people have given under the assumption it'll be spent on a certain person. Guess we'll go to town on the gift and spread then!!

I would spend it on the named person. But ideally in a way that it won't be obvious to the second leaver if less has been given for them. So for example I would allocate more to the gift rather than the spread - two unequal gifts is less obvious than two unequal spreads, especially if the gift is something like vouchers.

Yes do save your contribution and the one from colleague who suggested sharing.

Named person.

I'd put in more for a person I'd worked closely with for ten years than I would than I would for someone who I didn't work with as much.

And I'd be pissed off at it being redistributed at your discretion.

Named person. If the second person is popular they will inspire gifts, if not then tough. Leaving gifts for someone who's worked only 6 mths is really generous as it is - at my workplace we wouldn't organise one unless they worked for a min of 12 months.

Named person. It's kind of like giving someone money to donate to a charity that you like but that person decides to donate it to a different one

Named person. If the second person is popular they will inspire gifts, if not then tough. Leaving gifts for someone who's worked only 6 mths is really generous as it is - at my workplace we wouldn't organise one unless they worked for a min of 12 months.

Named person. I'd be hacked off if I contributed x amount to the collection for person A and found out it had been diverted to the collection for person B. The generosity or otherwise of colleagues is not my concern when I make a decision on how much to put in. What I contribute to collection A and to collection B is entirely my concern.

If considerably more was collected for A than for B then maybe you could ask the company to top up B's collection.

How much has been collected in such circumstances is never normally divulged where I work so only the person in charge of the collection and purchasing the gift would normally know and recipients tend not to bang on about exactly how much they got/it was worth. Terribly British of us.

Legally you've collected the money for one named person, you're holding the money in trust for that purpose and if you now spend the money on somebody else you'd technically be stealing that money.

You definitely can't save some for the next person.

Ok named person it is minus my contribution!

Just to add that both have been with us for the same amount of time on the same status and contract so it's not like one has been years and one just a few months

And none of the givers nor the recipient are British so British mores about discussing money don't apply

Nobody in my team is British either but it's still considered rude to discuss collections like that.

No its theft! They gave to a collection for a specific person you cannot reallocate it how you see fit!

I'm not worried anyone will discuss how much either but it's not because of how very British they are (or aren't). I've only mentioned to one colleague who is helping with organizing and she is the one who suggested keeping some aside for the next person who is leaving shortly.

But,ok, as I said point taken and I'll spend the full amount on the current person and hope we have get a nice amount for the next one (which I'll also be organizing)

Although actually maybe I am worried they'll discuss. The two who are leaving sit next to each other and are friends. Ugh. This is complicated!