Giving a donation - do you?

[Posey]

I run a mum and baby/toddler group once a week. We pay nothing for the premises, have loads of toys etc. All we have to buy is tea/coffee/biscuits/raisins etc. People are invited to bung a donation in the moneybox, just to cover these costs.
Today there were around 15 adults plus their off-spring and all that was put in the box was £3.60. Its a lovely group, the drinks flow freely as do the chocolate digestives... Its an affluent group, so am a little surprised by the lack of donations. We cover costs, I'm not out of pocket and I love doing it. I'm just curious as to whether you lot would always make a contribution.

Always where there is a suggested donation (eg a set amount each week, which is what most of my local groups have). However if donations are optional and there is no suggested amount then I would usually bung in a fiver or tenner once a term.

how about a "suggested donation" of 50p/£1/whatever.
i go to an ace playgroup which is £1.50 per time. happily pay it without fail

do oyu have a signing in book, perhaps you can suggest they cough up then?

Our playgroup cahrges £1 and 50p for additional siblings. The money pays for the upkeep and for easter eggs, summer trip, xmas party and gift and borthday gift. I think time to start charging!

What a mean affluent lot,we pay £1 a Mum

or - get them to bring in tea coffee biscuits on arota system.

think charging them £1 per session is fine

I think that's terrible. In that situation I think everyone should have to put in at least £1.

Ours is 50p, and the tin is next to where you sign up for tea/coffee etc

Thanks for those messages. I put the moneybox on the side where the plates of snacks are kept. And a couple of weeks ago I put out a letter with various bits on info on it, and did mention "thanks for continuing to donate via the moneybox, to keep us in choccy biscuits....blah"
Anyway no worries, we have about £20 at the minute, should see us to the summer holidays, then we'll reassess.

I run a todller group at my church and we have a suggested donation of 50p per family. We have a signing in/out sheet next to the pot necause we have a fire regiulations limit on the room and therefore have to keep an eye on numbers. Not everyone puts 50p in but we definately cover the cost of food/drinks and art materials.

I think having the sheet encourages people to remember the donation - I expect in your group most people just forget rather than deliberately don't contribute

I think if you as for donations you will always get people who never put anything in and people who are generous. The groups I have been to always had a signing in sheet to make sure they didn't exceed numbers etc. so when people signed in they paid (groups round here vary between 80p and £1 which for 1.5 - 2 hrs including a cup of tea/squash and a biscuit I think is a bargain. They also give the kids treats at Easter, Xmas etc and arranged the odd trip (which only usually costs extra £3 or so). IMO there should be a small compulsory charge if everyone is having tea, eating biscuits - I think it makes live easier and saves anyone having to dip into their own pocket to subsidise the group.

We went for "donation" because I used to go to a group where there was a desk right my the door and someone sat there taking the money and I always felt put off by it. Plus they only allowed you one drink

IKWYM. Someone used to sit and actually take the money by the door of the one I went to. The good thing was that because of the list they knew (roughly) how many people and who would be there regularly so about 15/20 mins after opening the lady would move from the door and lock it - this prevented any of the children from escaping (there were 2 rooms the children could go in and out of - which meant them going past the main entrance door. If anyone came or left after that they just used to knock to be let in or tell someone they were going so the door could be locked behind them. TBH I think £1 for what you are providing is a good deal and I would happily pay it.
Good Luck

our toddler group is £1 per session and it combined with a toy library. All the toys are brnad new, as it is part of centre which opened last year. They never impose paying the £1 but sometimes I forget like I did the week before, so this week I gave then £2. I don't think there is anything wrong with charging a cpl of quid to cover the cost of refreshments etc, at the same time I think it is nice that if you don't have change on you one week that don't make a big deal about it.

please excuse my sp!!!

I do feel better reading these messages. I just don't like being taken for a fool, I guess. But this week it was particularly hectic, a couple of regulars with new babies to show off and lots of people catching up. Sometimes its really calm and I think then people tend to remember. I'm sure this week people probably just genuinely forgot. I seemed to be making a never ending cup of tea!