Best way to collect for a leaving present

Northern_Tribe

I work for a large organisation that operates from multiple sites. A colleague is leaving after 40 years with the organisation and I have been tasked with arranging a collection for a retirement gift. A few years ago this would have involved sending envelopes to various offices and asking that they be circulated around and returned to me. I can't do that now most people are working from home.

I don't want to send my banking details out with the email asking for donations. Does anyone know of an alternative? I thought about getting a prepaid debit card and asking people to add money. I don't know if it is possible to set up a one off payment into someone else's prepaid card so need to investigate this further.  Is there an app or a website similar to gofundme but for gifts? Any other suggestions?

Thank you

MovingForwards

I've contributed via Fundrazr.com others have done it via PayPal.

There's plenty of companies if you look online, search how to collect money for leaving gift.

jimjames

I used collectionpot.com when we had a colleague leaving last year

Tim11111000111

My colleagues have used thankbox.com in the past. I'm sure there are other sites that do the same thing. The only catch is they do charge a small fee. 

dr_adidas01

I've used Paypal in the past and also collectionpot.com

Northern_Tribe

Thank you, everyone, who replied 

RogerBareford

Northern_Tribe said:

I work for a large organisation that operates from multiple sites. A colleague is leaving after 40 years with the organisation and I have been tasked with arranging a collection for a retirement gift. A few years ago this would have involved sending envelopes to various offices and asking that they be circulated around and returned to me. I can't do that now most people are working from home.

I don't want to send my banking details out with the email asking for donations. Does anyone know of an alternative? I thought about getting a prepaid debit card and asking people to add money. I don't know if it is possible to set up a one off payment into someone else's prepaid card so need to investigate this further.  Is there an app or a website similar to gofundme but for gifts? Any other suggestions?

Thank you

Who has tasked you with doing this?

Maybe it would be best to just not do it at all because I don't think anyone really likes the thought of an expectation to give money just because someone is retiring.

Northern_Tribe

RogerBareford said:

Who has tasked you with doing this?

Maybe it would be best to just not do it at all because I don't think anyone really likes the thought of an expectation to give money just because someone is retiring.

Really? I don't mind contributing to the retirement gifts of respected colleagues and I've never heard anyone complain about being expected to contribute. It is totally voluntary and it's mutual, you contribute but others then contribute to yours.   Perhaps it's because I work in the public sector so there is no gift from our employer.

Zanderman

RogerBareford said:

Northern_Tribe said:

I work for a large organisation that operates from multiple sites. A colleague is leaving after 40 years with the organisation and I have been tasked with arranging a collection for a retirement gift. A few years ago this would have involved sending envelopes to various offices and asking that they be circulated around and returned to me. I can't do that now most people are working from home.

I don't want to send my banking details out with the email asking for donations. Does anyone know of an alternative? I thought about getting a prepaid debit card and asking people to add money. I don't know if it is possible to set up a one off payment into someone else's prepaid card so need to investigate this further.  Is there an app or a website similar to gofundme but for gifts? Any other suggestions?

Thank you

Who has tasked you with doing this?

Maybe it would be best to just not do it at all because I don't think anyone really likes the thought of an expectation to give money just because someone is retiring.

Your thoughts are at odds with my experience. 

Collections for colleagues leaving - for whatever reason - are (and always have been) common practice.

Especially very long-serving colleagues.

The very fact that there are online systems designed for such collections suggests this is still common practice. 

Stuart_W

I used to use both pingit and PayPal Pools for this - both were completely free and both have now closed.

I have more recently used viing which is also completely free if you are happy to turn the pot into a John Lewis voucher.

As others have mentioned, many of these systems have sneaky fees somewhere along the line and I've always preferred free systems. I also like with viing that the organiser doesn't get to know any individual donation amounts. 

RogerBareford

Northern_Tribe said:

RogerBareford said:

Who has tasked you with doing this?

Maybe it would be best to just not do it at all because I don't think anyone really likes the thought of an expectation to give money just because someone is retiring.

Really? I don't mind contributing to the retirement gifts of respected colleagues and I've never heard anyone complain about being expected to contribute. It is totally voluntary and it's mutual, you contribute but others then contribute to yours.   Perhaps it's because I work in the public sector so there is no gift from our employer.

It just seems like a pointless exercise if you're contributing to other people and people are contributing to yours to just buy some random gift, everyone might as well just keep their money and spend it on what they want.

Zanderman said:

RogerBareford said:

Northern_Tribe said:

I work for a large organisation that operates from multiple sites. A colleague is leaving after 40 years with the organisation and I have been tasked with arranging a collection for a retirement gift. A few years ago this would have involved sending envelopes to various offices and asking that they be circulated around and returned to me. I can't do that now most people are working from home.

I don't want to send my banking details out with the email asking for donations. Does anyone know of an alternative? I thought about getting a prepaid debit card and asking people to add money. I don't know if it is possible to set up a one off payment into someone else's prepaid card so need to investigate this further.  Is there an app or a website similar to gofundme but for gifts? Any other suggestions?

Thank you

Who has tasked you with doing this?

Maybe it would be best to just not do it at all because I don't think anyone really likes the thought of an expectation to give money just because someone is retiring.

Your thoughts are at odds with my experience. 

Collections for colleagues leaving - for whatever reason - are (and always have been) common practice.

Especially very long-serving colleagues.

The very fact that there are online systems designed for such collections suggests this is still common practice. 

It maybe a common experience, but personally I don't like the idea of going round asking people for money and I don't like people asking me for money (but maybe I'm in the minority with those thoughts).