to be asked to contribute?

I wouldn't give that much for someone who I met once. What are they buying?

Surely it's £15 total, not £15 each, which with 10 members would be £150!! Just ignore. The lady wouldn't want more stuff to pack and send to Spain anyway. A nice bunch of flowers and card = £15.

Totally inappropriate that they even asked you for a contribution, Granoffour. The lady moving away will hardly remember you in a couple of weeks. Basically, you have spent a few hours in the same room as her! I'd say 'I'll not contribute if you don't mind as we didn't know each other' and leave it at that. I shouldn't even offer a couple of pounds in case they are giving her a gift token and need multiples of £5. Don't lose any sleep over this.

I hope you read these comments Granoffour. No way would I pay £15 for any collection. Please do not do it. If they take humbridge , then leave the group. There are plenty of book groups at the library.

Just ignore it. The email will have been sent to all members.

We have had a similar thing happen in a group I'm in. Someone is leaving but some of the newer ones hardly know her. When they were discussing a leaving present, I quickly suggested we all sign a card and give something individually if we want to. I honestly don't think she would expect a big gift.

Same here Eloethan small group I belong to usually contribute £1 or £2 and then, flowers, chocolates or bottle and card purchased for the person who organises everything. £15 is ridiculous and probably causes some of the group a worry

I think I'm reasonably generous but £15 sounds a lot of money to me, particularly as several people are contributing. I too think it's cheeky to expect everyone to give that sort of amount - everybody's financial circumstances are different.

And for the OP, who has just joined the group and doesn't really know the person, I think it should be left to her to decide whether she wants to contribute a couple of pounds or not.

Each Christmas my choir makes a collection for a present for our musical director. There are about 20 of us and we usually contribute £2 each (and if someone wants to put in a little more, they can just place it in the envelope without drawing attention to it).

A box of After Eights or something similar is less than £2.00 in Asda. A card and something like that would delight most people. Maximum spend £3.00 if you shop carefully for the card. A message like 'We haven't known each other long, but I wish you well with your next adventure in life'. Kindest regards.....
A request for £15.00 is outrageous and the person leaving would probably be mortified to find out that someone she hardly knows is being asked to make such a contribution.

I agree with the others make a small donation if you feel you can afford it but don't feel bad about it if you can not.

Ignore it, you don’t know the woman who is leaving. If anything is said you could say you thought the email was sent to you by mistake as you don’t know the woman who is leaving.

Your finances are not their business, you don’t need to explain you can’t afford to contribute.

As others have said ignore it. I would never feel constrained by anyone else into giving or not and the amount would be entirely up to myself. Sometimes least said the better and you should never feel the need to explain.

Perhaps it was a typo and should have read £1.50!
Don’t contribute and don’t explain. Very bad manners to ask you.

That is a lot - even when I've been asked to contribute to a present for someone it has rarely been more than £10, usually £5.
So, around £120 - £150 - quite a lot of money and if she is moving to Spain I hope they don't choose something too large for her to transport.

Perhaps it was just an email sent out to the whole group and the person organising it will quite understand if you only contribute a fiver as you don't know the person at all.

Or just ignore it altogether

£15 can be great chunk or someones weekly budget.

The person organising the collection should know better and just be aware others might not be as well off as others.

Grannyactivist is right.

Even £5 is a lot of money to a lot of people. A newcomer to a group should not be expected to contribute anything, and even long-standing members a group should not be put under pressure to contribute that much, let alone £15. To me, it suggests gross ignorance on the part of the organizer.

Email a reply saying you are happy to donate £5. if that is what suits. And do not expect there to be any discussion whatsoever about a different amount.

So you have all been asked to donate £15. Is that right?

If so, what on earth are they thinking of buying her with all that money.? Have you had a discussion about that yet?

It must be a very extravagant gift.

I might offer a fiver and apologise (though you dont need to).

I remember starting a new job, meeting in a city near me for the first meeting. Someone was leaving and the manager went around the table collecting. At the time, I carried no more than a 5 or 10 note on me and declined to give it! I felt bad, but.....

I agree with 123kitty but I do think £15 is a lot for a leaving present under any circumstances. I would be a bit put out if I was asked for a specific amount, surely it's up to the donor how much they give.

There’s no need to contribute to this! It’s like someone asking for you to give money for a complete stranger if you’ve only been to one meeting. I would either ignore it or remind them that you are new to the group. I’m sure it’s just gone out blindly to everyone...the joys of technology!

The fact your name was immediately added to the group's mailing list is a good sign of how well organised it is, you won't miss out on any group details. Don't worry about the £15 requested, just forget about it- nobody is going to chase you I'm sure. Stop worrying, go to your next meeting and enjoy yourself.

nope, i would not be contributing anything to the leaving present, i would possibly give a card if you felt you had to, but really after only been in the group 1 week I think the person leaving will understand x

It's probably one email sent to everyone in the group. Those who have been members for a long time will think it reasonable however I don't think anyone would expect you to pay the same amount

At my reading group we usually contribute £1 / £1.50 for a bunch of flowers if someone in the group has been bereaved or is ill. New member would not be asked to contribute anything, £15 is far too much, I agree