I don’t want to donate cash for my office holiday party.

[Anonymous]

I realize this sounds so petty. I work for the state government, we have zero budget for office holiday parties.

A coworker sent an email out yesterday soliciting cash donations so she can throw a party for the entire office, which is multiple departments and hundreds of people. My department is small, maybe 20-30 people in my office. Her email was off putting and she included her Venmo.

I am throwing two baby showers for two different staff who are expecting, and I just took a direct report out for lunch to celebrate their promotion. I’m easily spending $300+ on my direct staff over the few months and have no desire to also subsidize a holiday party for people in departments I don’t even know. I wouldn’t mind bringing a dish or something, but to ask for cash donations sounds just so tacky. Ugh. Ok, complaint over. I know the easy answer is "just don’t donate" and I won’t, but I’m wondering what other people would do in this situation.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely ignore it.

[Anonymous]

If you are at a certain manager level, then you should donate.

[Anonymous]

Oh my God, please send money. I do not want to eat random potluck meals from people, I’d much rather order takeout from a barbecue place

[Anonymous]

I would donate, particularly as a manager or above.

If you don't donate, you absolutely should not attend.

[Anonymous]

Send some small amount. $10-$20 or something.

[Anonymous]

How awkward to announce a donation-dependent party, then have no one donate enough. Because you can be sure that across several departments, people are just going to assume someone else is giving, and the total amount is not going to be enough.

These should be banned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How awkward to announce a donation-dependent party, then have no one donate enough. Because you can be sure that across several departments, people are just going to assume someone else is giving, and the total amount is not going to be enough.

These should be banned.

I thought this was the awkward part of it. It’s one thing to offer to throw a party. But to say "I want to throw a party and want everyone else to pay for it" is off putting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How awkward to announce a donation-dependent party, then have no one donate enough. Because you can be sure that across several departments, people are just going to assume someone else is giving, and the total amount is not going to be enough.

These should be banned.

I thought this was the awkward part of it. It’s one thing to offer to throw a party. But to say "I want to throw a party and want everyone else to pay for it" is off putting.

This is very much the norm -- an annual employee-funded holiday party -- in some (most?) government workplaces. In a private workplace, the company or association or whatever picks up the tab for an annual holiday party. That has been the case in every non-gov place I've worked. That isn't possible at the government, so attendees have to contribute. That was what we did in my office when I worked for a fed agency. This is a pretty standard thing. It isn't like some random coworker decides to throw a party and just up and asks people to Venmo her. I'd love to see holiday parties (actually workplace socializing in general) disappear; I think it is a vestige from different times. But it's still here at a lot of places.

[Anonymous]

If the alternative is no party, what do you expect the co-worker to do? I know many people don’t favor holiday parties, but it’s kind of traditional.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't donate. I used to work for a small fed office/agency and was expected to contribute generously to stuff like this. It was my boss that was the enforcer. If it was just a random employee who wanted to throw the party, I would have no hesitation in declining or giving $5 max.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t donate but I wouldn’t just ignore it. I’ll let her know that I wasn’t comfortable with it.

What if you donate a considerable amount, and not many other people give. The party still would be sub par, people would complain, and it would not be appreciated. I think, even if it was a great overtop party, people are going to complain, and it’s not going to be appreciated.

Personally, I don’t think you need to have a party at all. But if everyone insists, you could have something during work, at the end of the day, and have people bring things. For anyone, like myself, who doesn’t like potluck, they may come and not eat. Or they may not come at all.

[Anonymous]

Don't pay and don't go.

[Anonymous]

I would let her know you are already planning significant events for other occasions and don't have the money to spend on an organization wide party.

It's quite possible no one wants this party, as a former state government worker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would let her know you are already planning significant events for other occasions and don't have the money to spend on an organization wide party.

It's quite possible no one wants this party, as a former state government worker.

+1 from the former fed PP