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What to Give a Colleague from the Team

Ideas by occasion — wedding, new baby, milestone birthday, farewell and house move — plus when money beats an object and what not to give.

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Collecting the money is the easy half. The hard half is deciding what the money buys — a team of fifteen has fifteen opinions, and the safest answer changes completely depending on the occasion.

Short answer: Money fits occasions tied to big expenses (wedding, baby, house move). An object fits occasions where memory matters (milestone birthday, farewell, retirement). The compromise that almost never fails: an envelope, one symbolic item, and a card signed by everybody.

Money or an object

OccasionWhat usually works
WeddingEnvelope plus a signed card; optionally one home-store voucher
New babyEnvelope or store voucher; a neutral newborn set; something for the parent, not only the child
Milestone birthdayA memento: engraving, photo book, portrait, a signed address in a folder — plus flowers
Farewell or retirementA memento tied to this team, not a useful object
House moveVoucher, textiles, tableware, plants

What not to give

Running the collection

A shared group by link keeps the running total and the list of who has already chipped in — in DeliBabki you log contributions, see the total, and post only the total in the chat.

Frequently asked questions

Money or an object?

Money for expensive occasions, an object where memory matters, and an envelope plus one symbolic item when in doubt.

What for a wedding?

An envelope and a signed card, optionally with one home-store voucher.

What for a new baby?

An envelope or voucher, a neutral newborn set, and ideally something aimed at the parent.

What if the team was not invited to the wedding?

Congratulate anyway, more modestly — an envelope and a card handed over at work.

Keep the collection in one place

One group by link, one running total, no tally in your notes.

Create a group