Collecting Money for a Company Party: Announcement Templates and How Much to Ask

Splitting the bill after a party is one problem; asking colleagues for money before it is another. The second one is mostly about wording: a message that states the amount, what it covers and the deadline gets paid in a day, while a vague “let’s chip in for New Year” turns into a week of questions.

Copy and adapt: “Team, our New Year party is on 26 December at 19:00 at the Beryozka café. The contribution is 3,500 RUB for the banquet menu, drinks and a host. If you are coming, please transfer by 12 December to +7 900 000-00-00 (Anna S.). The deposit is paid after the 12th, so contributions cannot be refunded after that, but you can pass your place to a colleague.”

What the Announcement Must Contain

1. Occasion, date, time and venue.
2. The amount and what it covers — menu, drinks, host, transport.
3. Deadline and one recipient — a phone number for instant transfers and the recipient’s name.
4. The refund rule — until when money comes back in full.
5. How to opt out — ideally “just don’t transfer, no need to reply”.

Message Templates

1. Short, for the team chat: “Team, New Year party — 26 December, 19:00, Beryozka café. 3,500 RUB covers the menu, drinks and the host. Transfer by 12 December to +7 900 000-00-00 (Anna S.). Not coming? Just don’t transfer.”
2. Casual: “Folks, we’re celebrating together this year 🎄 Found a venue and sorted the menu — it comes to 3,500 each. If you’re in, send it to me by the 12th so I can pay the deposit.”
3. Formal email. Subject: “New Year party on 26 December: contributions by 12 December”. “Dear colleagues, you are invited to the New Year evening on 26 December at 19:00 at the Beryozka café. The contribution is 3,500 RUB per person, covering the banquet menu, drinks and a host. Please confirm and transfer by 12 December to … (recipient: Anna Smirnova, HR). Participation is voluntary. The venue deposit is paid after 12 December, so contributions cannot be refunded after that date, but your place can be passed to a colleague.”
4. Poll first, amount second: “Please vote by Friday whether you are coming. With 20 people it’s about 3,500 RUB, with 12 about 4,500 — the venue fee is shared. I’ll post the exact figure after the poll.”
5. The company pays part: “Good news: the company covers the venue and the host. We only pay for the menu — 2,800 RUB per person, by 12 December.”
6. With and without alcohol: “3,500 RUB — menu and soft drinks; 4,400 RUB — with wine and champagne. Please add ‘with drinks’ or ‘without’ to the transfer note.”
7. Fewer people, higher share: “We ended up with 14 people instead of 20, so the venue share went up: 4,000 RUB instead of 3,500. If you have already paid, please add 500 by Friday. If that’s a problem, message me privately.”
8. Report afterwards: “Thanks for a great evening! Collected 70,000 RUB, spent 67,400: menu 48,000, host 15,000, cake 4,400. The remaining 2,600 goes towards the next celebration unless anyone objects. Receipts are pinned.”

How to Work Out the Contribution

Two kinds of cost behave differently. Fixed costs — venue hire, host, photographer — are divided by the number of attendees. Per-person costs — the menu, drinks packages — are quoted per head and added as they are.

The figures are an example of the calculation, not market prices. For the fairness side of non-drinkers see splitting the bill with non-drinkers; for dividing the final bill see how to split corporate party costs.

Running It in DeliBabki

Create a “New Year party” group and add the attendees. Log the deposit and the restaurant bill as expenses paid by the organiser, and put alcohol in a separate expense using the Shares mode with a 0 share for non-drinkers. The group shows who owes whom and the minimal transfers; drop the link in the chat — no sign-up needed.

Frequently Asked Questions