When a colleague loses someone close, the question of how much to give is uncomfortable to ask out loud — which is exactly why so many people search for it privately. There is no correct figure, but there are established ranges and, more importantly, a few rules that keep the collection from adding stress to an already hard week.
What the amount actually depends on
- How close the colleague is to you. Your own team versus a name you only see in the staff list.
- Who has died. A colleague themselves, a parent, a spouse, a child — the last two usually shift the whole collection upward.
- The family situation. If dependants are left without income, the collection often turns into sustained help rather than a one-off contribution.
- The size of the team. In a large company small individual amounts still add up to meaningful support.
Rules that matter more than the figure
- Never assign an amount. "Any amount you can manage" is the correct phrasing. A fixed figure turns grief into an invoice.
- Do not publish a list of contributors. Transparency is important for gift collections; for a funeral it is intrusive.
- Hand over one sum from the team. Separate transfers from twelve people force the family to respond twelve times.
- Keep the organiser accountable, quietly. One person collects, one person reports the total — privately, to those who ask.
If you are organising the collection
The organiser carries an awkward double duty: collecting money from a dozen people while nobody wants to talk about money at all. A shared group takes the bookkeeping off your hands — in ДелиБабки you create a group by link, log each contribution, and see the running total without keeping a tally in your notes. What you post in the chat stays the total; who gave what remains between you and the person.
Frequently asked questions
How much do colleagues usually contribute?
There is no fixed norm — amounts cluster by how close the colleague is and who has died. The announcement should always describe the amount as voluntary rather than assign one.
Is it embarrassing to give a small amount?
No. There is no minimum, people are in different financial situations, and participation matters more than the figure.
Is participation mandatory?
No, and refusal needs no explanation. A well-worded announcement makes not taking part unremarkable.
How should the money be handed over?
As one sum from the team, in an envelope in person where possible, with a short message saying it is from colleagues.
Keep the collection simple
A shared group by link keeps the running total without a tally in your notes — so the organiser can focus on the people rather than the arithmetic.
Create a group