The Disappearing Gift Kitty

[lady_disdain]

I might go the polite fiction rule but pushing it to make it clear that this won't happen again: pretend to believe that she had not seen the money and give her a lecture on responsibly handling money belonging to others and asking her to remove herself from any position that needs to handle money. It will get the message through. In the future, I would speak up if she ever tried to handle money again: "Oh, no, Member, you shouldn't be in this position. Remember when you lost the gift money? I would hate for that to happen again." If she doesn't want to hear that public, then she will stop trying to handle money or people will soon catch on.

[Outdoor Girl]

I'm so glad your daughter was vindicated, Rusty.  Other member must be a complete dolt.  To be given $150, spend $30, pocket $120 and expect no one to notice?  Dumb.  If she'd spent $120 and pocketed $30, no one probably would have noticed.

The advantage to the way this went down, everyone knows not to trust this member with money, ever.  I do hope she is asked to resign.

[Cat-Fu]

Wow! What cajones! I'm glad she got caught out! I don't understand, though, why your daughter is resigning when it seems that the wannabe-thief is going to be asked to step down?

[doodlemor]

Well its been a while but DD tells me the Pre-school committee had a lunch (pre-school is on a break) and the subject of the gift came up, member concerned got all flustered when several mothers mentioned the fact the gift did not tally with the amount handed over. Member tried to bluff her way along saying she'd only received around $50 whereupon the member who had witnessed the handing over spoke up and said that she had counted the kitty herself and was there on handover.  Red face ensued and she made excuses and left saying she'd go home and check out the folder where she had left the receipt etc.   She returned in 15mins with the rest of the money (not the same bills, it was all small denominations) saying she hadn't looked properly in the folder but THERE IT WAS ALL THE TIME.  There was quite a stunned silence while all this ensued, and suffice to say this member will be having no contact with any cash from now on.

I'm so delighted with this update, Rusty.  The comeuppance was well deserved!

[mrs_deb]

I don't understand, though, why your daughter is resigning when it seems that the wannabe-thief is going to be asked to step down?

I'm not Rusty nor her daughter, but I completely understand why she's resigning.  I have saved in my inbox a six-year-old email from a woman berating me mercilessly for something that was absolutely not my fault - I was a volunteer, she was looking for a "benefit", and in between her asking for it and me receiving the request, it took a detour - and I look at it occasionally to remind me why I resigned from that volunteer position, and why no matter how much the organization asks me to reconsider, I will never, never do it again.  No good deed goes unpunished.

[Girly]

I suggest she send an e-mail (so she can choose her words and have time to compose her responses), but my first contact would not include specific accounting assumptions, receipt requests, or references to returning money.

It depends on how the transaction was handled, but it could be as simple as 'Several parents have contacted me because they thought teacher's gift was less expensive than the amount of money they thought we collected.  I'd like to answer their questions: How much did we collect and what did we give teacher?' or 'I believe I gave you $150 for teacher's present; what did we end up buying with it?'  Thanks for running the errand and wrapping/presenting the gift may be appropriate as well.

Responses of suitable courtesy and strength would depend on the answers received.

Please keep us posted!

I would most certainly ask for a receipt for accounting purposes.

About 75% of my clients are non-profits, and you need a receipt for EVERYTHING, so this request wouldn't be unusual to me, though.

[LadyR]

Will,another guft be bought now that the money ismaccounted for? Glad your daughter was vindicated.

[Cami]

Sad to say, I've had this happen more than once.* I now never hand money over to anyone unless I can't avoid it and if I do, I always insist upon a receipt. Amazing how once a receipt is issued, I've never had one more problem.

*I think this repeated problem is why I cannot stand for anyone to call me a liar now. It's a red flag for me.