Last month right before we were planning on rehiring our children’s nanny, she texted us that she had contracted COVID. We just recently learned her boyfriend also contracted COVID and ultimately died from it. They were also expecting their first child in a few months.
The family has started a GoFundMe page. We plan to donate, but I’m not really sure what would be considered a “reasonable” amount.
So what do people think would be a good amount to donate (maybe in terms of multiples of our nanny’s weekly comp)?
I don’t know how much you can afford, how much is traditional where you live, how close you are to the nanny, and so on. Perhaps a local clergy member could advise you better?
Was this a full-time nanny with health benefits? You mention that you were just about to “rehire” her - for what reason/for how long was she out of your employ? Also, surely she’ll want to take maternity leave when her child is born, so it seems like an odd time to be rehiring her, unless the plan is for her to bring her newborn with her to work - which would be a great thing to do for her, if that’s possible.
Don’t go fund me pages usually have an amount listed as a goal? Depending on your financial situation, perhaps a donation that is maybe 10-15% or so of the goal? May or may not be what you ultimately decide on, but it’s a decent metric for a starting point.
She had been in our employ off and on for about 2 years. Once the kids finished school, we spent the summer out by my inlaws so we didn’t need her services. The original plan was to hire her back part time to pick the kids up from school and watch them for a few hours in the afternoon until the baby was born. After that she wasn’t sure if she was going to continue working. And to be honest, with my new work schedule supporting a project in the UK (where their work day is done about noon my time), turns out I can pick up my own kids from school.
What I gather from your explanation is that you were never her “real” employer, in the sense that she had a full-time steady job with you (and no other clients) which provided enough income to live on and with expectations that it would continue indefinitely (obviously not forever as you kids would age out of the need for supervision, but still - possibly for many years).
As a practical matter I’d say that lessens your moral obligation somewhat, but of course if you have a strong personal relationship with her and/or she has stood by your family in times of need, that increases it.
If I understand correctly, she is now pregnant, has Covid, and the baby’s father has recently died? That’s a pretty awful situation. I’d personally be tempted to give as generously as I could.
Not nearly the same as a nanny, but when our cleaning lady’s husband died from being hit by a car, we paid her three months salary and told her to take care of herself first and let us know when/if she wanted to return to work.
Do GoFundMe things indicate who contributed and how much? Because that would really suck and warn me off of ever giving to one because it would become a contest of who could be guilted into giving the most.
If they (hopefully) do not publicize who gave what then it
s really no matter at all how much you choose to give. Should be nobody’s business but your own.