CS walked into the middle of a conversation and heard what was being talked about. It was a topic that she wished to comment on.

"I believe that thanking your crew members is not mandatory. It is surely a good thing to do - do not get me wrong - and I recall myself thanking prior crew members for every little dime they could kick up. To me, it feels weird not to thank them. Contributing money that way shows that they actually care for you and the crew, and like some people have already said, it gives an oppurtunity to have a little chat with that member. 

Looking at it from my current perspective as an associate, I love it when people thank me for contributing. It shows that your crewleader cares about you and the things you do for your crew. Of course, if I sent up something every fifteen minutes or hour or so, I wouldn't expect to have a message waiting for me after each time. But just a simple mail once in a while makes me happy and encourages me to contribute even more. 

With that said, I am pretty sure it sums up how a lot of people feel around here. Now, please do enjoy a cookie or scone of mine!"

CS placed a basket of cookies and scones in the middle of the crowd and walked away slowly...