If you have a Whip Round you take an informal collection, usually for money to buy a collective gift or to make a donation. The phrase comes from a combination of sources. The phrase "whipper-in" is used to this day in foxhunting circles as the name for a huntsman's assistant who keeps the hounds in their pack by the use of a whip. Then, in the mid-19th century, this phrase was taken outside of hunting and shortened to "the whip" and later broadened again to "whip-up" meaning to generate enthusiasm or interest. Even today, those appointed by a party in Parliament to keep members in line and ensure they vote for the right motions are still known as "The Whips". Also, army officers extended the phrase even further during long nights of socialising in the officers' mess. At large official dinners, officers solved the problem of who would pay for the large rounds of wine by using an orderly as a whip. He would have to go around the table with a wine glass collecting money from each gentleman. They'd then be sent off to pay for further rounds. This custom became known as a "whip round" so that's how it came into the English language.