How KadoPool works

Can I see who has paid?

Yes: who has chipped in and who hasn't, never how much. With automatic reminders on, KadoPool nudges the people you invited who haven't paid about 3 days and about 12 hours before the closing date, and you can nudge anyone who hasn't paid yourself, once every 48 hours, in the app.

When can I see the total?

Once enough people have chipped in that no one's amount can be guessed. Until then, the total stays hidden. Contributors only ever see a rounded figure. You see the exact amount when you close the pool.

What if fewer people pay than I expected?

The gift is what the group collected: there's no minimum to reach and no shortfall for you to cover. If some people still need to pay, move the closing date to reopen the pool, any time until you send the gift.

Can I check my pools from Claude?

Yes. Once you connect KadoPool to Claude, ask it how a pool is doing or who has chipped in. Claude only reads: it can't move money or change your pools. How to connect

Can I refund someone?

Yes, any payment in your pool, while it's open. Everything comes back except Stripe's card processing fee.

What happens on the closing date?

The pool stops taking payments at 11:59 PM in your time zone, and KadoPool reminds you as the date approaches. A payment that arrives later is refunded in full, automatically.

Do I need the app?

No. Pay from the link by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, with no account.

Who sees how much I gave?

Nobody but you: not the organizer, not the recipient, not the others. Your name goes in the KadoBook like everyone else's, unless you give anonymously in the app (not on donation pools).

How much should I give?

Whatever feels right. The smallest gift is $10, and every name counts the same.

Can I add a message or a photo?

Yes. Pay on the website, then add them in the free KadoPool app, signed in with the same e-mail, or chip in from the app directly. Your message goes in the KadoBook. Your photo, one each, can be in the KadoClip if the organizer chooses the one with photos: Google checks it automatically and the organizer looks it over first. A photo that isn't used is deleted when the gift is sent; one in the KadoClip, 90 days later.

Can I get a refund?

Yes, while the pool is open. In the app, request it yourself. If you paid on the website, ask the organizer, or install the app and sign in with the same e-mail to request it. Everything comes back except Stripe's card processing fee (about $1.03 on $25), and it can take 5–10 business days to show on your statement.

I live outside the US. Can I chip in?

Yes, from the link with your own card. It is charged in dollars and your bank converts it. Stripe charges 1.5% more for a card from outside the US: that extra is added to your payment and shown before you pay.

Is my gift tax-deductible?

Not in a gift pool. In a donation pool, the charity sends you a tax receipt.

Where does the money go?

Every payment goes through Stripe, the payment company used by Shopify, Lyft and Instacart, and KadoPool tracks it against its pool. The money never goes into KadoPool's operating account, and never into the organizer's personal account. Stripe handles card data to PCI standards and monitors for fraud.

Who's responsible if something goes wrong?

KadoPool is. KadoPool receives each payment through Stripe for the pool's recipients: once you've paid, your part is done, even if something goes wrong on our end. If a payout fails, KadoPool, not the organizer, completes it or refunds you. With Venmo or Zelle, if the organizer disappears with the money, your only recourse is against them.

How does Privacy Shield work?

• Amounts are private. Only the person who gave knows how much (it's on their receipt). Not the organizer, not the recipient, not the others.
• The total is hidden at first. Until enough people have chipped in that no one's amount can be guessed, nobody sees the total. After that, the organizer sees it; contributors only ever see a rounded figure. The organizer sees the exact amount at close.
• Every name counts the same. The KadoBook lists every contributor equally. Someone who gives anonymously is never named to the recipient; the organizer still sees their name.

Privacy Shield is a product feature, not a legal privacy framework.

What if a gift doesn't reach the recipient?

KadoPool reminds recipients on a schedule, each time saying what's left to do: create an account or claim the gift. The organizer can remind them too.

If a gift is still unclaimed after 12 months, the money is handled under state unclaimed-property law. In most states, it goes to the state's unclaimed property office, where the recipient can still claim it. It never goes to KadoPool or to the organizer.

What about refunds and chargebacks?

Refunds are open while the pool is open: everything comes back except Stripe's card processing fee, and KadoPool keeps none of its own fee. A payment that arrives after the closing date is refunded in full, automatically. Once the gift is sent, payments can't be refunded.

If someone disputes a payment with their bank, the pool isn't frozen: that payment stops counting toward it. If the gift was already sent, the disputed amount comes off what recipients who haven't claimed yet will receive. KadoPool never asks a recipient to give back money they've already received, unless they took part in fraud. If the bank decides the dispute against the payer, their KadoPool account can be locked. Full details in our Refund Policy and Terms of Service.

What does it cost?

Organizing is free. Each payment carries Stripe's card processing (2.9% + 30¢ in the US) and KadoPool's fee (2%, at most $5): about $1.53 on a $25 gift. The organizer chooses, before anyone pays, whether fees come out of each gift or are added on top.

How does the 30% to schools and nonprofits work?

When an organizer links a pool to a verified partner (any IRS-recognized US nonprofit: schools, PTAs, sports clubs, food banks, shelters), 30% of KadoPool's fee from that pool goes to it. It comes out of our fee, never out of the gift. Partners verify through the IRS list and Stripe, confirm once a year, and are paid every quarter once their balance reaches $50, otherwise once a year from $25, less Stripe's payout fee.

What about donation pools and taxes?

A gift pool isn't tax-deductible: it pays for a coordinated gift to a person. The 30% to a linked partner is paid by KadoPool, not by contributors.

A donation pool names a KadoPool partner nonprofit as the recipient. Each donation goes to the charity's Stripe account as it is made, less the fees if the organizer chose to include them, and the charity sends each donor a tax receipt for the full amount paid. KadoPool also gives the charity 30% of its own fee: a payment from KadoPool, not from any donor. Amounts stay private between donors, but the charity receives every donor's name, e-mail, ZIP code and amount for its records, so no one can give anonymously; the contribution page says so before anyone pays. To support a school or charity while keeping amounts private, use a gift pool linked to it instead.