Where does my contribution go?
When you contribute to a pool, your payment is processed through Stripe — the same payment infrastructure used by Shopify, Lyft, Instacart, and thousands of other companies. KadoPool tracks each contribution individually against the specific pool it belongs to. The funds are never deposited into KadoPool's operating account, and never into the organizer's personal account.
Stripe processes the payment. KadoPool tracks which pool each contribution belongs to. The organizer never touches the money.
Stripe is one of the most heavily regulated payments companies in the world, processing payments for millions of businesses. Using Stripe means KadoPool inherits the security and compliance posture that Stripe maintains — PCI DSS for card data, anti-fraud monitoring, and the same financial-regulator oversight that applies to any business in their network.
Who's responsible if something goes wrong?
KadoPool is. Specifically, when you contribute to a pool, KadoPool is appointed as a limited payment collection agent on the recipient's behalf. In plain language: once you've paid KadoPool, your obligation to the recipient is satisfied, even if something goes wrong on KadoPool's end. Your recourse, if a pool fails to settle, is with KadoPool — not with the organizer or the recipient.
This matters because it's the opposite of how Venmo or Zelle works for group gifts. With those, if you send your $25 and the organizer disappears, your money is gone and your only recourse is against the person who organized. With KadoPool, the organizer never holds your money, so they can't disappear with it.
How do the fees actually work?
Every contribution covers two fees:
- Stripe's payment processing fee — what Stripe charges to move money. This is the same fee Stripe charges any business.
- KadoPool's platform fee — what KadoPool charges to operate the service. This is capped on a per-contribution basis so larger contributions aren't penalized.
Both fees are disclosed in full before you confirm your payment. You'll see exactly what's being charged, what's going to the recipient, and what's going to fees, on the checkout screen.
For pools linked to a partner organization, 30% of KadoPool's platform fee (not Stripe's, which isn't ours to share) goes to that organization. More on this in section 7.
During our launch phase, the first 50 pools associated with Princeton-area schools and sports leagues get 0% platform fees. Stripe's fee still applies; KadoPool's doesn't.
What happens when a pool closes?
The organizer sets a closing date when they create the pool. As that date approaches, KadoPool notifies the organizer that the pool is ready to close. The organizer decides when to actually close it — they can close on the planned date, or accept late contributions for a few extra days if a few families haven't paid yet. The pool only closes when the organizer closes it.
Once the organizer closes the pool, KadoPool notifies the recipient that they have a gift waiting and walks them through how to receive it. If the pool was set to "keep this a surprise," the recipient hears about it for the first time at this moment. If it wasn't, they were notified when the pool was created — but in either case, individual contribution amounts are never visible to them.
How does the recipient get the gift?
To receive their gift, the recipient creates a free KadoPool account and verifies their identity. Identity verification runs through Stripe Connect — Stripe's identity-verification rail, used by every platform that pays out to individuals. This is required by financial regulations (Know Your Customer, anti-money-laundering rules) and applies regardless of the gift size.
Once verified, the recipient picks how they want to receive their gift:
- Cash via direct bank transfer (ACH in the US, equivalent rails in other supported countries). Typically arrives in 2–5 business days.
- Digital gift cards — hundreds of options through KadoPool's gift card partner Tremendous, including Amazon, Target, Starbucks, restaurant cards, Visa/Mastercard prepaid, and donation options.
- A mix of both — for example, $200 in cash and a $50 gift card to a favorite restaurant.
The recipient also gets access to the digital keepsake — the collection of contributor messages, displayed in a presentation format. The keepsake is hosted on KadoPool for two years from the pool's closing date, giving the recipient time to revisit it, save copies of messages, or share specific notes with family.
What if a gift doesn't reach the recipient?
This is the question we take most personally. KadoPool sends automated reminders to recipients who haven't yet created an account or completed identity verification. Those reminders go out on a schedule, with each one explaining what's needed.
If a gift hasn't reached its recipient after the automated reminders, I personally get involved. I'll reach out, find out what's blocking the verification, and do whatever I can to make sure the gift gets to the person it was meant for. I built this platform because I believe that gratitude should be easy and that the gestures people make for each other should land. When they don't, I treat that as a problem worth my own time.
— Olivier Lachaud
If, after twelve months, a recipient still hasn't completed verification despite outreach, the funds are handled in accordance with state abandoned-property (escheatment) laws. In most US states, this means the funds eventually get turned over to the state's unclaimed property office, where the recipient can still claim them later. The funds don't go to KadoPool. They don't go to the organizer. They take a longer route to reach (or be claimed by) the recipient.
How does the 30% to partner organizations work?
When an organizer creates a pool, they can link it to a verified partner organization — a school, PTA, PTO, sports league, daycare, summer camp, or special-education program. When they do, 30% of KadoPool's platform fees from that pool are automatically directed to that organization.
A few things worth being clear about:
- The 30% comes out of KadoPool's platform fee, not the gift amount. The recipient still receives the full gift the contributors gave.
- The 30% goes to the partner organization only if the pool is linked. The link is a one-time setup the organizer does in the app. If the pool isn't linked, the 30% stays with KadoPool.
- Partner organizations need to verify their identity through Stripe Connect before they can receive funds. This is a one-time onboarding process. No paperwork beyond the standard Stripe verification.
- Funds are tracked automatically and deposited at least annually, or sooner once a minimum threshold is reached. The partner organization doesn't have to invoice or apply.
For organizations interested in becoming a partner, the Education Partners page walks through the 2-minute registration and verification flow.
Is my contribution tax-deductible?
Not directly. When you contribute to a pool, you're paying KadoPool for a service (a coordinated gift to a recipient). That's a personal transaction, not a charitable donation. The 30% commercial-referral payment to the partner organization is paid by KadoPool, not by you.
How the partner organization treats the funds on their own books — whether they account for them as donations, program income, or something else — depends on their tax status and accounting choices. That's their decision to make. If you're considering a directly tax-deductible donation to a school or organization, their own donation page is the right path.
How does the privacy feature actually work?
Two things, both of which are real:
- Individual contribution amounts are private. The organizer doesn't see what each contributor gave. The recipient doesn't see what each contributor gave. Other contributors don't see what each other gave. The contributor sees their own amount (it's on their receipt), but it doesn't go anywhere else.
- The total may be hidden until thresholds are met. KadoPool may hide the running total from the organizer and contributors until a minimum number of participants have contributed. This is a deliberate design choice — it keeps the pool from becoming a leaderboard during collection.
The card the recipient eventually sees has every contributor's name, equally. Who gave $100 and who gave $20 isn't visible to anyone but the contributor themselves and Stripe (which has to know to process the payment).
This isn't a regulatory privacy framework — it's a product feature. We call it "Privacy Shield" in the app. Other group-gifting tools don't do this; that's the differentiation.
What about refunds and chargebacks?
Refunds are available while a pool is still open. If you've contributed and you want your money back, contact KadoPool support and we'll process the refund — minus Stripe's processing fee, which Stripe doesn't return.
Once a pool has closed and the recipient has begun the redemption process, the funds are committed. Refunds at that stage are handled case-by-case and may not be possible if the gift cards have already been issued.
Chargebacks (disputes initiated through your bank or card) work the same way they do anywhere else. If you initiate a chargeback after funds have been redeemed, KadoPool may need to recover the disputed amount from the organizer or recipient. We'll work with you in good faith to resolve disputes before they reach that stage.
Full details: see our Refund Policy and Terms of Service.
Still have a question?
If something on this page didn't answer your question, email lifeguard@kadopool.com and a real person will reply, usually within one business day. We're a small team based in West Windsor, NJ.
For organization administrators (PTAs, sports leagues, daycares, summer camps, special-education programs, and similar) interested in becoming a partner organization, the Education Partners page covers the registration and verification flow.
For the legal version of all of this, the Terms of Service is the source of truth. This page is a plain-language summary of what's in there; if anything on this page conflicts with the ToS, the ToS controls.