How To Save Money to Maximize Your Giving Tuesday Donations and Impact

Thanksgiving's just around the corner. So is Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. But scoring great deals isn't the only thing happening this week.

Once the shopping frenzy dies down, Giving Tuesday arrives, along with the realization that the money for your favorite nonprofit went towards luxurious bedsheets.

Now, every time you tuck into bed, you feel a tinge of guilt. But it was such a good deal! Maybe I'll return them? I'm such a bad person! We'll take it from here because you're not a bad person and you deserve those bedsheets. But that's not all.

You deserve to have a guilt-free Giving Tuesday. And you can have that with Pool. Pool isn't just a savvy, separate place for the money you've earmarked for charity — it also enables you to donate funds directly to your favorite nonprofit.

Keep reading to learn all about Pool, how to set up a Pool, and how to give a donation you're proud of!

How does Giving Tuesday work?

Falling on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday first launched in 2012. Since then, it has grown into one of the world's largest generosity movements — raising $4.0 billion in the US alone in 2025, a 13% increase over the previous year.

Giving Tuesday is a wonderful opportunity to focus attention on those less fortunate than ourselves and to put your money where your mouth is. But as you probably know, it's hard to give to charity if you accidentally spend donation money on Amazon.

It's not because you're lackadaisical with your funds. Chances are, you're missing an important tool.

The #1 reason why people miss out on Giving Tuesday

People often miss out on Giving Tuesday because the money they intend to donate is mixed with rent money, grocery money, shopping money, etc. In reality, the problem isn't a lack of funds. It's that donation money mixes with the wrong crowd.

Keep your spending money and donation money separate with Pool. That way, you can spend guilt-free and give a donation you're proud of on Giving Tuesday.

What is Pool?

A Pool is a smart new way to manage money. For starters, it's a dedicated, separate place for your donation dollars — you never have to worry about accidentally spending it.

Pool is designed to be collaborative so you can manage funds with anyone you want. You can also invite people to get generous and pitch into your Pool, too.

The best part? When Giving Tuesday arrives, you can donate to your favorite nonprofit directly from the Pool. There's no need to transfer Pool funds to your bank account first.

How does Pool work?

Ready to participate in Giving Tuesday the Pool way? Follow these four quick steps.

1. Set up a free Pool

Sign up at Poolmoney.com and start your free Pool for Giving Tuesday. Keep it simple and call it "Giving Tuesday" or name it after the nonprofit you are supporting, like "The Humane Society" or "The Boys and Girls Club of America."

To use money on Pool, we verify your identity in a few quick steps. Pool doesn't check your credit or report anything to the credit bureaus. Once we verify your identity, you're free to use Pool.

2. Invite others to participate

Pool makes it easy to organize charitable giving with family, friends, coworkers, or other supporters. Invite people to join your Pool so they can contribute alongside you.

Once members have signed up and joined the Pool, they can contribute funds directly from their linked bank accounts. Pool helps keep everyone's contributions organized in one place, making it easier to work toward a shared Giving Tuesday goal.

3. Contribute funds to the Pool

Adding money to your Pool is simple. Members can contribute funds directly from their linked bank accounts and keep their Giving Tuesday funds separate from everyday spending.

Once you collect funds into your Pool, they stay there as long as you need them to. Your Pool is Home Sweet Home for your donation dollars. You'll like this feature because it means you never accidentally spend Giving Tuesday money on a single Black Friday sale.

4. Donate to your favorite nonprofit with the free Pool debit card

When the shopping frenzy is over, feel proud of yourself. You didn't spend a single penny of your donation money. It's safely waiting in your Pool, and now you get to put it to good use.

You don't have to transfer funds to your bank account to donate them. You can contribute to your favorite nonprofit directly from the Pool with the free Pool debit card that comes with it.

The Pool card works everywhere Visa is accepted. There are no transaction fees, monthly fees, or overdraft fees — this means you can donate 100% of the Pool funds to your charity of choice. If you need a physical debit card, you can order one from Pool at no extra charge.

5 Giving Tuesday ideas that make a big impact

Using Pool as a haven for your donation money is only one smart way to use Pool for Giving Tuesday. You can also use Pool to mobilize family, friends, or coworkers to get generous, too. Here are five inspiring Giving Tuesday ideas to consider.

1. Organize Giving Tuesday contributions with coworkers

Which charity is near and dear to your colleagues' hearts? Together, you can pool money with Pool.

The best part? You can collect money from your colleagues whether they work at the brick-and-mortar office with you or on the other side of the country. Simply invite members to your Pool with their email.

Once they sign up and join the Pool, they can contribute alongside you. Pool keeps contributions and activity organized in one place, making it easy to work toward a shared Giving Tuesday goal.

2. Give as a family

Giving as a family is a wonderful way to bring people together and focus on what matters most.

• Did one of your siblings serve in the military? Start a Pool to collect donations for service members.
• Are your pets part of the family? Your Pool can support a local animal shelter.
• Have you lost an elderly relative? Invite family members to your Pool so everyone can contribute toward a hospice organization or another cause that is meaningful to your family.

3. Raise funds with fitness studio members

If you exercise regularly, you know that a good workout gives you a kick of dopamine, making you feel happy and rewarded. But did you know that giving has the same effect?

Invite fitness studio members to join your Pool and support a shared cause together. Pool helps keep contributions organized while making it easy for members to participate in your Giving Tuesday effort.

4. Collect donations at school

Don't wait until after graduation to make an impact in the world. Invite classmates to participate in Giving Tuesday this semester.

If you're an English major, you might inspire classmates to donate to a nonprofit that promotes literacy. As a law student, you might garner collections for the Legal Aid Society so that underserved people can obtain legal representation. As a budding veterinarian, you can invite your class to donate to The Humane Society.

5. Channel your passion into giving

If donating is new to you, where should you start? Try this: answer these questions:

• What bothers me? What upsets me?
• What makes me say "That's so unfair," "That's not right," or "Who does stuff like that?"

Your answers will show you an injustice that bothers you. And when you donate to nonprofits that work to right this wrong and uplift people (or animals), you're actively helping to make the world a better place.