31 Ways to Pool Money With Pool

Pool Money?

Someone says to you, "Let's get the group together and pool money for our upcoming trip, birthday gift, party, etc."

You start thinking of the logistics of collecting money from your group, but can't stand the thought of putting all the money that you've collected into your bank account. It feels so messy, so unorganized, and hard to track who paid you what.

Sure, 'it all comes out in the wash', but it is also nice to know that when bills are split evenly and fairly, there are no unsaid feelings about how the money was split. You're thinking — there has to be a better way of going about pooling money. Especially since you seem to be the regular go-to person for money management.

We all share money, and most weeks with multiple people, if not groups of people. Sometimes it's managing money with your partner, sometimes it's to purchase a group gift for your coworker, sometimes it's for your intramural sports team, sometimes it's expenses you share with your roommates, sometimes it's dinner out with your friends, and sometimes it's to fund your local charity event. You get the point. We share, aka pool money, A LOT.

The problem is that although pooling money has existed since the beginning of currency, it has not evolved all that much. Most of the time, sharing money with groups of people involves a lot of shuffling money from multiple accounts and apps, tracking who has paid you what, receipts, and inaccurate bill splitting. Yes, we have online banking and person-to-person payment apps, but none that allow you to collect, manage, and spend money with multiple people, all in one place. Until Pool.

At Pool, we've set out to be the best place to pool money, separate from your personal accounts. Collecting money from groups of people? Easy. Need different financial accounts that you can share with multiple people? Easy.

Pool's versatility means that there are many ways to use Pool. We've seen quite a range of use cases and possibilities since starting and continue to find new ones to this day.

Here are 31 ways to pool money with Pool to get you started

Pool money with friends

Are you the one in your friend group who always has a plan, gets everyone on the same page, and subsequently pools your funds together? Pool may be your answer to wrangle your friends' funds together.

1. For vacation Fund your next vacation with friends. Easily collect, spend, and keep track of trip money in a designated and separate account from your personal account. You can even set up a monthly or weekly amount to be automatically deposited to your travel fund with Recurring Deposits. Have each member of the Pool set up their own automatic deposits and reach your travel fund goals all the easier.

2. For dinners with friends Pool your funds for frequent dinners with friends. Whether you're staying in and cooking or going out, you can make a designated Pool to collect funds for groceries or eating out with friends. Everyone can pitch in and see when funds are spent. Not only are funds well organized, but seeing funds come and go keeps you excited for your next dinner date.

3. Split your rent and roommate expenses with Pool Create a Pool for rent, groceries, utilities, Netflix, and have each of your roommates contribute their share each month. Seamlessly pay your bills directly from the Pool.

4. Fund your bachelor/bachelorette party Make your friend's dream bachelor/bachelorette party come true by pooling money with friends. Paying for your friend's flight, food, dinner, drinks, and entertainment? Have all of your attendees contribute to your Pool ahead of time.

Pool money with your community

Strong communities are built on shared effort—and often, shared resources. Pool gives community groups a dedicated place to manage money together, making it easier to organize projects, events, and local initiatives without relying on personal accounts or spreadsheets.

5. Throw a raffle to raise money for your cause If you're raising money to purchase particular items, you can buy your items directly from your Pool with your designated Pool debit card.

6. Pool money for your community gardens Collect your garden's fees in one lump sum or on a recurring basis with Recurring Deposits.

7. Create a dedicated Pool for micro grants Manage contributions, budgets, and distributions in one shared place.

8. Fund your next meal train Raise funds for a person or family in need to go towards a meal train.

9. Pool funds for community events Everything from fall festivals, 5K charity run events, local concerts, and other fundraising events. Collecting money is easy and free with Pool.

Pool money with family

We're always planning and sharing money with family. Take the work out of chasing down elusive relatives by centralizing your family fund.

10. Fund your next family reunion Create a custom Pool for your family reunion in minutes. Invite family members to join and contribute toward shared expenses like venue rentals, food, activities, and accommodations. Even better, relatives who don't want to create an account can still contribute with their debit card, making it easy for everyone to participate.

11. Keep track and fund your nanny and/or babysitter's allowance Instead of the traditional way of having your nanny or sitter pay for your kiddo's stuff, keeping a receipt and reimbursing your nanny/sitter, you can save a lot of time by using Pool. Create your nanny Pool, fund it, and have your nanny spend directly from the Pool with their own debit card. Track the expenses and top up your Pool as your funds get low.

12. For a birthday celebration Perhaps grandma is hitting a milestone birthday, and the family would like to throw an extra special event, but not one person wants to front the money for the event. Pool your funds ahead of time to make the event run even more smoothly.

13. Pool funds for a group gift Have the whole family pitch in for one big gift. It's hard to come up with one good idea yourself, but if you team up with your family to come up with one gift that everyone can get in on, not only can you make a bigger impact, but you can also give a more meaningful gift.

14. For a baby shower Use Pools to collect money for your baby shower, diaper fund, or monetary gift. Track who paid you what and buy items directly from your Pool.

15. Fund the next bridal shower There's no need for one person to take on the expense of a bridal shower. Instead, have the bride's closest friends and family pitch into your bridal shower Pool and spend directly from the Pool so that there's no confusion about where the money is being spent.

16. For graduates Start a graduation fund for the new grad in your family. Whether they're graduating from high school, college, or grad school, celebrate their big milestone by collecting funds with a Pool. Add their photo, a description, and invite the lucky grad to the Pool once you've raised enough funds. They can even see the notes in transaction descriptions that family and friends added to their contribution to make it extra special.

Pool money for your school

When it comes to school funds, there are many people involved, which means things tend to take longer. At Pool, pooling with large groups is our specialty. Here are some ways you can take advantage of Pool for schools.

17. Raise funds for your classroom Create a custom Pool for your classroom and invite parents to contribute toward supplies, field trips, classroom projects, and more. Once funds are collected, use your Pool debit card to make purchases directly from the Pool or transfer funds to your bank account when needed.

18. PTO fundraising Reach fundraising goals and improve schools for students and teachers by using Pools for PTO fundraising and money collection. Create your Pool to fundraise for back-to-school or mid-year events, school renovations, equipment upgrades, healthier lunch options, and more.

19. Collect money for teacher gifts Gather contributions for teacher appreciation week and end-of-year gifts to show teachers how much they're cherished.

20. For room parent funds Make your job as a room parent all the easier by using Pool to collect money to cover field trips, class parties, creative projects, and more.

21. Manage your class reunion funds Use a Pool to collect money from attendees and pay for event expenses like booking a venue, entertainment, and catering.

Pool money for hobbies and gigs

When it comes to clubs, memberships, and hobby-focused groups, money collection has always been left up to the leader of the group. Take your group to the next level and have them contribute to your designated Pool and spend directly from it too!

22. Book club expenses Use your book club Pool to collect membership fees, buy bulk book orders, subscription services, food, wine, and more.

23. Sports leagues Use Pool to manage your intramural sports league funds. Pool money for your membership fees, uniforms, games, and more.

24. Manage the band's finances Start a dedicated place to collect band income, manage band finances, and organize crowdfunding for your next tour or album.

Pool money for personal goals

We all have big dreams, and most of those dreams revolve around finances. Whether you'd like to start your own side project, reach your savings goals, or need a little extra financial help, here are some ways Pool can help you reach your financial goals.

25. For envelope budgeting Reach your budgeting goals by using Pool for envelope budgeting. Make a Pool for each expense and add the desired amount that you'd like to cap your spending at for the month. You can even use Recurring Deposits to automatically deposit into each of your Pools at the beginning of the month. Keep track of each category and gain control of your personal finances.

26. Create a savings Pool As opposed to traditional savings accounts that have minimums and are typically pretty limited, Pool is flexible. Create multiple savings Pools for different purposes or occasions, and/or team up with friends or the community to save.

27. Collect money for personal fundraisers Things come up in life, and we all need help from time to time. Whether it be recovery from surgery, help fixing your car, or some funds to get you to your next job, Pool is a great option for fundraising. Not only is Pool free, but we do not take a cut of what you collect.

28. For personal gifts Ask friends and family to chip in for something special you're saving for. Whether it's your birthday, a holiday gift, or something big you're working towards, collecting money with Pool is free and easy.

29. Pool money for your side hustles and freelance projects The entrepreneurial way is to have more than one project running at a time. And sometimes you want to make sure those funds are not being intermixed. Keep your project funds nicely organized so there's no confusion down the line.

30. Easily manage and collect money for short-term rentals and summer share houses Pool money for rent, groceries, toiletries, cleaning, and more!

31. Start a mutual aid fund Start a Pool to easily accept contributions for mutual aid groups and projects in your community. Spread awareness and raise money for different causes within your community.

Ready to get started? Sign up at Poolmoney.com today — it's free to use with minimal fees for upgraded services. Setting up an account is quick and easy.

Questions? Drop us a line at hello@poolmoney.com.