Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about how CirclePot works.
How it works
CirclePot is a community support platform where members pool a small monthly contribution and collectively and anonymously decide who receives help each cycle. 80% of every contribution goes directly to a community-chosen recipient. It is not a lottery, not a bank, and not a gambling platform. It is simply people choosing to support one another, transparently and fairly. It's a way to support real people in your community while being part of something bigger.
No catch. CirclePot is built on the idea of informal savings circles, a practice that has existed for centuries across cultures around the world. The concept is simple: a group of people pool their money regularly, and the collected amount goes to one member at a time, chosen by the group.
These groups go by many names depending on where you're from:
- Susu in West Africa and the Caribbean
- Tontine in francophone West Africa
- Chit fund in India
- Hui in China
- Tandas in Mexico and Latin America
- Paluwagan in the Philippines
- Hagbad in Somalia and the Horn of Africa
- Sol in Haiti and the Haitian diaspora
CirclePot takes this trusted community tradition and puts it online on a larger scale, adding anonymity, transparency, and a community vote so members decide together who receives the pool each cycle.
CirclePot is open to anyone in the world who can access the site. There are no geographic restrictions on membership. The only requirements are that you are 18 or older and able to subscribe. If you are chosen as a recipient, you will be able to select your preferred payment method or be contacted by an admin to arrange the best way to get your funds to you. All payouts are handled outside the platform, so we can accommodate members anywhere.
- 1st of the month: a new cycle opens. All active subscribers are eligible as potential recipients.
- 20th of the month: the candidate pool is locked and community voting begins. All candidates are anonymous.
- End of month: votes are tallied, a recipient is chosen, and the pool is paid out.
Each cycle, 80% of all member contributions goes directly into the community pool. The remaining 20% covers platform costs and keeps CirclePot running. The exact pool amount is visible on your dashboard and updates as members join or leave.
CirclePot is designed to scale with its community. As more members join, the pool grows and more recipients are chosen each cycle. The platform is organized into tiers based on the number of active members. In the early stages with a smaller community, one recipient receives the full pool each cycle. As the community grows into the hundreds and then thousands, the number of recipients increases so more people can be supported each month. At the largest scale, up to 12 recipients can receive support in a single cycle. The pool amount always stays at 80% of total contributions for that cycle, divided equally among that cycle's recipients. So whether there is one recipient or twelve, every recipient receives a meaningful and equal share of what the community contributed together. The more people who join, the bigger the pool, and the more people who benefit each cycle.
If two or more candidates finish with the same number of votes, the platform runs a tiebreaker algorithm to select a single recipient. Each cycle has a set number of recipients based on the community tier, so the pool amount for a tie is never split.
Subscriptions & billing
CirclePot costs $5 USD per month, or $60 USD per year. Both plans contribute the same amount to the community pool each cycle.
When you subscribe yearly, your $60 is held as a contribution balance. $5 is deducted each cycle a pool is open, covering up to 12 cycles. Once your balance reaches $0, your subscription becomes inactive. An inactive subscription means you are no longer eligible as a recipient candidate until you renew.
Yes. You can cancel at any time from your account settings. Your subscription remains active until the end of the current billing period. Once inactive, you are no longer eligible to be selected as a recipient candidate in future cycles.
Your full billing history, including all past invoices and payment dates, is available in your dashboard under the Billing tab.
Candidates & voting
Any member with an active subscription when the cycle opens is automatically eligible. There is nothing to apply for or opt into. If your subscription is inactive when a cycle opens, you will not be included in that cycle's candidate pool.
If you've been selected, you'll see a notification on your dashboard when voting opens. Your identity is fully protected throughout. Other members only ever see an anonymous label and never your name or any personal details.
Each active member gets one vote per cycle during the voting window (20th to end of month). Because all candidates are anonymous, there is no profile or background to review. Just vote using whatever feels right to you. Your vote cannot be changed once submitted.
That's perfectly fine. 100% voting participation is not required. A recipient will be chosen from however many votes are cast that cycle. Voting is encouraged but never mandatory.
Yes. Candidates are identified only by a randomly assigned label. No name, photo, or account information is ever shown to voters. Your identity is fully protected for the entire duration of the voting window.
Receiving funds
If you're selected as a recipient, you'll be contacted to arrange payment. Canadian members can receive funds via Interac e-Transfer up to the allowed amount, after which another payment method will be required for payments of larger sums. Members outside Canada will be asked to select their preferred payment method, or an admin will reach out to find the best way to get the funds to you. All payouts are handled outside the platform so we can accommodate members anywhere in the world.
We'll send a follow-up reminder within 48 hours. If we don't hear back within 7 days, the payout will be held and an admin will reach out to help. If the payout remains unclaimed after 90 days, we will reach out to the beneficiary you have listed on your profile. If no beneficiary is on file, the funds will continue to be held until we are able to reach you. Unclaimed funds are never redistributed without your consent.
Yes. Any active member is eligible each cycle regardless of past cycles. As long as your subscription is active when a cycle opens, you're in the candidate pool.
Privacy & account
Your name, email, and account details are never shared with other members. Only platform admins can access account information, and only for purposes like processing payouts or resolving support issues. We don't sell or share your data with third parties.
CirclePot is open to members 18 and older. We require age verification because 18 is the legal age of majority in most parts of the world, the age at which a person can independently enter into contracts. Your date of birth is stored securely and never shown to other members.
Click Forgot password on the login page and enter your email. You'll receive a reset link valid for 1 hour. If you don't see the email, check your spam folder or contact us at hello@circlepot.com.
You can delete your account directly from your Profile settings page. This will permanently remove your personal data and cannot be undone. Any active subscription will be cancelled, and anonymized contribution records may be retained for transparency log purposes.
Still have questions?
Can't find what you're looking for? We're here to help.
Email us at hello@circlepot.com