lolligift is the fun, affordable and secure way for friends to pool their money and buy a dream gift for a special occasion.
Shopping for a gift can be fun, but when you have limited time or budget, it can quickly become a chore!
With lolligift your options are limitless. Club together with friends to buy that digital camera, new pair of shoes or dream vacation you know your friend will always remember and appreciate. And still save money!
Here’s how it works: You as the organizer tells us about the special occasion and whom you’re collecting for. Think of a gift idea, set the total amount you’re collecting and a suggested amount each person should contribute to reach that goal. Don’t worry if your math is bad, we have a fancy calculator ☺
lolligift makes inviting people a breeze by allowing you to add people from your address book (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo). Each person will receive a customized email from you explaining lolligift and asking them whether they’d like to pitch in (All major credit cards and PayPal accepted). A link is included to a ‘Gift Pool’ page that will be the center of activity until you’ve raised the total amount.
From the Gift Pool you can:
lolligift offers the organizer a variety of ways to get the cash into their hands to suit any timeframe. We will mail a check for free (US Domestic), or offer expedited shipping if you need the funds sooner. If you’re a PayPal user we can even deposit straight into your account.
You’ll receive a link to the e-card with a message from all the contributors. You can send or print it for your friend when you surprise them with the gift they never would have expected!
There’s lots of good reasons to use lolligift, no matter what the occasion. Who doesn’t want to give a great gift without breaking the bank!
Being able to afford a meaningful gift is a challenge (Think how much you spend each year on gifts!). lolligift helps you increase your gift budget by grouping with friends. Everyone pays a lower price yet you’re able to give a more expensive gift.
Coming up with unique ideas is tough, but lolligift allows you to discuss ideas amongst friends, and get recommendations on memorable gifts from our expert lollibloggers.
When collecting as a group somebody typically has to front the money, then spend hours running around, sending awkward reminders. Contributing is even more of a problem when friends are far away. lolligift notifies the group as contributions are made and deadlines are approaching. No more harassing your friends to pay up!
Ever been on one of those endless email threads discussing which stroller to buy the girl in the next cube? lolligift provides a dedicated Gift Pool page for everyone to see suggestions, share fun gift ideas, sign an e-card and make plans for the big occasion.
To use lolligift the minimum requirement is a valid email address. Everything else is gravy but helps to identify you to your friends in the Gift Pool. If you choose to contribute to a Gift we’ll ask you for payment details but this information is never permanently stored on our servers.
We hate spam and we don’t intend to add to the problem. We will only email you on activity in Gift Pools you’re participating in or if you explicitly opt into one of our mailers such as the lolligift blog.
If you prefer to be in the dark you can always turn off all notifications.
The Gift Pool is where you can track all activities related to the gift.
From the Gift Pool you can:
From your dashboard you can see all the lolligifts you’ve created and participated in.
The Dashboard provides you with an “at-a-glance” view across all your lolligifts. From this page you can:
You can get started by simply clicking here and entering the event type and name of the recipient you’re collecting for.
If you’re looking for suggestions on what to buy your friend we have a dedicated staff of lollibloggers who are always scouring the web for the perfect gift for any occasion. Visit the lolligift blog here.
Every Gift Pool page has a list of invited participants listed in the bottom right hand corner.
The list of friends who’ve agreed that they’d like to participate. If they have contributed ‘Has Contributed’ will be displayed next to their name. You can also click ‘Send a message’ to contact any individual.
The list of friends who’ve received an email invitation to participate but have not yet responded.
If you forget your password you can click the ‘login’ link in the top right hand corner of the lolligift home page. Click the ‘Forgot Password’ link and a new password will be created and sent to your email address. You can always change your password back to something memorable in the ‘Edit Settings’ section on your Dashboard page.
lolligift does not currently offer refunds to participants. The organizer is responsible for the collected funds and how they are handled.
Organizers creating a lolligift Gift Pool must currently be residents of the United States. However, they are able to invite participants anywhere in the world with a valid supported major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover). lolligift plans to expand rapidly into countries outside of the US in the months to come and we encourage you to check out the lolligift blog for product updates.
Contributing towards a lolligift is easy. If you’ve received an email from a lolligift organizer simply click on the link to accept the invitation and visit the Gift Pool page.
Here you will see details about the person you’re collecting for, the organizer and the suggested gift. You can join the conversation by entering a comment in the bottom left hand corner and see who else has been invited to participate.
If you’re ready to make a contribution, click on the red ‘Contribute’ button. From here you’ll be able to make a secure payment using your choice of credit card or PayPal account. All transactions occur using secure servers to ensure the highest of security standards. lolligift does not store any of your payment information.
After contributing you’ll receive confirmation that your payment was received and will be returned to the Gift Pool page.
The organizer is the only member of the group who is able to close the pool and collect the funds. It’s their responsibility to buy the gift and respect the collective wishes of the Gift Pool participants. Obviously the organizer should be someone you all trust.
Currently you are only able to sign the e-Card once you’ve made a payment into the Gift Pool.
After contributing you’ll notice that the big red button now says ‘Sign the Card’ allowing you to write a short message for the lucky gift recipient. When the organizer closes the pool they can arrange to have the card emailed or printed for the recipient.
The organizer will make a suggestion on how much to contribute based upon dividing the gift cost amongst the group of friends. How much you choose to contribute is completely up to you. The only person who will see the exact amount is the lolligift organizer.
Absolutely. You can contribute as much or as little as you like into the Gift Pool.
We’ve tried to keep things simple and as close to the real world as possible on lolligift. If more is raised than had been anticipated e.g. More friends had been invited who also wanted to contribute, then it’s up to the organizer to message the group to decide what to do. Typically we find that the group will either choose to spend the money on additional gifts such as accessories or the organizer will reimburse participants in person when they get together to give the gift.
The organizer can close the pool when they feel enough money has been collected from the group to purchase the suggested gifts. Any participant can choose to contribute more, or the organizer can cash out what has been collected and purchase a cheaper gift. Sometimes a Visa Gift Card with the collected funds on it is the perfect way to show your friend you care.
Yes, any participant can invite others to contribute to the Gift Pool. Simply click on the ‘Invite Friends’ link on the Gift Pool page above the big red button or click on the address book link in your Dashboard.
A one-person party doesn’t sound like a lot of fun but go ahead and knock yourself out. Send us an invite; we’ll be your friend!
We haven’t yet tried a Zillion but we think it’s about that…
Currently you are unable to contribute anonymously but the organizer is the only one who will see how much you’ve contributed.
You can see all the lolligifts you’re a member of by clicking on the ‘My Lolligifts’ menu item. Clicking on a lolligift will take you to it’s Gift Pool page. You can also see your Open and Closed lolligifts on your Dashboard page.
It’s up to you whether you contribute or not to the Gift Pool. lolligift waives all service handling fees for Organizers. We figure you’re working hard enough rallying your friends to contribute that you deserve a break.
When someone contributes to the Gift Pool they’re invited to leave a message for the friend you’re collecting for. When you close the pool we generate an e-Card containing all the well wishes and send the link to the organizer. You can choose to email the link to the recipient or print the card and bring it along to the party!
We’ve got some great plans lined up to even further enhance the gift card experience soon so stay tuned!
Every Gift Pool page has a list of invited participants in the bottom right hand corner.
The list of friends who’ve agreed that they’d like to participate. If they have contributed ‘Has Contributed’ will be displayed next to their name. You can also click ‘Send a message’ to contact any individual.
The list of friends who’ve received an email invitation to participate but have not yet responded.
The contribution deadline is the latest date that you will accept contributions from the friends you’ve invited. Depending upon how you anticipate receiving the collected funds you’ll want to ensure that you leave plenty of time between the contribution deadline and the event date itself to give you plenty of time to shop. Of course the organizer can always pay out of pocket and be reimbursed from the Gift Pool whenever they like.
The ‘event date’ is the date of the birthday, baby shower, wedding, etc that you’re collecting for. The friends you invite will probably want to know when the big occasion is and this also helps to ensure we give you timely reminders so that you can close the pool before the event takes place.
It may turn out that you aren’t able to get enough friends to contribute or some of them already have a gift in mind. Not too worry we’ve got you covered. You could:
We find most people will just post a message on the Gift Pool page and reach a decision with their fellow lolligifters pretty easily. Sometimes a Visa Gift Card with whatever collected funds you were able to raise is the perfect way to show your friend you care.
If you’re so popular that heavens forbid you raise too much money you have plenty of options available to you. We’ve tried to keep things simple and as close to the real world as possible on lolligift. If more is raised than had been anticipated e.g. More friends had been invited who also wanted to contribute, then as the organizer it’s up to you to lead the conversation on the Gift Pool page and decide what to do. Typically we find that the group will either choose to spend the money on additional gifts such as accessories, or the organizer will reimburse participants in person when they get together to give the gift.
As organizer you will receive an email notification when a friend contributes to the Gift Pool. In addition lolligift makes a note in the comment section for everyone to see and a ‘Has Contributed’ note will be made next to their name on the Gift Pool page.
You can send out an email to all members of the Gift Pool by selecting the ‘Message All’ link at the top of the Gift Pool page.
You can see all the lolligifts you’ve organized by clicking on the ‘My Lolligifts’ menu item. Clicking on a lolligift will take you to its Gift Pool page. You can also see your Open and Closed lolligifts on your Dashboard page.
lolligift believes in putting the power of choice in your hands. When you close a pool we’ll offer up a selection of merchants for your consideration. We’re fans of Amazon and we provide a quick and easy way to search for the gift on their site when you collect the funds.
You’re free of course to purchase from whomever you please and of course you can always provide the funds as a check or gift card to the recipient.lolligift accepts all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover) as well as payments made via PayPal.
Rest assured, the security of your personal information is important to us and we follow the strictest standards.
When you enter sensitive information (such as credit card or PayPal information) the information is encrypted using Secure Socket Layer technology (SSL). We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it.
If you have any questions about security on our Web site, you can send email to us at support@lolligift.com
Your credit card is charge immediately after you’ve reviewed and authorized your contribution amount. We do not store any of your credit card details for future use.
lolligift provides a variety of convenient ways to receive the funds that have been collected based upon your preference or how urgently the funds are required.
| Payment Type | Approximate Time to Receive | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| First Class Mail of Check (US Domestic) | 4 Business Days (via US Postal Service) | Free. No charge from lolligift. |
| PayPal Fund Transfer | Instant | Check PayPal For Current Pricing |
| Overnight Delivery of Check | 1 Business Day | $19.95 |
At lolligift we know that you only get a single chance to make a first impression. If you have any problems we want to know and will do all we can to assist. If you encounter any issues or have questions give us a shout at support@lolligift.com
