Terms of Service

1. What GiveCircle is

GiveCircle is a member-owned support fund: a structured giving cooperative where members contribute monthly to a shared pool and democratically choose a fellow member to receive it each cycle. The model is rooted in a simple idea: when people pool resources and decide together how to use them, everyone benefits.

Each cycle, the community votes on an anonymous candidate from among eligible members. The pooled contributions are then distributed to the selected recipient. There are no algorithms, no hidden selection criteria, and no third-party arbitration: just collective decision-making among members.

GiveCircle is not a lottery, prize scheme, investment vehicle, bank, or financial institution. Participation does not constitute a financial investment and no return on contribution is guaranteed. The outcome of each cycle is determined by member vote, not by chance.

2. Eligibility

To use GiveCircle you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement
• Provide accurate and truthful registration information
• Maintain a valid payment method for subscription billing

GiveCircle reserves the right to refuse, suspend, or terminate membership at its discretion, including where eligibility requirements are not met or cannot be verified.

3. Membership and contributions

Active membership requires a recurring subscription fee as listed on the GiveCircle pricing page at the time of sign-up. All prices are in USD. Subscriptions are billed automatically and securely through Stripe.

Monthly contributions are non-refundable. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your contribution is a voluntary payment to the community pool and does not entitle you to any specific return, payout, or financial benefit.

Of each monthly cycle pool:

• 80% is distributed to the community-selected recipient(s)
• 20% is retained by GiveCircle to cover platform operating costs, payment processing fees, and infrastructure

Annual subscribers contribute the equivalent of 12 monthly contributions upfront. The platform deducts one monthly contribution equivalent per cycle from the annual balance. Annual subscriptions auto-cancel when the balance reaches zero.

4. Voting and recipient selection

Each active member receives one vote per cycle. Votes are cast for anonymous candidates; member identities are not disclosed to other members during or after the voting period. Recipients are selected based on total vote count.

In the event of a tied vote, recipients are selected by tiebreaker from among the tied candidates. The voting process is designed to reflect collective community support. GiveCircle does not influence, manipulate, or predetermine voting outcomes.

The candidate pool is locked when voting opens. Members who join or become eligible after the cycle opens are not eligible as candidates in that cycle.

5. Payout eligibility and cooldown

To be eligible as a candidate for a payout, you must:

• Hold an active subscription at the time the cycle opens
• Not have received a GiveCircle payout within the preceding 12 months

The 12-month cooldown period is tied to your account and email address. It persists if you cancel and re-subscribe, or if you delete and re-register using the same email address. This policy exists to ensure fair and equitable distribution across the full community over time.

Payouts are delivered via Interac e-Transfer to the email address associated with your account. You are responsible for ensuring your account email is valid and capable of receiving e-Transfer payments. GiveCircle is not liable for failed or unclaimed transfers resulting from incorrect or inactive email addresses.

6. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to:

• Create multiple accounts to circumvent the payout cooldown or voting rules
• Attempt to manipulate, interfere with, or fraudulently influence the voting process
• Provide false or misleading registration information
• Use the platform for any unlawful purpose
• Attempt to reverse engineer, scrape, or disrupt platform infrastructure
• Collude with other members to coordinate votes in exchange for compensation

Violation of these rules may result in immediate account termination and forfeiture of any pending or future payout eligibility.

7. Use of funds received

GiveCircle facilitates the transfer of community pool funds to recipients selected through the member voting process. Once a payout has been delivered, GiveCircle has no visibility into, control over, or responsibility for how those funds are used by the recipient.

By accepting a payout, you represent and warrant that you will not use the funds received for any unlawful purpose, including but not limited to money laundering, financing of illegal activities, or any activity that violates the laws of your jurisdiction or the laws of Canada.

Samvle Inc. reserves the right to withhold, reverse, or report any payout where there is reasonable suspicion of fraudulent, criminal, or unlawful activity, and will cooperate fully with law enforcement authorities and regulatory bodies in any investigation relating to the use of funds distributed through the platform.

Recipients who are found to have used payout funds for unlawful purposes will be permanently banned from the platform and may be reported to the appropriate authorities. GiveCircle bears no liability for the actions of recipients following the delivery of a payout.

8. Account termination

You may delete your account at any time from your Profile page. Upon deletion, your active subscription will be cancelled, your personal information will be anonymized, and your contribution history will be retained in anonymous form for platform transparency purposes.

GiveCircle may terminate or suspend your account at any time for violation of these terms, suspected fraudulent activity, or for any other reason at our sole discretion. No refund of contributions will be issued upon termination for cause. Payout cooldown periods remain in effect following termination.

9. Limitation of liability

GiveCircle is provided on an "as is" basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Samvle Inc. and GiveCircle are not liable for:

• Any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform
• Loss of contributions due to payment processing failures outside our control
• Delays or failures in payout processing, including failed Interac e-Transfers
• Platform downtime, data loss, or technical interruptions
• Actions or decisions made by the member community through the voting process

Our total liability to you for any claim arising from use of GiveCircle shall not exceed the total amount you have contributed to the platform in the 3 months preceding the claim.

10. Privacy

Your use of GiveCircle is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these terms by reference. By using the platform, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in that policy.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. Any disputes arising from these terms or your use of GiveCircle shall be resolved in the courts of Ontario, Canada.

12. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email or by notice on the platform with at least 14 days' notice before taking effect. Continued use of GiveCircle after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

13. Contact

Questions about these terms can be directed to: