Setting up your thrift group
From a new account to your first circle with its people in it, in about ten minutes.
When you sign up a thrift group and sign in for the first time, SocietyLedger walks you through five short steps. Each step saves on its own, so you can stop and come back. Nothing here moves money: the only bank details you give are your group's own account, and SocietyLedger never holds your money.
Before you start
- Your group must have been approved by SocietyLedger and your email verified.
- You start with a 14-day free trial of Ajo, with collector thrift and reminders included and room for 30 contributors. After the trial you pay only for the Ajo tier that fits your number of contributors.
- Have your group's bank account details to hand.
The five steps
How often people pay
Choose Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annually, or Custom. With Custom you set your own step, such as every 2 weeks or every 3 days. For a twice-a-month circle, choose 15 days or 2 weeks. The schedule cannot be changed once the circle has started.
Adding people from a CSV
The first row names the columns: first_name, last_name, phone, address, email and shares. Only the name and phone are required. Each row is checked on its own. A row with a problem is listed with the reason, and the good rows are still added. Sending the same list again adds nobody twice.
Why people may show as “0 active”
A person becomes active once the circle's approval, their acceptance of the rules, any guarantor and any phone confirmation are done, and the circle is open. People you add to a draft stay approved and waiting, and become active the moment you open the circle. Before anyone can be paid out, SocietyLedger also checks their name, phone, address and payout account.
What a standalone group sees
A standalone thrift group is only Thrift, so it has its own home and menus, with nothing from an association (no dues, finances, meetings or cooperatives). You land on Thrift home (the Thrift tab on the phone), with your circles and where to go next. Members lists the people in your group with only what a circle needs: contact details, when they joined, their status, and the circles they are in. Settings has the group's profile, roles, users, notifications, audit log and plan.
For more on what a standalone group sees on web and phone, see Standalone thrift groups. When your circle is ready, see Starting a circle.
Skipping and coming back
Skip for now takes you straight to your circles. A banner there reminds you to finish, and Setup guide lets you go through the steps again. Nothing you set up is lost or deleted.
What happens next
Open the circle, then ask each person to accept the rules and add their payout account. When you are ready, start the circle on its start date and record contributions as they come in. Every contributor gets a receipt.
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Last updated 31 October 2026