Going dutch. While the term is usually associate with first dates or dinners with co-workers, Give Together takes the notion of everyone for themselves and gives it a 180 – everybody working as one.

Yes, it’s the same basic concept – but with much better results (in my opinion). Instead of just “covering the check,” Give Together lets you choose a recipient and the amount you want to spend on them. After that, you can invite your friends to help chip in until you’ve reached your goal. I think it’s a pretty cool idea. Why?

1. Bigger gifts: Chances are, the more people you have, the bigger the gift you can give. And who doesn’t like that?

2. Flexibility: You “cash out” your pooled contributions as a gift card, so your giftee can choose from a ton of stuff at Sears, Kmart and Lands’ End – online or in-store.

3. No pressure: Everyone contributes what they can, not what they have to. So no matter how much you throw in, it’s all good.

When everything’s set up, you’ll see a simple “Control Panel” that lets you keep track of who has given what, how close you are to your goal and even the ability to send reminders or add more people (the more the merrier, I always say). And when the big day comes, you’ll be holding a gift card with the recipient’s name on it.

Well, there you have it: Give Together in a nutshell. If you’re into group gifting, you can check it out here. If not, maybe you could pass this on to a friend who is. Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to leave me a comment, drop me an email or pass this on to your friends. Because like Give Together, how much you choose to contribute to this post is totally up to you.

Thanks for reading and we'll talk again soon.