💡 Managers can do everything, Members can spend and get reimbursed but can't send money or change settings, and Readers can only view. Give each person the lowest role that still lets them do their job.

Prerequisites

You must be an organization manager to invite people or change anyone's role.

What each role can do

Action	Manager	Member	Reader
View activity, transfers, settings, and documents	Yes	Yes	Yes
Spend with a card	Yes	Yes (up to any limit set)	No
Order and manage their own cards	Yes	Yes	No
Deposit a check	Yes	Yes	No
Get reimbursed	Yes	Yes	No
Send money (ACH, check, wire)	Yes	No	No
Review, approve, or reject reimbursement reports	Yes	No	No
Invite people and change roles	Yes	No	No
Edit organization settings	Yes	No	No

The three roles in detail

Manager: full control. Managers invite and remove people, send every kind of transfer, order and manage cards for everyone, review and approve reimbursement reports, edit organization settings, and manage Google Workspace. Best for co-leads and organizers.
Member: can spend and collect, but not send money. Members spend on a card (up to any limit you set), order and manage their own cards, deposit checks, and get reimbursed. They cannot send ACH, check, or wire transfers, invite people, edit settings, or view sensitive payment details. Best for volunteers and team members who buy things for the org.
Reader: view-only. Readers can see activity, transfers, documents, settings, and a card's expiration date and billing address, but cannot spend, move money, manage cards, or approve anything. Best for advisors, parents, or auditors.

How to add someone

You must be a manager to add people. There are two ways to do it, both from the Team tab on your organization's dashboard.

Invite by email

Open the Team tab and click Invite.
Enter the person's email address.
Choose a role (Manager, Member, or Reader).
Click Send. They'll get an email invitation.

Share an invite link

You can also create an invite link from the Team tab and share it directly, for example in your team's group chat. Anyone who opens the link can join your organization, and you can set or change their role from the Team tab at any time.

✅ You can change anyone's role later from the Team tab, so it's safe to start people low and promote them as needed.

Worked example

You're running a hackathon. You make your two co-organizers Managers so they can send vendor payments. You add five volunteers as Members with a $50 spending limit each for snacks and supplies. You add your faculty advisor as a Reader so they can watch the budget without being able to spend.

Common questions

Can a Member send a transfer? No. Members can spend on a card and deposit checks, but only Managers can send ACH, check, or wire transfers.
How do I limit how much a Member spends? On the Team tab, click the $ icon next to their name to set a spending limit. See How do I limit a member's spending?

My card was declined. What should I do?

HCB cards: how to order, activate, and use them

How do I limit a member's spending?

What can each team role do? (Manager, Member, and Reader)