Meet Ushma
Head of the Parent Guild & Fundraising Coordinator
How she uses Cheddar Up
- Poinsettia Fundraiser,
- DVDs, T-shirts, & Bake Sales
- Performance Fees
- Donation Drives
- Form Collection
Cheddar Up user since
September 2021
NUMBER OF COLLECTIONS
33
TOTAL COLLECTED
$81K
(and counting!)
World-Class Dance in a Family Environment
Infinity Ballet Theater brings world-class dance training to its North Carolina community while fostering a small, family-like environment. With only about 100 families, the organization provides personalized attention and creates opportunities for dancers to showcase their skills through outreach programs, performances, and community events.
For Ushma Shukla, Head of the Parent Guild and Fundraising Coordinator, Infinity Ballet Theater is more than a dance studio. Her children have danced there for over a decade, and the organization’s value to the community inspired her to get involved. “It’s worth working for,” Ushma said. “We bring world-class arts to our town, making it accessible for everyone.”
“Cheddar Up has been a game-changer for us. Everything is in one place, and it’s so easy to use, whether you’re on a phone or laptop. It’s made managing fundraisers and payments seamless, saving us countless hours and making the process fun again.”
Ushma Shukla, Head of Parent Guild & Fundraising Coordinator
Simplifying Fundraising Chaos
Before Cheddar Up, managing payments and fundraisers at Infinity Ballet was a logistical challenge. Payments came in via checks, creating piles of paperwork for the receptionist and volunteers. Tracking was cumbersome, and the organization relied on multiple platforms, which complicated workflows.
When Ushma joined the board, she introduced Cheddar Up to simplify their processes. Having used the platform in her daughter’s PTA, she knew it could consolidate payments and reporting into one user-friendly tool.
The result? “It’s so much easier,” Ushma shared. “Parents immediately noticed the difference — everything in one place, easy to access on phones or laptops. It saved us so much time.”
Beyond efficiency, Cheddar Up’s intuitive design stood out. Parents loved the seamless experience, from colorful graphics to easy sharing via QR codes or text links. “We added a ‘Text Nutcracker’ feature, and it worked perfectly!” Ushma noted. The platform’s reporting tools have also been a game-changer, allowing her to quickly generate detailed summaries for vendors and sponsors.
Cheddar Up has become an indispensable tool for Infinity Ballet Theater, streamlining key fundraisers:
- Poinsettia Fundraiser: This annual event transformed from chaos to efficiency. With Cheddar Up, orders were tracked seamlessly, reducing stress for volunteers and making the process enjoyable. “We even got poinsettia T-shirts — it’s become fun!” Ushma said.
- Family Payment Page: This one-stop hub simplifies performance fees, merchandise sales, and personalized gifts, like Nutcracker ornaments engraved with dancers’ roles.
- Donation Drives: Matching donations are now easy to track, boosting community support for the theater’s nonprofit initiatives.
Empowering Arts and Building Community
Infinity Ballet Theater exemplifies the power of nonprofit arts organizations to enrich communities. Through performances at festivals and senior centers, the theater connects dancers with audiences, sharing their love of the arts.
Cheddar Up has played a vital role in supporting this mission. By simplifying fundraising and streamlining operations, it allows Infinity Ballet to focus on what matters — training young artists and bringing the joy of dance to the community.
Before you go
Want to see how Cheddar Up can help your organization the same way it did for Infinity Ballet Theater? Get started today!
