How LD Bell Band Boosters Simplify Band Purchases

A Simpler System for a Busy Band Program

Running a band booster organization comes with plenty of moving pieces. For LD Bell Band Boosters, that means helping support a large band program while selling spirit wear, supplying required student equipment and materials, offering occasional meals, and managing purchases at events throughout the year.

Like most volunteer-run groups, the people doing the work change over time.  That makes simple systems especially valuable. New volunteers need to be able to step in, understand what was done before, and keep things moving without rebuilding every process from scratch.

Additionally, the way families expect to pay has changed over time. Cash is no longer the default, especially when parents and students are making purchases at events.

For the LD Bell Band Boosters treasurer, Stephanie Renfro, Cheddar Up helps solve both challenges.

The group has used Cheddar Up as their booster club software since 2022, giving its volunteers a familiar way to collect payments whether a family is ordering from home or buying something in person.

Easy Store Setup, Year After Year

LD Bell Band Boosters primarily uses Cheddar Up for items families need or want throughout the band season.  At the beginning of the year, students may need specific equipment or materials. Families can also order spirit wear, and the boosters sometimes offer paid meals or other purchases.

Creating an online spirit wear store is straightforward. But one of the biggest advantages happens behind the scenes. Volunteers can look back at previous collections and use them as a starting point for the next one.

That matters when leadership changes regularly.  Stephanie described the booster roles as unpaid positions where everyone is often figuring things out as they go. Instead of starting with a blank page, volunteers can reference how a past store was organized and create something similar for the new season.

That history gives each new volunteer a head start. Products can be added, photos can be included, and collections can be updated as the group’s needs change.

Reaching More Band Families

Spirit wear also becomes easier to share beyond the immediate band family. A collection link can be passed from parents to grandparents, relatives, and other supporters, giving more people a chance to purchase.

Stephanie believes that convenience helps sales, too. Families do not have to wait until they are standing at a school event to make a purchase.

Taking Payments Wherever the Band Goes

Of course, a band program does not happen entirely online.  LD Bell Band Boosters still handles plenty of purchases in person, and that is where mobile payments have made an especially noticeable difference.

Using Cheddar Up’s point-of-sale tools, volunteers can accept card payments with their phones. For events, the group uses event codes that can be shared with the volunteers working that day. Volunteers do not need the main account login or password, they can just use the event code and start accepting payments.

The ability to accept contactless payments directly from a phone also means the group does not have to keep track of a separate Bluetooth card reader. For a volunteer team, that is one less piece of equipment and one less logistical headache.

One of the group’s biggest events is its annual band banquet. Nearly 300 students participate in the band, and the end-of-season celebration is a major production, complete with a sit-down dinner, awards, a DJ, and decorations inspired by that year’s marching show.

The boosters begin planning the banquet months ahead, and student purchases help cover the cost of putting on the event.  It is exactly the kind of event where having flexible ways to collect payments can make life easier for the people behind the scenes.

And that flexibility is a big reason Stephanie says she would recommend Cheddar Up to other booster groups.

For LD Bell Band Boosters, the win is not one flashy feature. It is having a system volunteers can understand, families can pay from home, and event teams can take with them wherever the band goes.

That keeps purchases moving and lets volunteers spend a little less time worrying about payment logistics.