Harnessing Technology for Community Engagement: Sarah’s Story

For Sarah Traband, getting involved with the Home and School Association (HSA) at Benjamin Franklin Middle School was a natural step when her daughter began sixth grade. As a parent eager to contribute to her daughter’s school environment, Sarah embraced the role within the HSA, bringing with her a drive for innovation and community engagement. This drive led her to Cheddar Up, a platform that revolutionized how the association managed its events, membership dues, and more.

At Cheddar Up, we’ve worked with a lot of HSAs, PTOs, and PTAs, but the role of Technical Secretary was new to us. When asked what it entails, Sarah explains it covers any type of technical communication. From managing social media announcements to coordinating event ticket sales and membership drives, her role is central to keeping the community informed and engaged through platforms like Cheddar Up. In short…she’s busy!

The transition to Cheddar Up was a game-changer for the Benjamin Franklin Middle School HSA. Sarah, reflecting on past difficulties, found Cheddar Up’s user-friendly platform to be the perfect fit. The platform’s ability to handle membership dues, event ticket sales, spirit wear, and even book sales during author visits not only simplified transactions but also enhanced the organization and tracking of funds.

The ease of use and convenience offered by Cheddar Up has resonated well with the school community. Parents appreciate the simplicity of making payments online and being able to track payments they’ve already completed. This is especially significant at the middle school level where direct parent involvement in school activities is less than at the elementary school.

As Sarah continues her role, the versatility of Cheddar Up remains a pivotal part of the HSA’s success in engaging the school community. What truly sets Cheddar Up apart, in Sarah’s experience, is its ease of use. She marvels at how quickly she can create a new collection, a task now taking her as little as three minutes thanks to her familiarity with the platform. This efficiency has not gone unnoticed by the HSA’s treasurer and team members, who have enjoyed the simplified, streamlined process of managing funds.

At Cheddar Up, we love hearing about our users’ passions. So we had one final question for Sarah- what is your favorite part about being on the HSA? “I like to know what’s going on. At the middle school level, [as a parent] you’re not in the classroom as much, so this is my way of keeping my finger on the pulse. I like to give my time and it allows me to provide fun experiences for my kids.”