We know how demanding the role of a PTA leader can be. You’re responsible for raising funds, organizing events, and most importantly, creating a robust community to benefit your students. The grind of paperwork and collecting payments can distract you from the work you’re meant to be doing.
We also know that sometimes getting approval from your board of directors for a new platform can be tricky.
Here are some talking points — and a presentation — to help you answer the most common questions board members might ask.
What is Cheddar Up?
Cheddar Up is an online platform that simplifies the process of collecting payments and information for your PTA. Say goodbye to cash, checks, paper forms, and hours of administrative work. With Cheddar Up, you’ll have a hassle-free, time-saving solution that will transform how your PTA board handles payments.
Why should we choose Cheddar Up?
Easy answer — because you want to save time. PTA board members like Andrea Fraser and Christina Hidek discovered that using Cheddar Up saved them a massive amount of time. Andrea cut the time required for their annual membership drive by 50%! And Christina set up a collection for district-wide events in minutes!
Less time required of volunteers equals happier parents and less turnover!
78% of PTA leaders surveyed say volunteer recruiting and retention is their top challenge
Is it expensive?
Nope — you can use it for free! By default, Cheddar Up passes our low processing fees on to the payers so you don’t spend a dime. (This is also configurable if you’d prefer to give them a choice or absorb it yourselves.)
If you want unlimited collections and forms, item variations, and other premium functionality, you can upgrade to our low-cost Pro plan. Have a larger PTA? Try out our Team plan. You’ll get our lowest e-check fees, multiple managers, and account-wide reporting.
It takes so long to set up a new system. [Sigh…]
It only takes a few minutes! The simple, user-friendly interface of Cheddar Up makes it incredibly easy to set up a payment page. You can start collecting payments within minutes of creating your account. Plus, with the automated tracking and management of payments, you’ll spend a lot less time on administrative work.
What about payment tracking?
Every payment and piece of information is automatically tracked and totaled in our robust reporting center. You can view the total received across your entire account, or the separate totals of each collection. You can even view the totals for the separate items within each collection. (This makes merchandise sales a breeze.) The board treasurer will surely love this!
Is Cheddar Up secure?
In a digital world, security is paramount. The board will love extra security and peace of mind. Cheddar Up is PCI compliant, and none of your financial information is stored on our servers. Instead, it’s securely handled by Stripe, a trusted leader in online payment processing.
Who else is using it?
Cheddar Up is trusted by over 100,000 groups and nonprofits — the majority of those are schools. And, we’ve processed $350M+ in payments. Some of the largest PTAs in the U.S. use Cheddar Up for fundraisers, donations, events, spirit wear stores, membership fees, and more.
Not to toot our own horn, but they love us, too. Have your board members check out our Capterra and Apple App Store reviews, or read some user stories.
Why wouldn’t we use Venmo or Paypal?
Venmo and Paypal are great, but not for PTAs. If they start talking about other options, here’s what you say:
“With Cheddar Up, we can pass along the fees to the payers!”
Cheddar Up offers flexibility to pass the fees along, absorb them as the organizer, or even let the payer choose. That means, you can keep every penny you raise.
“Cheddar Up is a one-stop shop. We can use it for information too.”
Cheddar up was built for groups. You need to collect more than payments — you need contact information, sign ups, and sometimes even waivers. You can collect all of that and more with our custom forms.
“With Cheddar Up, we’ll know exactly what money we’re taking in and what it’s for.”
Cheddar Up tracks everything for you so you don’t have to worry about who is paying for what or wonder which fundraiser brought in the most money.
There are many more advantages listed in our side-by-side comparison if you need them.
If there’s one thing we’re sure about, it’s this: once your PTA board starts using Cheddar Up, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it!
So, what’s holding you back? As a PTA leader, it’s important to find ways to make your work easier and more efficient. Embrace efficiency, and let’s make your PTA run smoother than ever with Cheddar Up.
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