Online Fundraising Platform for Debate Teams
- Raise money without the hassle: set up a team fundraiser in minutes and share a single link with families, alumni, and local sponsors.
- Collect from everyone in one place: donations, tournament fees, travel costs, and team dues live under one page.
- Get paid securely: bank-level security and PCI compliance protect every transaction.
- Skip the cash and checks: no more collecting travel money in envelopes before a tournament.
Why Debate Teams Choose Cheddar Up
vs Traditional Payment Methods
vs Generic Payment Platforms
Made for Debate Team Fundraising
Frictionless Payments
No apps. No accounts. Families can pay in seconds from any device.
Automatic Tracking
See every payment and response in real time. Export data anytime. No spreadsheets required.
Payments + Forms
Gather payments and information in the same place, from t-shirt sizes to waivers and registrations.
One-Stop Solution
Manage events, spirit wear sales, fundraisers, and registrations all in one easy-to-use platform.
How it works
Step 1
Create Your Team Fundraiser
Build a collection page and customize it with your team name, school colors, and fundraising goal. Add donation tiers, tournament fees, or travel packages.
Step 2
Share Your Link
Send your custom link by email, team group chat, school app, or social media, and share it with alumni and sponsors. Supporters can give in seconds.
Step 3
Track and Get Paid
Watch payments and donations arrive on a live dashboard, then transfer funds to your team's bank account for free. Automated receipts keep travel records clean.
Complete Fundraising Solutions for Every Debate Team Need
Donations
Donating on Cheddar Up is simple with no awkward tipping at checkout.
Volunteer Sign Ups
Wow your community with elegant, ad-free sign ups.
Dues and Fees
Collect one-time fees or recurring dues from your community.
Group Gifts
Group collections for a teacher, coach or coworker with zero lifting.
Registrations and Waivers
Move camps online with payments, forms, and waivers in one spot.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers
Give participants their own pages to share your cause and rally donations.
Group Website
Highlight your organization’s mission, team members, sponsors and more.
What Debate Team Leaders Say About Cheddar Up
“Super easy to use for our PTO. User-friendly and more affordable than the clunkier software we used last year. Very happy that our team can work together to build a site that works great for our school needs.”
– Eva D., PTO President
“Easy to implement and use, and the reporting is exactly what I need. Also, I’ve reached out twice to Cheddar Up support with questions, and they’ve responded promptly and thoughtfully both times.”
– Heidi H., PTA Vice President
“I love how user-friendly it is! It’s easy to use on your phone, so our parents are able to fill forms out and make payments super easy from wherever they are!”
– Kaitlin S., PTO Member
Frequently Asked Questions About Debate Team Fundraising
How does online payment collection benefit education organizations?
Online platforms dramatically reduce volunteer workload by automating tracking and eliminating cash handling. They also increase participation by offering parents a convenient, mobile-friendly way to pay, leading to higher fundraising totals and more timely fee collections.
Is Cheddar Up secure for school payment collection?
Absolutely. Cheddar Up is secure and PCI compliant. In addition, Cheddar Up never sees or stores any financial-related information. Information is sent directly and securely to our payment partner, Stripe, which processes billions of dollars annually, using Transport Layer Security (TLS).
What types of payments can education organizations collect?
Organizations can collect for virtually any need, including fundraisers, event tickets, spirit wear sales, field trip fees, club dues, PTA memberships, and teacher gifts. Our platform is flexible enough to handle simple payments or complex collections with multiple items and forms.
How does Cheddar Up compare to other payment platforms for schools?
Unlike generic platforms, Cheddar Up is built specifically for the needs of school communities. We offer education-specific templates, robust tracking, and features for volunteer coordination that other platforms lack, all without a complex setup.
Can we integrate Cheddar Up with our school management system?
While direct API integrations are not included in our standard plans, Cheddar Up’s reporting tools make it simple to export your data. You can quickly download transaction and payer details in CSV or Excel format for easy import into most school management or accounting systems. For even more connectivity, the Team Plan includes Zapier integration, allowing you to automate workflows and connect with hundreds of other apps.
What support is available for education organizations?
We offer dedicated support from a team of experts, many of whom have experience as PTA leaders and school volunteers themselves. Support is available via live chat and email, and we provide a rich library of video tutorials, best-practice guides, and live demos to help you succeed.
What is the best online fundraising platform for debate teams?
Cheddar Up is built specifically for group and team fundraising. Unlike personal payment apps, it combines donations, tournament fees, travel payments, and dues in one organized page, with automatic tracking and no app required for supporters, making it an ideal online fundraising platform for debate teams of any size.
How much does it cost to fundraise online with Cheddar Up?
Creating a collection page is free. Cheddar Up charges a small transaction fee per payment, and you can choose to pass that fee along to supporters so the platform is effectively free for your team. Transfers to your bank account are free.
Can we collect tournament fees and travel payments on the same page?
Yes. You can combine donations, tournament registration, travel costs, and dues on a single team page, each with its own custom form fields.
Can debaters run their own individual fundraisers?
Yes. With peer-to-peer fundraising, each student gets a personal share page that rolls up to your team total, complete with leaderboards and real-time progress tracking.
Can we set a fundraising goal and show progress?
Yes. You can display a live goal thermometer so families and alumni can see how close your team is to funding the season.
Can we collect travel waivers and emergency contacts too?
Yes. Add custom questions and file uploads to collect signed waivers, emergency contacts, dietary needs, and more right alongside payment.
Ready to start?
Kick the tires
Create a free account and build a collection to see how easy it is to collect money.
Watch a demo
Join us for one of our live demos and learn from our product experts in real time.
