Cheddar Up
By Cheddar Up, Inc
The implementation process for Cheddar Up is designed to be fast, intuitive, and user-friendly. Most users can get up and running within a few hours to a couple of days, depending on the complexity of their needs. Here's a step-by-step breakdown:
Account Setup
Visit my.cheddarup.com/signup to create an account. Choose between an "Individual" or "Organization" account. Organizations (like PTAs or nonprofits) should have their Tax ID and address ready.
Verification for Payments
To collect and withdraw funds, you’ll need to verify your identity. This includes providing your legal name, address, date of birth, last four digits of your SSN, and possibly uploading an ID and real-time photo. This step ensures compliance with financial regulations and fraud prevention.
Add Managers (Optional)
For teams or committees, you can add managers with role-based permissions (Viewer, Editor, Administrator). This allows for secure delegation of tasks without exposing sensitive financial data.
Plan Your Collections
Before launching, outline what you’ll be collecting for—e.g., memberships, events, merchandise, or donations. This helps streamline setup and ensures consistency across collections.
Payment settings (credit card, eCheck, cash/check tracking)
Customize Settings
Enable advanced options like fundraising goals, public payer lists, custom receipts, and scheduled open/close times.
Publish and Share
Once finalized, publish your collection and share it via a unique URL, QR code, or embedded button on your website.
Monitor and Manage
Use Cheddar Up’s dashboard to track payments, form responses, and participation. Export reports as needed.
Estimated Timeframe:
Cheddar Up offers extensive customization options that make it adaptable for a wide range of business and organizational needs. Here are the key areas where customization is possible:
Custom Items and Variations
You can create items with multiple variations (e.g., size, color, material), set unique prices, track inventory, and even assign SKUs. This is ideal for businesses selling merchandise or managing registrations with options.
E-signatures
These can be used to collect detailed information per transaction or per item, such as t-shirt sizes, dietary preferences, or signed waivers.
Branded email templates
This ensures a professional and consistent experience for your audience.
Featured Collections
This is especially useful for schools, nonprofits, or businesses running multiple campaigns.
Custom Payment Plans
Set up recurring payments with flexible frequency and duration—ideal for memberships, tuition, or subscriptions.
Custom Receipts and Credit Card Descriptors
Add your nonprofit tax ID to receipts or customize the credit card statement descriptor to reduce confusion and disputes.
Integration with Other Tools
Through Zapier, Cheddar Up can be connected to CRMs, email marketing tools (like Mailchimp), and AI platforms (like ChatGPT), allowing for workflow automation and deeper customization.
Cheddar Up is designed to be cost-effective and transparent. There are no setup fees or maintenance charges for using the platform. Users can start with the Basic plan, which is free forever and includes essential features like unlimited collection pages, up to five items per page, and one form per page.
The platform operates on a tiered subscription model:
Support is included at no extra cost, and Cheddar Up’s team offers onboarding, training, and live sessions for all users.
Transaction fees apply based on the payment method:
eCheck (Pro/Team Plans): 1.59% or flat $0.95
Organizers can choose to absorb or pass on these fees to payers. There is also a $15 dispute fee if a payment is challenged and reversed.
Cheddar Up provides comprehensive training and support to help users get started and become proficient with the platform. Key offerings include:
Live Learning Sessions: Weekly webinars and walkthroughs hosted by product experts. These include platform overviews, Q&A sessions, and feature-specific deep dives.
Video Library: On-demand tutorials covering everything from basic setup to advanced features like peer-to-peer fundraising and ticketing.
User Guides: Step-by-step instructions for creating collections, managing payments, customizing pages, and using advanced tools like conditional forms and inventory tracking.
Help Center: A searchable support portal with articles, FAQs, and troubleshooting tips.
Human Support Team: Staffed by experienced volunteers (PTA presidents, HOA treasurers, etc.), available via email and support requests.
Training is free and accessible to all users, regardless of their subscription plan.
Cheddar Up employs advanced security protocols to protect user data and financial transactions. Key measures include:
Encryption: All transactions are encrypted to ensure secure data transmission.
Compliance: The platform adheres to major payment security standards, including those required by the US Patriot Act for identity verification.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Users must enable 2FA before publishing collections or adding bank accounts, adding an extra layer of protection.
Identity Verification: Collectors must provide legal name, address, date of birth, SSN (last four digits), and a real-time photo to prevent fraud and comply with federal regulations.
These measures ensure that both organizers and payers can use Cheddar Up with confidence.
Cheddar Up follows a continuous improvement model, regularly releasing updates to enhance features, improve user experience, and maintain platform security. While the company does not publish a fixed update schedule, new features and improvements are rolled out incrementally and seamlessly, often without requiring user intervention.
Updates are managed internally and deployed directly to the cloud-based platform, meaning users always access the latest version when they log in. Feature enhancements—such as new form types, reporting tools, or integrations—are typically announced via the Help Center, blog, or email newsletters. Users can also explore new features through the platform’s video library and live demos, which are updated to reflect the latest capabilities.
Cheddar Up’s Terms of Use clarify that users retain ownership of their data, including collected content, form responses, and payment records. Organizers can export their data at any time using built-in reporting tools, which allow downloads in formats like Excel or PDF.
The platform supports account transfers, especially useful for organizations with rotating leadership (e.g., PTAs or nonprofits). When transferring an account, all organizational data—including collections, payment history, and branding—remains intact, ensuring continuity.
Cheddar Up also complies with privacy regulations and offers users control over their account settings, notifications, and data visibility. While the platform does not explicitly mention GDPR or data portability laws, its structure supports manual data portability through exports and account transfers.
Cheddar Up is designed to scale flexibly with organizational needs. Users can start with the Basic plan (free) and upgrade to Pro ($15/month) or Team ($35/month) plans as their needs grow. Upgrades unlock features like unlimited items, recurring payments, manager access, and account-wide reporting.
Organizations can scale up by:
If needs decrease, users can downgrade their plan or even revert to the free Basic plan. There are no penalties or long-term contracts, and subscription changes can be made directly from the account dashboard.
Cheddar Up operates on a subscription-based model with flexible terms for renewal and cancellation. Users can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel their plans directly from the account dashboard. There are no long-term contracts, and changes to the subscription can be made at any time.
For renewals, subscriptions are typically auto-renewed annually or monthly, depending on the selected billing cycle. Users are notified of upcoming renewals and can switch between monthly and annual plans as needed.
For cancellations, users can:
Cheddar Up is committed to maintaining high standards of security and regulatory compliance. Key compliance measures include:
PCI Compliance: Cheddar Up is securely integrated with Stripe, a PCI-compliant payment processor that handles billions of dollars annually. This ensures that all financial transactions are encrypted and meet industry standards for data protection.
Transparent Pricing Compliance: In states with fee transparency legislation, Cheddar Up automatically adjusts item pricing to include processing fees upfront. This ensures compliance with local laws and builds trust with payers by showing all-inclusive pricing at checkout.
Data Privacy and Arbitration: Cheddar Up’s Terms of Use include privacy protections and a binding arbitration clause for dispute resolution. Users retain ownership of their data and can opt out of arbitration within 30 days.
