Know who paid, and for what
The co-op treasurer’s job is mostly one question asked a hundred times: has this family paid, and for which class? The answer lives in a payment app, a sign-up form and a spreadsheet, and none of them talk to each other.
In CircleUp the registration and the money are the same record. A family’s account shows what they signed up for, what they paid, and what is still open — line by line.
If this is the treasurer’s job now
- Matching payments to children from memo lines.
- A stack of checks and no clear record of what each one covered.
- Sending the same “friendly reminder” to families one at a time.
- Rebuilding the year’s numbers for the board from three exports.
How it works in CircleUp
Every registration is a charge on the family’s account
When a family registers, CircleUp records what they owe on their account, with a line per class that names the child. Discounts show as their own lines with the reason.
Payments are applied to what they paid for
A payment is matched to the charges it covers, so “paid” and “still open” are answered per item, not per family.
Card, cash and check in one place
Card payments go through Stripe into your co-op’s own Stripe account. Record cash and check on the family’s account and they sit beside the card payments, refunds included.
Payment plans that collect themselves
Offer a payment plan and installments are charged to the family’s saved card on their due date. If a charge fails, the parent gets an email with a link to update their card. Families paying a plan by cash or check get a reminder, and you can add a late fee after a grace period you choose.
Remind everyone who owes, at once
Send a balance reminder to every family with something open in one step. Each reminder names the same balance the family sees on their own account.
Numbers for the board
The money page shows the whole co-op’s charges and payments, and exports to CSV.
What it costs, plainly
- CircleUp takes 0.5% of card payments, the same on every plan. Stripe’s own processing fee is separate and goes to Stripe.
- Cash and check payments carry no CircleUp fee on any plan.
Questions co-ops ask us
Where does the money go?
Card payments go to your co-op’s own Stripe account. CircleUp takes a 0.5% platform fee on card payments; Stripe charges its own processing fee separately.
Can we still take cash and checks?
Yes. Turn on cash or check for a class with your own instructions, then record the payment on the family’s account when it arrives. There is no CircleUp fee on cash or check.
Can families pay in installments?
Yes. Set up a payment plan and offer it on a class. Card installments are charged automatically on their due dates; cash and check installments get a reminder.
The other jobs CircleUp takes on
See your co-op’s money in one place
CircleUp is free for up to 10 families, with no credit card. Connect Stripe, add a class, and register a test family to see exactly what your families would see.