#groupgifting

Heeeee haw!  We love hearing from you!! Based on your #feedback, we've made it even EASIER to group #gift together - we removed a whole step from your #gifting setup process. #yay #winning

Thank you!

Our Startup (GiftStarter.co) was recently highlighted in GeekWire - click on the image above to go to the link.  Very exciting!

"Arry Yu arrived at Seattle’s Startup Weekend in March armed with little more than an idea and a 60-second pitch. Over the course of the weekend she found a team and garnered the necessary votes to win first place. Three months later, with backing from Startup Next Seattle, GiftStarter.co was born.

Giftstarter CEO, Arry Yu.

The three-person startup aims to personalize and simplify the process of purchasing gifts as a group. One person finds a product from GiftStarter’s select retailers (which already include Nordstrom, REI, Filson, Brooks, and Costco), and creates a GiftStarter page. Group members can log on and contribute until the retail price is reached. Once all the funds have been raised, GiftStarter sends the gift with a personalized “Contributor Card.”

The site’s mission, as Yu explains, “is to bring back the humanity, personality and the joy of real-life interactions, using technology as an enabler – not a focal point....”

Team GiftStarter!

We can’t think of a better time to share results like these. Spring break is coming to an end for most families and that means…sadly (and happily, depending on how you look at it), that the end of the school year is right around the corner.

As most parents can attest, the end of the year comes with a flurry of activity that requires us to weigh in…and often pay in! There are end-of-year parties, gift cards for bus drivers, and the infamous “end-of-year teacher gift.” Never was there a more perfect use for Cheddar Up than the beloved teacher gift. Let us share with you why…

Results You Can’t Ignore

At the end of 2013, Cherry Hills Village Elementary used Cheddar Up to help collect for a school-wide holiday gift for the school‘s support staff. The gift collection was well promoted to all families via the school‘s weekly e-newsletter, website and room mother communications. Families had the option to contribute by: 1) Mailing a check to the parent volunteer, or 2) Paying online quickly and easily via Cheddar Up. The school’s families embraced Cheddar Up and greatly appreciated the ease of online payment. And the increased participation numbers prove it!

Cheddar Up simplified the collection process, with nearly 70% of the contributing families paying via Cheddar Up. This allowed the parent volunteer who coordinated the collection to avoid multiple trips to the bank, spreadsheets and awkward reminders.

The best part…compared to last year, this year’s gift collection proved a: 33% increase in the amount collected and a 54% increase in family participation!

Easy paying for parents, easy collecting for schools and parent volunteers, and a bigger gift for the hardworking school staff. That’s what we call a win-win!

What’s our key takeaway? Give parents an easy way to contribute and they will! You’ve got to make it easy.