More districts each year realize the simplicity of digital payments for meals, even as school fee management remains paper-based for many. Moving away from cash enables families to load student meal accounts, check balances, and track spending conveniently and securely from anywhere. However, digital payments can simplify so much more than breakfast and lunch purchases.
Digitizing school fee management and merchandise sales eliminates the hassles and inherent security risks of cash and checks. Plus, it makes time-consuming bank runs a thing of the past and ensures currency isn’t lost or damaged at the bottom of a backpack.
Going digital can also help you make more sales and receive more donations since nobody’s limited to cash on hand. 86% of point-of-sale (POS) transactions throughout the U.S. economy were electronic in 2022. It only makes sense to accept school fees and merchandise payments the most convenient method for families. Plus, your staff gets the benefits of automated accounting and digital receipts. Yet, according to our 2023 K‑12 Nutrition Survey Report, only two-thirds of respondents think they’re doing a good job of providing digital payment solutions for families.
Five types of transactions to simplify with digital school fee management
Digital school fee management and payments offer an easy way to quickly modernize K‑12 financial operations. From spot-on accuracy to worry-free efficiency, it’s a great way to increase more on-time fee payments and maximize product purchases, ticket sales, and donations. With the same LINQ Connect app many schools already use for meal payments, students and families can handle all their school financial business in one place.
Let’s look at five ways you can digitize more school fees and payments this year with LINQ Connect. Schools and districts across the U.S. are already using the app to complete these types of transactions—here’s why:
1. T-shirts, sports fan gear, and school-branded items
Set up an online school store in LINQ Connect to make it easier for students, families, and employees to gear up for back to school, big games, club events, spirit days, and graduation. Simply upload item photos and prices in a few easy steps to let everyone browse your entire store from anywhere.
No more wondering, “Where’d you get that?” A digital store gives everyone easy access to the items they want.
2. Yearbooks and yearbook donation funds
Take the hassle and hurry out of yearbook season by moving transactions online. Students and families can easily pay for their yearbooks through LINQ Connect. Digital payments give families the power to pay quickly in response to an email or text alert—they just open the app, buy their yearbook, and it’s done. Schools can even set up an item in the school store to contribute toward a yearbook donation fund to ensure books for everyone who wants one.
Cash and checks can get lost or damaged on the way to school, but digital payments are fast, easy, accurate, and secure.
3. Club dues, tournament fees, and uniforms
Student life can get busy, and trying to manage it all with cash, checks, and paper receipts quickly becomes overwhelming. Make life easier for families, club sponsors, and coaches by using LINQ Connect for all club and sports fees and payments. The app helps families make prompt payments from anywhere and eliminates piles of cash and checks for organizers to deposit. Plus, it puts an end to time-consuming manual accounting.
Automate club and team financial management and give everyone more time to enjoy their extracurricular activities so students can grow and thrive.
4. Fundraiser donations and event tickets
From car washes to theater performances, digital payments through LINQ Connect help drive sales and simplify accounting for everyone. Digital receipts, automated bookkeeping, and an intuitive payments interface make it easier than ever to run a successful fundraiser and fill the seats at your next event. Earn more money to support clubs and initiatives by enabling payments beyond the cash in people’s pockets. The app also enables donations from those unable to attend in person.
Unleash more fundraising potential with digital donations and ticket sales.
5. Library fees
Sometimes it’s tough to collect library fees. Students don’t always have cash with them, and payment reminders can get lost or forgotten amidst the many other school business alerts students and families receive. Digital payments make it easy for students and families to settle fees for overdue books, lost items, and more. The LINQ Connect app can even be used to purchase snacks or drinks in the library or media center.
Empower school libraries to settle accounts faster and focus on their more impactful work. With fees and payments simplified, librarians gain more time to support student reading initiatives, enhance their collections, and make learning a fun, engaging experience.
Simplify digital payments and school fee management with LINQ Connect
Managing school fees and payments the traditional way means spending too much time following up on notifications, processing payments, double-checking accounting, and depositing cash and checks at the bank. Digital payments boil transactions down to a few taps on a phone or desktop, automate receipts and accounting, and give everyone the freedom to focus on making school fun and engaging. If you’re already using LINQ Connect online or the app for digital meal payments, it’s easy to modernize financial operations across other departments with electronic fee management. Start the process now by reaching out to your LINQ representative, or request a custom demo now.