MonthFund vs. Cheddar Up
MonthFund vs. Cheddar Up:
Specialist vs. general collection tool.
Cheddar Up is a flexible platform for PTAs to collect money, manage forms, and run group orders. MonthFund does one thing: the 31-day pick-a-date calendar fundraiser. If the calendar model is your goal, MonthFund is built for it. Cheddar Up is not.
No credit card required. Free to start.
Two different models
MonthFund charges a clear, disclosed infrastructure fee on each donation. Donors see exactly what they are paying and can cover it in one click. Your donors give to you, not to our software.
Cheddar Up is a general-purpose collection platform. It handles dues, field trip payments, group orders, and basic fundraising. It does not offer a pick-a-date or 31-day calendar fundraiser format. Organizations that use Cheddar Up for fundraising typically run simple donation pages, not structured calendar campaigns with participant tracking and live fill rates.
Why organizations choose MonthFund
Built for the calendar fundraiser. Nothing else.
Cheddar Up does not support calendar fundraisers
Cheddar Up handles dues, payments, forms, and basic fundraising. It does not offer a pick-a-date or 31-day calendar fundraiser format. If the calendar model is your primary fundraiser, MonthFund is built for that format.
Participant tracking built in
MonthFund gives every participant their own calendar page, tracks their fill rate, and sends automated reminders when their calendar needs attention. Cheddar Up has no concept of participants carrying individual calendars.
Free to launch. Donors cover the infrastructure.
MonthFund is free to start. Donors cover a transparent 3% infrastructure fee at checkout, so your cause keeps 100% of their intended gift. Cheddar Up Basic is free. Pro and Team are $15 and $35 per month billed annually (cheddarup.com/pricing, retrieved 1 Sep 2026). Card fees are 3.95% + $0.95 on Basic and 3.59% + $0.59 on paid plans. Payers cover those fees by default.
Built for the campaign, not just the payment
MonthFund is a campaign platform. It manages recruitment, participant onboarding, live tracking, donor experience, and post-campaign reporting. Cheddar Up is a payment collection tool. The two solve different problems.
Feature Comparison
MonthFund vs. Cheddar Up,
side by side.
Have a question about a specific feature? Contact us.
| Feature | Purpose-builtMonthFund | CompetitorCheddar Up |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar Fundraiser | ||
| Pick-a-date / 31-day calendar fundraiserCheddar Up does not offer this format | Yes | No |
| Individual participant calendar pages | Yes | No |
| Live fill rate tracking | Yes | No |
| Day-by-day donor assignment | Yes | No |
| Automated participant reminders | Yes | No |
| Pricing and Fees | ||
| Infrastructure fee | 3% (free), 2%, or 0% | None. Plans are $0 / $15 / $35 billed annually |
| Processing fee | 2.9% + $0.30 | 3.95% + $0.95 or 3.59% + $0.59 |
| Donor tip to platform | ✗ Never | No |
| Subscription to lower fees | ✓ ($49 or $199/mo) | ✓ ($15 or $35/mo billed annually) |
| Donors cover infrastructure fee (transparent, one click) | Yes | Limited |
| Free to launch | Yes | ✓ (limited features) |
| General Collection | ||
| Donation pages | Yes | Yes |
| Dues and fee collection | No | Yes |
| Group orders and forms | No | Yes |
| Event registration | No | Yes |
| Peer-to-peer fundraising | ✓ (calendar model) | ✓ (collection pages) |
| Participant and Donor Management | ||
| Participant dashboards | Yes | No |
| Bulk email to participants | Yes | Limited |
| Automated tax receipts | Yes | Yes |
| Donor management | Basic | Basic |
| Reporting | ||
| Campaign analytics | Yes | Basic |
| Full campaign report | Yes | ✓ (paid plans) |
| Accounting CSV export | ✓ (Professional+) | Yes |
| Cross-campaign reporting | ✓ (Professional+) | No |
Based on publicly available information retrieved 2026-09-01. Visit Cheddar Up to verify their current features.
The Math
Know exactly what your org keeps.
On a fully funded $10,000 campaign on MonthFund's free Community tier, here is the breakdown if every donor covers fees at checkout.
Full pricing breakdownExample: $10,000 campaign
No. Cheddar Up is a general collection platform for dues, payments, forms, and basic fundraising. It does not offer a pick-a-date or 31-day calendar fundraiser format. MonthFund is built specifically for this model.
Yes. Many PTAs use Cheddar Up for dues collection, field trip payments, and group orders, while using MonthFund specifically for their annual or monthly calendar fundraiser. The tools serve different purposes.
Cheddar Up Basic is free. Pro is $15/mo billed annually. Team is $35/mo billed annually (cheddarup.com/pricing, retrieved 1 Sep 2026). Card fees are 3.95% + $0.95 on Basic and 3.59% + $0.59 on paid plans, with payers covering them by default. MonthFund Community is free at 3% infrastructure plus Stripe 2.9% + $0.30. Donors can cover the infrastructure fee at checkout.
No. MonthFund works for any group with a community: schools, PTAs, sports teams, faith communities, civic organizations, and nonprofits. Cheddar Up is primarily designed for PTAs and school groups.
The calendar model gives every participant a defined role and a specific day to own. Progress is visible to everyone. Donors see exactly which days are claimed and which are open. This structure drives higher participation and more consistent results than a general donation page.
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