Set for Success: Gallipolis City Schools simplifies invoicing and payments

Like most community organizations, Gallipolis City Schools had a complex paper-based process for managing student fees and preschool billing. District Treasurer Beth Lewis sought help from Ohio Valley Bank, a local institution with $1 million in assets. The bank introduced Lewis to Autobooks, a simplified invoicing and payment solution, which could help her organization send invoices on the fly and collect payments by ACH (electronic check) or credit/debit card. Such a solution could also automate bookkeeping, a tedious and time intensive task for her staff.

Lewis started her transition by tackling the collection of semester fees. Each semester, homeroom teachers are tasked to collect fees from each student. Then, the principal’s office would manually process payments for every classroom, issue a receipt, and send to the central office for deposit. “It was a lengthy process with many involved and a potential for error. It also took valuable time away from our educators,” explained Lewis.

The solution automated the payment process while also making it easier for parents to pay. Parents can receive an email invoice with a clickable link to pay instantly with a credit card or account number. Or if they prefer a printed invoice, they still have the option to pay online or mail in a check.

Collection became timely and more efficient. “A student fee that used to take at least four people and several weeks to handle and process, now takes little to no manual effort and is received the same day in many cases,” commented Lewis. “Autobooks greatly reduces the time and effort it takes to collect these fees.”

Given the success of fee collection, the school system took on a bigger challenge of invoicing and payment collection for their monthly preschool tuition. Before invoices were created individually then mailed each month until the solution allowed for recurring invoices that were both professional and consistent in just a few clicks.

Interactive dashboards provide a holistic view of where the school’s account stands including who is paid, due and past due, with options to set automatic reminders. “At a glance, I know at all times exactly where we stand,” added Lewis. Payments are tracked, received and automatically deposited into the school’s bank account, without having to involve the principal’s office or educators.

Many community organizations are seeking alternative ways to manage finances, realizing traditional methods strain internal resources and time. Follow our blog to learn how financial institutions like Ohio Valley Bank can help their local communities by becoming the back-office of choice for organizations like Gallipolis City Schools, driving deposits by an average of 18%.