CDF partners with Flexischools to deliver best-in-class online payments and ordering to Catholic communities across Australia

Flexischools and Catholic Development Fund (CDF) have signed a long-term partnership that will help bring innovative and convenient online payments and ordering to Catholic school communities, with the development and launch of a new CDFpay platform, powered by Flexischools. 

Pictured (L to R): CDF General Manager IT, David Brown; CDF Product Development Manager, Emily Graham; Flexischools CEO, Rachel Debeck; CDF Executive Manager Product, Jukka Rinta, with Flexischools co-founder Stephen Austen

CDFpay is managing ordering and payments at more than 130 Australian Catholic primary and secondary schools.  

Through the new partnership, CDFpay powered by Flexischools, will provide parents with a bespoke CDFpay smartphone app and website, to bring the convenience of online ordering and cashless payments for all on-campus purchases, including canteen, uniform shop, school events and donations, to the palm of parents’ hands.   

CDFpay powered by Flexischools will also easily enable over the counter payments for students while they are at school.  

The CDFpay powered by Flexischools application will be complete in the fourth quarter of 2024, in time for schools and families to use for start of the 2025 school year. It will be available to all Catholic schools nationally.  

DELIVERING A MODERN SOLUTION 

“We reached out to the market earlier this year to find a partner that could deliver a best-in-class solution, with the functionality, and user experience our customers are looking for,” explained CDF’s CEO, Matthew Cassin. 

“Flexischools is the market leader in school ordering and payments, and we are looking forward to harnessing their expertise for the benefit of our Catholic community. 

“CDFpay powered by Flexischools will enable parents to easily manage payments and ordering, and bring the same online functionality and convenience that they experience in other areas of their life, to school life,” Matthew continued.  

Flexischools CEO, Rachel Debeck, said that the Flexischools team is excited about the opportunities the partnership presents.   

“For more than 15 years, Flexischools has been delivering an innovative payments platform to schools, canteen providers and families across Australia. We are excited to partner with CDF to grow our customer base and impact in Catholic communities,” Rachel said.  

Pictured : The CDF product team joined the Flexischools team in Sydney to finalise plans for CDFpay powered by Flexischools, which will be available to Catholic schools across Australia to use from the start of the 2025 school year.

BRINGING BENEFITS TO SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES 

According to Flexischools, its online ordering and cashless payments solution brings enormous benefits to both schools and families.   

“Flexischools seamlessly connects a range of services including canteen, events, and school shops to parents in a single app,” Rachel said. 

“For busy families, the ability to take care of the ordering and payments for their child’s school day from the palm of their hand, at a time that suits them, means a significantly lightened mental load. 

“For schools, the reduction in cash handling, the automated processes for order management and online sales brings efficiencies to things like staff time, and wastage,” Rachel explained.  

GROWTH PLANS 

CDF and Flexischools have developed a roadmap of further developments and functionality that will be delivered through the partnership that are designed to cement CDFpay powered by Flexischools as a market leading solution. 

CDF and Flexischools will be working closely together to grow the number of schools using CDFpay, across the country. 

Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools (MACS) is the largest Catholic school operator in Australia and has been working with CDF to ensure the solution meets the needs of their Catholic schools.   

“We are looking forward to the upcoming launch of CDFpay powered by Flexischools.” said MACS GM Finance Transformation, James Young. 

“Today there are multiple payment channels within schools and busy parents are juggling lunch orders, school fees and event payments. Feedback from schools and parents alike is they want a single place where they can do all these things,” James continued. 

“We are excited about the opportunity this partnership presents for the Catholic school community, and the opportunities the CDFpay powered by Flexischools platform will offer to all Catholic schools across Australia,” said CDF’s GM Client Services, Brendan Hoy. 

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