Portfolio → Fundraising With Cheese
FundraisingWith Cheese
Custom e-commerce platform with donor management, shopping cart, admin dashboard, and automated reporting for a Calgary-area fundraising organization.
The Challenge
Fundraising With Cheese runs cheese fundraising campaigns for schools, sports teams, and community organizations across Alberta. Groups sell cheese products to supporters, keeping a portion of proceeds for their cause. It's a model that works—but the operational complexity was overwhelming.
Before coming to us, they managed everything through spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes. Orders came in through forms, had to be manually entered, payments tracked separately, and reporting required hours of spreadsheet work. As the business grew, this approach was breaking down.
They needed a complete platform: online ordering for customers, organization management for fundraising groups, inventory tracking, payment processing, and reporting that didn't require manual data entry. Off-the-shelf e-commerce platforms couldn't handle their unique model.
The core problem: A successful business model trapped by manual processes. Growth was limited by how much administrative work they could handle. They needed systems that could scale.
This wasn't a simple website project—it was building a custom business platform from the ground up.
What We Built
Key features of the Fundraising With Cheese platform.
Technical Scope
How we built this custom platform.
E-commerce Engine
Custom shopping cart and checkout flow designed for their specific product and campaign model.
Products organized by campaign, with orders attributed to the correct fundraising organization. Not a standard e-commerce flow.
Payment Processing
Secure payment integration handling transactions and linking payments to orders and organizations.
PCI-compliant payment handling with proper security. Automatic payment confirmation and receipt generation.
Organization Management
System for managing fundraising groups, their campaigns, and their portion of proceeds.
Each organization has its own dashboard view. Track orders, see earnings, manage campaign details.
Inventory & Fulfillment
Track product inventory, manage orders, and coordinate fulfillment.
Know what's in stock, what's been ordered, and what needs to ship. Prevent overselling and fulfillment delays.
Automated Communications
Email notifications for order confirmations, shipping updates, and campaign communications.
Customers and organizations stay informed without manual email work. Reduces support burden.
Admin Dashboard
Central control panel for managing all aspects of the business.
Full visibility into orders, organizations, inventory, and finances. Reporting that used to take hours now takes seconds.
Why Custom?
Off-the-shelf e-commerce platforms assume you're a straightforward online store. Fundraising With Cheese's model—with organizations, campaigns, proceeds splitting, and complex reporting—doesn't fit that mold.
Building custom meant every feature could be designed exactly for their workflow. No workarounds, no fighting the platform. A system that works the way their business works.
The Results
What this platform achieved for the business.
Eliminated Manual Entry
Orders flow directly into the system. No more re-typing from forms into spreadsheets. Hours saved every week.
Automated Reporting
Reports that took hours to compile manually now generate instantly. Real-time visibility into business performance.
Scalable Operations
The platform handles more orders without more administrative work. Growth no longer limited by manual processes.
Better Customer Experience
Customers order online easily, get automatic confirmations, and can track their orders. Professional purchasing experience.
Organization Transparency
Fundraising groups can see their own sales and earnings. Builds trust and engagement with the organizations they serve.
Reduced Errors
Automated systems don't make data entry mistakes. Fewer order errors, fewer customer service issues.
Project Details
Client: Fundraising With Cheese
Industry: Fundraising / E-commerce
Project Type: Custom Web Platform
Live Site: fundraisingwithcheese.com
This project represents the kind of custom development we do when off-the-shelf solutions don't fit. Not every business needs this level of customization—many are well-served by simpler websites or existing platforms. But when your business model is unique, custom development can be transformative.
We continue to support and enhance the platform as the business grows and needs evolve.
Project FAQ
Questions about this project.
The initial platform took approximately 2-3 months to build, including planning, development, and testing. It launched in phases with core functionality first, then additional features.
Have a question that's not answered here?
Call us at (403) 829-1452Need a Custom Platform?
If your business has unique needs that off-the-shelf solutions can't handle, let's talk about custom development.
