Getting Started

Learn how to set up and use CooplyHQ for your homeschool co-op

Create a CooplyHQ Account

Get your homeschool co-op online in minutes by creating a CooplyHQ account.

Steps

  1. Go to cooplyhq.com and look for the "Get Started" button on the home page.

    CooplyHQ home page

  2. Enter your email address and create a secure password.

  3. Agree to the Terms of Service and confirm your email address by clicking the link sent to your inbox.

  4. You're now logged in to your CooplyHQ dashboard and ready to set up your co-op.

What's next

Read Account Basics to navigate your dashboard and update your profile settings.

Account Basics — Dashboard and Settings

Once you're logged in, you'll spend most of your time in the dashboard. Here's what you need to know to get started.

Your Dashboard

The dashboard is your home base for managing your co-op. From here, you can create events, manage members, and track schedules.

CooplyHQ dashboard

Manage Your Account Settings

To update your profile information or change your password:

  1. From the dashboard, click your profile icon or name in the top-right corner.

  2. Select "Account Settings" from the dropdown menu.

    Account settings page

  3. Update your email address, name, or password as needed.

  4. Click "Save Changes" to confirm.

What's next

Read Creating an Event to set up your first co-op gathering.

Creating an Event

Events are how you schedule co-op meetings, classes, and gatherings. Here's how to create one.

Steps

  1. From your dashboard, click the "Create Event" button or navigate to the Events section.

  2. Click "New Event" to start.

    Event creation form

  3. Fill in the event details:

    • Event Title: Give your event a clear name (e.g., "Science Class," "Monthly Meetup")
    • Date and Time: Select when the event takes place
    • Location: Add the address or link where the event will happen
    • Description: Add details about what to bring, what to prepare, or any instructions for families

  4. Set recurring options if this event happens regularly (weekly, monthly, etc.).

  5. Add families or members who should be invited to this event.

  6. Click "Create Event" to save.

Your co-op members will now see this event in their calendars and can RSVP.

What's next

Start inviting your co-op families and creating a shared schedule. For help managing members or invitations, check the Account Basics article.

Inviting Families to Your Co-op

Once your co-op is set up, you'll need to invite families so they can see the calendar and RSVP to events.

Steps

  1. From your dashboard, go to the Members section.

    Members management

  2. Click "Invite Family" or "Add Member" to start sending invitations.

  3. Enter the email addresses of family members you want to invite to your co-op.

  4. Optionally add a message explaining the co-op and what to expect.

  5. Click "Send Invitations" to send email invites to the families.

What families see

Families will receive an email with a link to join your co-op. When they click the link, they'll create a CooplyHQ account and be added to your co-op automatically. They'll then see all upcoming events and can RSVP.

Managing members

From the Members page, you can:

What's next

Once families are invited, see Creating an Event to schedule your first gathering.

Managing Your Co-op Calendar

Your calendar is where families see all upcoming events, RSVPs, and schedules for the co-op.

View Your Calendar

From your dashboard, go to the Events section to see all your co-op events.

Events calendar

Here you can:

Edit or Cancel Events

  1. Click on any event in your calendar.

  2. Select "Edit" to change the date, time, location, or description.

  3. To cancel an event, select "Delete" and confirm. Families will be notified of the cancellation.

Recurring Events

When you create an event with a recurring schedule (like weekly classes), CooplyHQ automatically creates each instance. You can edit individual events or the entire series.

Share Your Calendar

Families can view the entire co-op calendar once they join. They'll see all upcoming events and can RSVP to the ones that apply to them.

What's next

Once your calendar is set up with events, see Inviting Families to Your Co-op to start building your community.

Setting Up Stripe Payments: How Onboarding Works and How Fees Are Handled

CooplyHQ uses Stripe Express to process payments from families. Before you click Start Stripe Onboarding, here is exactly what to expect — so there are no surprises partway through.

To begin: go to Admin → Payouts & Billing → Stripe Connect in your co-op admin panel.

The Stripe Connect page in the CooplyHQ admin panel, showing the onboarding explainer and the Start Stripe Onboarding button

You do not need an existing Stripe account

Stripe will create a new Stripe Express account for your co-op as part of this flow. If you already have a personal or business Stripe account, you can connect that one instead — but a brand-new account is fine and is what most co-ops use.

What Stripe will ask you for (KYC)

Federal regulations require Stripe to verify your identity and your co-op. Have these ready before you start:

Stripe's onboarding form walks you through each step. Most co-op admins complete it in about 10 minutes. Your information goes directly to Stripe — CooplyHQ never sees or stores it.

Where the money lands — and how to see it

Family payments deposit directly into the bank account you connect during onboarding. CooplyHQ never holds your funds in the middle.

Once your Stripe account is live, the Open Stripe Dashboard button on the Stripe Connect page opens your Stripe Express dashboard, where you can view balances, payout history, individual transactions, and issue refunds.

The Payouts page in CooplyHQ showing payout history

How Stripe fees are handled

Stripe charges a processing fee on each card payment (typically 2.9% + 30¢). CooplyHQ gives you control over how those fees are handled. You set the mode per priced item — membership plans, events, classes, and classified listings each have their own setting.

Two modes are available:

Absorb (default)

Your co-op pays the Stripe processing fee. Families pay the sticker price exactly. If you list a class at $50, the family pays $50 and your co-op receives the remainder after Stripe's fee.

Choose Absorb when you want the simplest checkout experience for families and are comfortable building the fee into your pricing.

Gross-up

One all-in price for families, with the Stripe fee baked into the displayed amount. The buyer effectively pays the fee.

Example: If you want to net $50, CooplyHQ calculates the grossed-up price (approximately $52.06) so that after the Stripe fee is deducted, you receive exactly $50.

Choose Gross-up when you want your co-op to net a specific amount on every transaction.

Why checkout happens on checkout.stripe.com

When a family clicks to pay, they are redirected to checkout.stripe.com — Stripe's PCI-compliant hosted checkout page — to enter card or bank details, then returned to your co-op site.

Card numbers never touch CooplyHQ's servers. This keeps your co-op completely out of PCI compliance scope — a significant benefit that removes a large category of data security requirements from your organization.

Ready to connect?

Go to Admin → Payouts & Billing → Stripe Connect and click Start Stripe Onboarding. The guided Stripe flow takes a few minutes. Once complete, your co-op can immediately start collecting payments from families.

How to Set Up Membership Plans and Recurring Payments

Overview

Membership Plans let you define the tiers families choose from when joining your co-op. Each plan can have a name, a description, feature bullets, and one or more billing intervals (monthly, semester, or annual). Once you save a plan it becomes active immediately and appears on your co-op's public membership page.

Before you start: Your Stripe account must be connected under Payouts & Billing before you can create paid plans. Free plans do not require Stripe. See Setting Up Stripe Payments for setup instructions.

Step 1: Open Membership Plans

  1. Sign in to your co-op admin panel.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Membership Plans.

Admin Membership Plans page — empty state

The page shows all your active plans. If you have not created any yet, it shows "No plans yet" with a Create Plan button.

Step 2: Create a Plan

  1. Click + Create Plan (top-right) or the Create Plan button in the empty-state card.

The Create Plan modal opens.

Create Plan modal with fields for name, description, features, and billing

  1. Fill in the plan details:
Field What to enter
Plan Name Short, recognizable name (e.g., "Basic", "Family", "Premium")
Description (optional) One or two sentences describing what the plan includes
Features (optional) Bullet points shown to families on the enrollment page — click + Add Feature to add more

Step 3: Set Pricing and Billing Intervals

Free plan

Toggle on Free Tier if families join at no cost. No Stripe connection is required for free plans. Skip to Step 4.

Paid plan

Leave Free Tier off. Under Billing Periods, enable one or more intervals:

For each enabled interval, enter the price in dollars.

Processing-Fee Handling — choose how Stripe's processing fee is covered:

Option What happens
Absorb (default) Your co-op pays the processing fee. Families are charged exactly the listed price.
Gross-up The processing fee is added into the displayed price. Families see one all-in amount.

You can mix intervals and fee modes — for example, offer both Monthly and Annual with different fee settings on each.

Step 4: Set Optional Limits

Scroll down in the modal to configure optional settings:

Field What it does
Member Limit (optional) Maximum number of members allowed on this plan. Leave blank for unlimited.
Requires Application When on, each signup must be manually approved by an admin before the family gains access.

Step 5: Save the Plan

Click Create Plan. The plan saves and is immediately Active — no separate publish step is needed.

To edit a plan later, return to Membership Plans and click Edit on any plan card.

Step 6: How Families See and Enroll

Once at least one plan is active, families can visit your co-op's public membership page at:

https://yourco-op.cooplyhq.com/membership/plans

The page lists all active plans. If you offer multiple billing intervals (e.g., Monthly and Annual), a toggle at the top lets families switch between intervals to compare prices.

Family-facing Membership Plans page

Families click Join Now to begin a three-step application:

  1. Contact Info — primary contact name, email, and phone number
  2. Household — children and household details
  3. Membership — plan and billing interval selection, then payment

Family join form — Step 1: Contact Info

After completing the form, families are taken to Stripe Checkout to pay (for paid plans) or directly to a confirmation page (for free plans).

Step 7: View Active Memberships

To see who has applied or enrolled:

  1. In the left sidebar, click Membership Signups.

Admin Membership Signups page showing status tabs

The Membership Signups page shows all applications with status tabs:

Tab Meaning
Completed Enrollment is finished and payment (if required) has been received
Awaiting Payment Family submitted the form but has not yet paid
Paid — Pending Payment received; awaiting admin approval (when "Requires Application" is on)
On Hold Admin has placed the application on hold for review
Rejected Application was not approved
Draft Family started but did not submit the application
Abandoned Family started and did not complete within the session

Click any row to view the full application details and take action.

What's Next

How to Send Newsletters and Announcements to Your Co-op

Overview

CooplyHQ's Bulk Email tool lets you send newsletters and announcements to every family in your co-op (or a specific group) in just a few steps. You can write a custom message or use a saved template, preview the email before it goes out, and send immediately or schedule for a future date and time.

Step 1: Open the Bulk Email Tool

  1. Sign in to your co-op admin panel.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Communications.
  3. On the Email Templates page, click Send Bulk Email in the upper-right corner.

Email Templates page showing the Send Bulk Email button

Step 2: Choose Your Recipients

Under Recipients, select who should receive the email:

Option Who receives it
All families (all guardians) Every guardian in your co-op
Active members only Families with an active membership period
Users with specific role Admins, staff, guardians, or members only
Individual families Specific households you pick from a list

The Summary panel on the right updates instantly to show how many recipients match your selection.

Bulk Email compose page with recipient options and live summary

Step 3: Write Your Message

Under Email Content, choose how to compose your email:

Option A — Use a saved template

  1. Select Use template.
  2. Choose a template from the drop-down. A subject and body preview appear automatically.

Option B — Write a custom message

  1. Select Custom message.
  2. Enter a Subject.
  3. Write the email body using Markdown.

You can personalize any message with these placeholders — CooplyHQ replaces them with real values for each recipient:

Step 4: Preview and Test

Before sending, verify the email looks right:

Both buttons are in the sidebar on the right side of the page.

Step 5: Choose When to Send

Under Schedule, pick a delivery time:

Step 6: Confirm and Send

  1. Review the Summary panel — confirm the recipient count, content, and timing.
  2. Click Send to [N] recipients (or Schedule Email if you picked a future time).
  3. A confirmation dialog appears. Review the details and click Send Email (or Schedule Email) to confirm.

Once sent (or scheduled), a green success message confirms the action. You can click View History to see delivery status.

Step 7: View Send History and Status

To review past campaigns:

  1. Click View History from the Bulk Email page, or navigate to Communications → View History.
  2. Use the status tabs to filter campaigns: Completed, Scheduled, Sending, or Failed.
  3. Each row shows the subject, number of recipients, delivery rate, open rate, status, and sent time.
  4. To cancel a scheduled email before it sends, find it on the Scheduled tab and cancel it from the Actions column.

Bulk Email History page showing campaign status tabs and statistics

Next Steps

You're ready to keep your families informed. Send your first newsletter today — share an upcoming event, a co-op update, or a welcome message for new members.

Want to save time on future emails? Set up a reusable template under Communications → Create Template so you can send consistent, on-brand messages with one click.

How to Manage Registrations and Track Attendance

Once you have created an event with registration enabled, CooplyHQ gives you a dedicated view to manage who is coming and to track attendance on the day.

Step 1: Open the Event Registration List

  1. Sign in to your co-op admin panel.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Events.

Admin Events list — desktop view

  1. Find the event you want to manage and click its title to open it.
  2. Select the Registrations tab.

You will see a list of everyone who has registered, including their name, contact email, and registration date. Paid-event entries show the payment status.

Event Registrations tab — desktop view

Step 2: Manage Individual Registrations

From the Registrations tab you can:

Note: Removing a registration does not automatically issue a refund for paid events. Issue any refund separately through Orders in the admin panel.

Step 3: Check In Attendees on the Day

On the day of the event, use the check-in view to mark who actually shows up.

  1. Open the event's Registrations tab (same steps as Step 1).
  2. As each family arrives, find their name in the list and click Check In.

The row updates to show a check-in timestamp. You can uncheck an attendee if you made a mistake — click Undo Check-In next to the name.

Attendance check-in view — desktop

Tip: The check-in view works on a phone or tablet. Pull up the Registrations tab on your mobile browser at the door so you can check in families as they arrive.

Step 4: Record Attendance After the Event

If you were not able to mark attendance live, you can update attendance records after the event:

  1. Return to the event's Registrations tab.
  2. Click Check In next to each attendee who was present. Leave absent attendees unchecked.

All records are saved automatically. There is no separate "submit" step.

Step 5: Export the Attendance Report

To download a list of attendees — for your records, a partner organization, or a printable name-tag sheet:

  1. On the Registrations tab, click Export.
  2. Choose your format:
    • CSV — opens in Excel or Google Sheets; includes name, email, registration date, and check-in status.
    • PDF (Name Tags) — printable name-tag sheet sized for standard Avery labels.
  3. The file downloads immediately.

Next Steps

How to Create an Event and Enable Member Registration

Overview

This guide walks you through creating an event on CooplyHQ and opening it for member registration. After completing these steps, the event will appear on your co-op's events page and members can register directly from their dashboard.

Part 1: Create the Event

Step 1: Go to Events in your admin panel

  1. Sign in to your co-op's CooplyHQ site.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Events.

Admin events list — desktop

You'll see a list of all events you've created. New co-ops will see an empty state with a prompt to create your first event.

Step 2: Open the Create Event form

  1. Click Create Event (top right of the Events page).

Create event form — desktop

Step 3: Fill in the event title and description

  1. In the Event Title field, type a clear, descriptive name (e.g. Fall Field Trip to the Natural History Museum).
  2. In the Description field, add any details families should know — what to bring, where to meet, age suitability, etc.

Step 4: Set the date, time, and location

  1. Click the Start Date & Time field and pick the event date and start time.
  2. Optionally click End Date & Time and set when the event finishes.
  3. In the Location field, enter the address or venue name (e.g. City Park Pavilion, 123 Main St).

Part 2: Configure Capacity and Registration

Step 5: Set a capacity limit (optional)

  1. In the Capacity field, enter the maximum number of registrations you'll accept.
  2. Leave the field blank to allow unlimited registrations.

Registration closes automatically one day before the event start time. Capacity limits are enforced in real time — once the last spot is taken, the Register button disappears for new visitors.

Part 3: Set Event Pricing

Step 6: Set the price

  1. In the Price field, enter the dollar amount per registration (e.g. 12.00).
  2. Leave the field blank, or enter 0.00, if the event is free.

Fee handling — if you set a price, choose how processing fees are handled:

Option What members see
Absorb (default) Members pay exactly the listed price. Your co-op covers the processing fee.
Gross-up The processing fee is built into one combined price. Members see a single total with no separate fee line.

Members receive a payment confirmation email automatically after a successful paid registration.

Part 4: Publish the Event

Step 7: Publish immediately or save as a draft

Optional settings:

Step 8: Save the event

  1. Click Create Event.

You'll be returned to the Events list, and a confirmation banner will appear. The event is now live if you toggled Publish immediately on.

Admin event edit (published) — desktop

Part 5: Member Registration Experience

Step 9: Members find the event

Once published, the event appears on your co-op's Events page, which members access from their member dashboard.

Member events list — desktop

Step 10: Members register

  1. A member clicks the event name to open the event detail page.
  2. They click Register.
    • For free events, registration is confirmed immediately and a confirmation email is sent.
    • For paid events, the member is taken to a secure checkout page. After payment, they receive a payment confirmation email.

Member event detail — desktop

Members who are not signed in, or whose membership is not active, see a prompt to join or renew before they can register.

Tracking Registrations

After publishing, you can view who has signed up at any time:

  1. From the Events list, click the event name.
  2. Click Registrations in the admin tabs.

Event registrations list — desktop

The registrations page shows each attendee's name, registration date, and payment status.

What's next

Now that your first event is live, consider:

How to Create an Event and Enable Member Registration

Overview

Events let you schedule activities — classes, field trips, co-op days — and give members a way to register directly through your site. This guide walks you through creating an event, configuring registration and pricing, publishing it, and what your members see when they sign up.

Before you start: Your co-op site must be active and your membership plans set up. If you are collecting payment for events, your Stripe account must be connected under Payouts & Billing.

Step 1: Navigate to Events

  1. Sign in to your co-op admin panel.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Events.

Admin Events list — desktop view

The Events page lists all your scheduled events. If you have not created any yet, you will see an empty state with a New Event button.

Step 2: Create a New Event

  1. Click New Event (top-right corner, or the button in the empty state).

The event creation form opens.

Create Event form — desktop view

  1. Fill in the event details:
Field What to enter
Title A clear, recognizable name (e.g., "Spring Co-op Day", "Math Class — Week 12")
Date The date the event takes place
Start Time / End Time When the event begins and ends
Location Physical address, room name, or "Online" for virtual events
Description Details families need to know — what to bring, parking, etc.

Step 3: Configure Registration Settings

In the same form, scroll to the Registration section.

Setting What it does
Enable Registration Turn on so members can sign up for the event
Capacity Maximum registrants. Leave blank for unlimited.
Registration Opens Date and time when sign-ups become available
Registration Closes Date and time when sign-ups close (optional)

Set Enable Registration to on. Enter a Capacity if your venue or session has a limit; otherwise leave it blank.

Step 4: Set Event Pricing

Under Pricing, choose whether the event is free or paid.

Free event

Select Free. Members register at no cost. No Stripe connection is required.

Paid event

Select Paid and enter the price in dollars.

When members complete registration for a paid event, they receive a payment confirmation by email. Their payment receipt is available under My Registrations in their member account.

Note: Use the Free option for $0 events rather than entering a price of $0.00. This keeps the registration flow simple and avoids unnecessary Stripe processing.

Step 5: Publish the Event

  1. Once all settings are filled in, click Publish Event.

The event is now live on your co-op site. Members can see it on the public Events page and register from there.

Tip: To save your work and return later without making the event visible to members, click Save Draft instead. Drafts appear only in the admin panel.

Step 6: Member Registration Experience

Here is what a member sees when they visit your Events page.

Member-facing Events page — desktop view

  1. The member clicks the event title or a Register button.
  2. The event detail page shows the date, time, location, and description.
  3. For free events, the member clicks Register.
    For paid events, the member clicks Register & Pay and enters payment details on a secure Stripe checkout page.
  4. After completing registration, the member receives a payment confirmation by email and can view their spot under My Registrations.

Next Steps

How to Manage Your Co-op Calendar

Overview

CooplyHQ gives your co-op two calendar tools that work together:

This guide covers both.

Step 1: Open the Events list in your admin panel

  1. Sign in to your admin panel.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Events.

Admin panel showing the Events link in the sidebar — desktop view

The Events page is your central place to manage your co-op's schedule. Every event you publish here appears on the public Event Calendar.

Step 2: Understand what is on your calendar

The Events list organizes all your events by status using three tabs.

Admin Events list with Upcoming tab selected — desktop view

Tab What it shows
Upcoming Published events with a future date — visible to members
Past Events that have already occurred
Drafts Events saved but not yet published — admin-only

Each event row shows:

Use the Search events box to filter by keyword when your list grows long.

Step 3: Add a new event to your calendar

  1. On the Events page, click + Create Event (top right).
  2. Fill in the event details.
  3. Click Publish Event to make it visible to members.

Note: Events are added and edited from the admin Events page. The public calendar grid is view-only — it cannot be used to create or edit events.

For full event creation instructions, see How to Create an Event and Enable Member Registration.

Step 4: View the public Event Calendar — what families see

Members and families browse your schedule at:

yoursite.cooplyhq.com/calendar

To view it yourself, click your co-op's name in the top-left corner of the admin panel to open your public site, then navigate to Schedule & Events in the top navigation.

Public Event Calendar — month view, desktop

The public Event Calendar shows:

Subscribe to the calendar

At the top of the calendar page, families see a Subscribe to Public Calendar section.

Option What it does
Add to Google Calendar Subscribes to your co-op's live calendar — new events appear automatically
Subscribe (Apple Calendar) Subscribes in Apple Calendar or any compatible calendar app
Download .ics Downloads a snapshot of current events in iCal format

Sharing this subscription option with families means they always see your latest events without checking your site manually.

Step 5: Browse upcoming events in list format

Families can also view your events as a searchable list at:

yoursite.cooplyhq.com/events

Upcoming Events list — desktop view

Each event card shows:

Members can use the Search events box to filter by keyword. To register, they click the event card and follow the steps on the event detail page.

Next Steps

How to Invite Families and Manage Your Member Directory

Overview

Once your co-op site is set up, you are ready to bring families on board. This guide covers:

Step 1: Send an invitation

  1. Sign in to your admin panel.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Invite Members.

Invite Members form — desktop view

The Invite Members page opens with the Single Invite tab selected.

  1. Under Invite as, choose the role you are assigning:
Option Who it is for
Member A family joining to participate in co-op activities
Co-Admin A trusted parent you want to help manage the co-op
  1. Enter the family's Email Address (required).
  2. Optionally, add the family's Name and select their Family Association from the dropdown if you have families already set up.
  3. Optionally, type a short note in the Personal Message field — this appears in the invitation email.
  4. Click Send Invitation.

CooplyHQ sends the family an email with a link to complete their membership application.

Tip: To invite several families at once, click the Bulk Invite tab and follow the on-screen instructions.

Step 2: What the family sees

When a family receives the invitation email and clicks the link, they arrive at your co-op's membership application.

Family membership application — desktop view

The application walks the family through three steps:

  1. Contact Info — primary guardian's name, email address, and phone number
  2. Household — adding children and other household members
  3. Membership — selecting a membership plan and completing payment (if applicable)

Once submitted, the family appears in your Membership Signups queue for approval.

Step 3: Track invitations

To see the status of every invitation you have sent:

  1. In the left sidebar, click Invitations.

Invitation Tracking page — desktop view

The Invitation Tracking page shows summary counts at the top:

Counter Meaning
Total Sent All invitations ever sent
Pending Sent but not yet accepted
Accepted Family completed their application
Expired Invitation link is no longer valid

Use the Search by email box to find a specific invitation, or use the All / Pending / Accepted / Expired filter tabs to narrow the list.

From the Actions column you can resend or cancel individual invitations.

Step 4: View the member directory

The member directory shows every person who has joined your co-op.

  1. Go to your admin Dashboard.
  2. In the dashboard widgets, click Active Families to open the member directory.

Member directory — desktop view

The Members page shows a table with each member's name, email, role, and the date they last logged in.

Filter by role

Use the filter buttons at the top of the list to show only members with a specific role:

Filter Who it shows
All Every member, regardless of role
Admins Co-op administrators
Staff Staff members who help manage events and registrations
Guardians Parents and guardians who have completed membership
Members Members with basic access

Search by name or email

Type in the Search by name or email box to filter the list as you type. This is useful when your co-op has many members and you are looking for a specific person.

Step 5: Open a member record

  1. In the member directory, find the person you want to view.
  2. Click Manage on their row.

Member detail page — desktop view

The member detail page shows two sections:

Member Information

Field What it shows
Email The member's login email address
Email Verified Whether the email has been verified, and when
Last Login The date and time of their most recent sign-in
Member Since The date their account was created

Manage Role

The current role is highlighted. See Step 6 to change it.

Step 6: Change a member's role

  1. On the member detail page, find the Manage Role section.
  2. Select the role you want to assign:
Role Access level
Admin Full access to all co-op features and settings
Staff Can manage events, registrations, and view member information
Guardian Can view events, register for events, and manage their family
Member Basic access to view events and registrations
  1. Click Update Role.

A confirmation message appears when the role is saved.

Next steps

How to Configure Your Co-op Settings

Overview

Before inviting families to your co-op, take a few minutes to configure your co-op's identity. CooplyHQ gives you two places to do this:

This guide walks through both.

Step 1: Set your co-op name and tagline

When you first log in, your dashboard shows a "Let's get your co-op set up" card. This is your setup checklist.

  1. Sign in to your admin panel at yourcoopname.cooplyhq.com.
  2. On the Dashboard, locate the setup checklist card.
  3. Click Start next to Co-op Profile.

Admin dashboard showing the setup checklist with Co-op Profile and a Start button — desktop view

  1. In the dialog that opens, enter your Co-op Name (required). This name appears on your website and throughout the admin panel.
  2. Optionally, enter a Tagline — a short phrase describing your co-op (for example, "Learning together, growing together").
  3. Click Next to save and continue with the setup wizard, or close the dialog to return to the dashboard.

Step 2: Navigate to Site Settings

Your website branding settings — logo, contact email, header display, and more — live in the Website section.

  1. In the left sidebar, click Website.

Website Pages list with the Site Settings button highlighted in the top right — desktop view

  1. On the Website Pages screen, click Site Settings in the top right corner.

The Site Settings page opens on the Branding tab.

Step 3: Configure branding settings

The Branding tab has four sections:

Site Settings — Branding tab, desktop view

Upload your co-op's logo (max 2 MB, JPG or PNG). This image appears in your public website header.

Header display

Choose what appears in your website's header:

Option What visitors see
Logo and co-op name Your logo image next to your co-op's name
Logo only Your logo image, no text
Co-op name only Your co-op's name in text, no logo

You can also set a separate Header display (mobile) if you want a different layout on small screens. Leave it set to Same as desktop to use one setting for all devices.

Favicon

Upload a small browser-tab icon for your website (max 500 KB, ICO or PNG).

Hero Image

Upload a default banner image that appears at the top of your website's homepage (max 5 MB, JPG, PNG, or WebP).

Tagline and Contact Email

Scroll down past the image uploads to find two text fields:

Step 4: Configure signup settings

Still on the Branding tab, scroll to the Signup Settings section:

If you are not yet ready to accept new members, turn the toggle off.

Step 5: Save your settings

Click Save Settings at the bottom of the page. A confirmation message appears at the top of the screen confirming your changes were saved.

What's next

Now that your co-op's settings are configured, you're ready to invite families. See How to Invite Families and Manage Your Member Directory for next steps.

How to View and Manage Membership Payments

Overview

The Orders and Payouts sections in your admin panel let you track all membership payment activity and monitor funds deposited to your bank.

Note: The screenshots below were captured before any membership payments were processed. Screenshots showing populated order rows, order detail views, and payout history will be added once active payment data is available.

Step 1: Open the Orders page

  1. Sign in to your admin panel at yourcoopname.cooplyhq.com.
  2. In the left sidebar, scroll down and click Orders.

Admin panel left sidebar showing navigation items — desktop view

The Orders page opens. When families have completed checkout, each payment appears as a row in the list.

Orders page showing empty state — desktop view

Step 2: Understand the Orders list

Once payments exist, each row in the Orders list shows:

Column What it shows
Date When the order was placed
Order # Unique reference number for the payment
Family The family who made the payment
Type The membership plan purchased
Amount Payment amount charged
Status Current payment status

Payment statuses:

Status Meaning
Active Payment succeeded; membership is in good standing
Past due A renewal charge failed; the membership may lapse if not resolved
Failed The payment attempt did not go through
Canceled The membership was canceled

Populated order list screenshot coming soon. This will be added after Stripe is connected and families have completed checkout.

Step 3: Search and filter orders

Use the controls at the top of the Orders list to find a specific payment:

Step 4: View an individual order

Click any order row to open the order detail view. The detail view shows:

Order detail screenshot coming soon. This will be added once orders exist in the demo account.

Step 5: Handle a failed payment

When a renewal payment fails, CooplyHQ and Stripe handle the initial response automatically:

  1. The family is notified — they receive an email prompting them to update their payment method.
  2. The order status updates — the row shows Past due or Failed in the Orders list.
  3. Stripe retries the charge — Stripe automatically retries failed payments on a schedule set in your Stripe dashboard.

As the admin, you can monitor failed payments by filtering the Orders list to Failed or Past due and following up directly with affected families if the payment is not resolved after retries.

Step 6: View payouts

Payouts show when funds collected from membership payments are transferred to your bank account.

  1. In the left sidebar, click Payouts.

Payouts page with the Set up payouts prompt — desktop view

  1. If Stripe is not yet connected, click Set up payouts to begin the Stripe onboarding flow. See How to Set Up Membership Plans and Recurring Payments for a full walkthrough of the Stripe setup process.
  2. Once Stripe is connected, the Recent Payouts section shows each transfer — the date, amount, and destination bank account.

Recent Payouts screenshot coming soon. This will be added after Stripe is connected and at least one payout has been issued.

What's next

How to Review and Approve Membership Signups

Overview

When families submit a membership application through your co-op's public website, their application lands in the Membership Signups queue. You review each application and approve, decline, or put it on hold.

Note: The screenshots below were captured before any membership applications were submitted. Screenshots showing populated application rows and the application detail view will be added once real signups exist in the demo account.

Step 1: Open the Membership Signups queue

  1. Sign in to your admin panel at yourcoopname.cooplyhq.com.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Membership Signups.

Membership Signups page showing empty state and sidebar navigation — desktop view

The Membership Signups page opens and shows all applications, organized by status tab.

Step 2: Understand the application statuses

Use the status tabs at the top of the page to filter applications:

Tab What it shows
All Every application regardless of status
Completed Applications that are fully approved and the family has active membership
Awaiting Payment Approved applications waiting for the family to complete payment
Paid — Pending Payment received; awaiting your final approval
On Hold Applications you have paused pending more information
Rejected Applications you have declined
Draft Incomplete applications the family has not yet submitted
Abandoned Applications started but not submitted within the expiry window

Each row in the list shows:

Column What it shows
Applicant The primary contact name for the applying family
Seats Number of membership seats requested
Status Current application status
Submitted Date the application was submitted

Populated application list screenshot coming soon. This will be added once families have submitted membership applications.

Step 3: Review an application

  1. Click any row in the Membership Signups list to open the application detail.

The application detail page shows:

Primary Contact

Household Details

Membership Plan

Actions panel

Application detail screenshot coming soon. This will be added once a real application exists in the demo account.

Step 4: Approve an application

  1. On the application detail page, click Approve in the Actions panel.
  2. Confirm the approval in the dialog that appears.

What happens next:

Step 5: Put an application on hold

Use Put On Hold when you want to pause an application without declining it — for example, if you need more information from the family or are at capacity.

  1. On the application detail page, click Put On Hold.
  2. Optionally, add a reason in the dialog.
  3. Click Confirm to save.

The application moves to the On Hold tab. You can return to it at any time and approve or reject it.

Step 6: Reject an application

  1. On the application detail page, click Reject.
  2. Optionally, add a reason in the dialog. The family will not see this reason unless you choose to communicate it separately.
  3. Click Confirm to reject.

The application moves to the Rejected tab. The family is notified by email that their application was not approved.

What's next

How to Grant Website Editor Access (Content Editor Role)

Placeholder — will update after image upload.

How to Grant Website Editor Access (Content Editor Role)

Placeholder - will update after image upload.

How to Grant Website Editor Access (Content Editor Role)

Placeholder.

How to Grant Website Editor Access (Content Editor Role)

What the Content Editor role is

The Content Editor role lets a member edit your co-op's public website pages — and nothing else. They cannot view your member list, access billing, or change co-op settings.

Use this role when you want a volunteer or parent to keep the website updated without handing over the keys.

Content Editors can:

Content Editors cannot access:

How to assign the Content Editor role

Step 1 — Go to Members

From the Admin panel, click Members in the left sidebar.

The Members list showing co-op members and their current roles

Step 2 — Open the member's profile

Find the person you want to give website editor access. Click Manage on their row.

The member detail page showing the Manage Role panel with all available roles including Content Editor

The Manage Role panel lists all available roles. Each role shows what it can and cannot do.

Step 3 — Select Content Editor and save

Scroll to the bottom of the role list and select Content Editor.

Content Editor radio button selected in the Manage Role panel, ready to click Update Role

Click Update Role. A green confirmation banner will appear: Role updated to content_editor successfully.

The member can now log in and edit your co-op's website pages.

What the Content Editor sees

When a Content Editor logs in, they land on the Website Pages view. They see only the website section — no member data, events management, or billing screens are visible.

Website Pages view showing the list of published pages a Content Editor can edit

From here they can:

How to revoke Content Editor access

To remove website editor access, go back to the member's profile (Members → Manage) and assign them a different role — typically Member for a standard co-op participant or Guardian if they are a family account holder.

Click Update Role to save the change. The member will no longer have access to the website editor the next time they log in.

What's next

How to Export Co-op Finances (QuickBooks-compatible files)

What this export does

CooplyHQ lets you export your co-op's finances for your accountant in a format that can be imported into QuickBooks. The export is a .zip file containing four CSV reports:

This is a file export, not a QuickBooks integration or live sync. Your accountant imports the files manually into QuickBooks.

How to export your finances

Step 1 — Open QuickBooks Export

In the Admin panel, scroll down the left sidebar and click QuickBooks Export.

The QuickBooks finance export page showing date range pickers and a Download CSV button

Step 2 — Set the date range

The export defaults to year-to-date (January 1 through today). Adjust the From and To dates if you need a different period. Both dates are inclusive.

Step 3 — Download the CSV package

Click Download CSV (.zip).

Your browser downloads a .zip file containing the four CSV reports. Send the .zip to your accountant — they can import each file into QuickBooks separately.

QuickBooks Desktop IIF export (optional)

If your co-op uses QuickBooks Desktop and needs an IIF file instead of CSV, this is available as an opt-in add-on. The IIF export button does not appear by default.

To enable it, contact CooplyHQ support. Once enabled, an Export IIF (QuickBooks Desktop) button will appear alongside the CSV button on the same page.

What's next

How Members Control Their Directory Privacy Settings

title: "How Members Control Their Directory Privacy Settings" bookstack_book: "Getting Started" description: "Choose which details your family shares in the member directory — hide or show your email, phone, address, and more, one field at a time."

What the family directory shows

The member directory lets co-op families connect with one another. Each family card can display:

You control which of these details appear on your family card. Your co-op administrator always sees your full information regardless of your privacy settings — privacy controls apply to other co-op members only.

How to open your privacy settings

Step 1 — Log in and go to My Profile

Log in to your co-op portal. In the left sidebar, click My Profile.

This opens the Edit Profile page where you manage both your personal profile and your directory visibility.

Step 2 — Scroll to Directory Visibility

Scroll down past the profile fields (name, bio, photo, teaching skills). The Directory Visibility section appears near the bottom of the page.

The Edit Profile page showing the Directory Visibility section with Show in Directory toggle and per-field switches

Note: Only the family's guardian account can change directory settings. If you don't see the Directory Visibility section, contact the guardian on your family account.

How to control what other members see

Show or hide your family entirely

The Show in Directory toggle at the top of the section controls whether your family appears in the directory at all.

Turning off Show in Directory hides your entire entry. Other members will not see your family card.

Show or hide individual fields

When Show in Directory is on, a second panel shows individual field toggles. Turn each one on or off to control what other members see on your family card:

Field Default
Email address Shown
Phone number Shown
Home address Hidden
Bio Shown
Profile photo Shown
Children info Shown
Teaching skills Shown

Toggle any field off to hide it from other members. Your household name is always shown and cannot be hidden.

Shortcut buttons:

Step 3 — Save your settings

Click Save Settings to apply your changes. A green "Saved!" confirmation appears briefly when your settings have been recorded.

What the directory looks like to other members

Other members see only the fields you have enabled. Fields you have hidden are simply absent from your card — there is no indication to others that you hid them.

The member directory listing showing family cards with names and the details each family has chosen to share

Co-op admins and staff always see your full information. Privacy settings do not restrict what admins can view.

How to confirm your changes took effect

After saving, visit the directory to see your card as other members see it:

  1. In the left sidebar, click Directory (under the Community section).
  2. Find your family's card.
  3. Verify that only the fields you enabled are displayed.

If a field you turned off still appears, try refreshing the page and checking your settings again.

What's next

How to Manage Standing Volunteer Roles

Standing Volunteer Roles are recurring, year-long positions — like Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, or Field Trip Coordinator — that your co-op needs filled every year. Unlike one-off volunteer slots tied to a specific event, standing roles represent the ongoing structure of your co-op. Admins define the roles; members claim them from their dashboard.

Standing Volunteer Roles — admin management page

Create a Standing Role

Only co-op admins can define standing roles.

  1. In the admin portal, go to Community → Volunteer Roles.
  2. Click Add Role in the top-right corner.
  3. Fill in the role details:
    • Name — the role title members will see (e.g., Field Trip Coordinator)
    • Description — optional; a short summary of what the role involves
    • Display Order — lower numbers appear first in the member list
    • Active — leave checked to make the role visible and claimable by members
  4. Click Create Role.

The role appears in the table immediately. Its status shows Vacant until a member claims it.

To edit a role later, click Edit in the row. To remove a role permanently, click Delete — note that filled roles cannot be deleted until released.

How Members Claim a Role

Members see the Standing Volunteer Roles card on their dashboard.

Member dashboard with Standing Volunteer Roles card

  1. From the member portal, go to the Dashboard.
  2. Find the Standing Volunteer Roles card.
  3. Browse the list of vacant roles. Each role shows its name and description.
  4. Click Claim next to the role you want to take on.

The card updates immediately to confirm the role and show the member as the current holder. A member can only hold one standing role at a time. If all roles are filled, the card says so and shows the option to suggest a new one.

To step down from a role, the member clicks Give up this role on their dashboard. The role returns to vacant and becomes available for another member to claim.

Suggest a New Role

If a member wants to volunteer in a way that isn't listed, they can suggest a new role:

  1. From the Standing Volunteer Roles card on the dashboard, scroll to the Suggest another role field at the bottom.
  2. Type a short description of the role (e.g., Carpool coordinator).
  3. Click Suggest.

CooplyHQ records the suggestion. To act on it, create the role manually in the admin portal using the steps above.

Release a Role at Year-End

At the start of a new co-op year — or any time a member steps down and you need to reassign a role — release it from the admin portal:

  1. Go to Community → Volunteer Roles.
  2. Find the filled role in the table. The Filled By column shows the current holder.
  3. Click Release next to their name.
  4. Confirm when prompted.

The role status changes back to Vacant. Members can now claim it again from their dashboards.

To reset all roles at the start of a new year, release each filled role one at a time.

What's next