My cofounder (and brother), David and I started Omella in 2019 after spending 10 years building Remind.com—an app used by over 30 million teachers, students, and parents across the United States. Today, Omella works with hundreds of schools and districts across the US, and we want you to have 100% clarity on how we view data, privacy, security, and pricing. This post will clarify our practices and our commitment to keeping your information secure.

In a rush? Here’s the short version:

• We do not sell your personal Information to anyone.
• We have implemented robust security measures and follow important privacy laws and regulations.
• We love customer service. Email me directly at brett@omella.com!
• We’re founder-led—a tiny but mighty team of 15.
• We make money from optional tips! Yes, that’s how we sustain ourselves—no gimmicks.

The Story Behind Omella

After seeing firsthand the payment challenges that schools face, we started Omella to make school payments more efficient—both financially and operationally. We began by simplifying payments for school dances and now support a wide range of use cases, from homecoming and prom to peer-to-peer team fundraisers, concessions, and ticket sales. We believe that if we can build an all-in-one product that’s easy to use and offers the best pricing, we can truly move the industry forward.

We Do Not Sell Data Your Personal Information

As the introduction to our Privacy Policy clearly states, "we neither rent nor sell your Personal Information to anyone."  Your privacy is our top priority and something we will not compromise.

Omella Follows Important Privacy and Security Regulations

Omella complies with strict privacy regulations, including COPPA, FERPA, SOPPA, EdLaw 2D, and PCI compliance. These laws ensure your data is only used for its intended purposes, safeguarding both personal and financial information. You can find more details in our Data Security and Privacy Plan. All payments processed through Omella are encrypted and PCI compliant, ensuring that sensitive payment details remain secure. More information is available in our Terms of Service.

How Omella Makes Money: Optional Tips

No contracts. No subscriptions. No hidden fees. We make money through optional tips from users who value our service. You can view our complete pricing on our pricing page. Everything is 100% transparent—there’s no need to ‘talk to sales for pricing.’

Here’s who pays for what:

• Omella is completely free for schools and teams because we ask donors/payers to leave an optional tip.
• Payers always have a free processing option with ACH bank pay. Alternately, they can choose Apple/Google Pay or Card for 3.49% + $0.30, but the free option is always available, similar to Venmo.

This gives your payers the flexibility to choose how they manage their payments. Like GoFundMe, many users choose to leave a tip because they value the service we provide. These tips help keep Omella running without charging schools and teams mandatory fees, as they are all entirely optional.

My brother and I have spent the last 15 years building software for schools and educators—always with the goal of making things more efficient, user friendly and economical. Our hope is that Omella helps you save time and money. You can review our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Data Security & Privacy Plan for more details or reach out to help@omella.com if you have any questions or concerns!

-David and Brett Kopf

Founders of Omella.com and previously, founders of Remind.com

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