From R18k to R200k: 5 powerful finance lessons from Rosebank Primary School

Lesson 1: When school fees are paid upfront, everything changes

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At Rosebank Primary School, Karri has become the school's most predictable income stream. Bridget Motsoane, Finance Manager, explains:

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"One month, our principal was stressed about paying salaries on time. I said: 'Don't worry. Karri has this covered.'"

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Most schools spend too much time chasing payments and too little time actually growing their cash balances.

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At Rosebank Primary, their financial outlook fundamentally changed when parents started paying for school fees upfront on the Karri app.

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Because the app is simple to use, offers multiple payment methods, and sends automated reminders, payments started coming in not just faster, but reliably and consistently. As a result, Rosebank Primary have grown their school fee collections on Karri from R18,000 to R200,000 in just 3 years.

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Today, Rosebank uses Karri collections alone to pay staff salaries (including birthday bonuses). That's because Karri is their most predictable, consistent income stream.

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As a result, Bridget spends less time worrying about what’s coming in, and more time growing their cash balances.

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Lesson 2: The person who shouts the loudest gets paid

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"With past experience as a debt collector, I can honestly say that the person who shouts the loudest gets paid. So the more notifications you send, the more payments you get."

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No human can send the amount of reminders that Karri can.

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This is key to getting parents to pay on time and upfront. It also lessens the need for awkward conversations with parents who haven't paid school fees.

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"...Because parents want to get you out of their hair, right?"

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Lesson 3: "I could take medical leave because Karri ran itself"

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When Bridget had to undergo major surgery, she preloaded 12 months' worth of school fee collections on Karri.

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"Even if one collection closed at midnight, the next one opened at 12:01"

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This is what automation should feel like. It meant no disruption to payments, which is proof that Karri isn't just easy for parents, it's a lifeline for staff.

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Lesson 4: Think like a busy parent

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Bridget makes sure that Karri is a success because she converts every skeptic that walks through her door into a fan. And it doesn't take much effort to achieve this.

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She understands that parents are wary about new apps that are connected to their bank account. So she eases their mind by explaining:

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• Karri is a registered FSP with bank-grade payments security
• If they double-pay by mistake, Bridget can refund them straight away
• Karri is budget-friendly: top up your Karri wallet on pay day and you're sorted

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"Parents are incredibly busy people. They don't have the time to fumble around with an EFT. They want three clicks and done. You only get that with Karri."

Lesson 5: Lean on Karri as a marketing tool

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"Our pizza days are sold out before the posters go up. With Karri, we made 15 pizza sales in 3 minutes without advertising a thing."

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Parents end up using Karri as a calendar for school events throughout the year. They rely heavily on the app to organise their family's life.

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This means our push notifications double up as a marketing tool, taking huge strain off a school's internal marketing team.