HCA Streamlines Tuition & Billing Operations with Integrated Blackbaud
K-12 Software

With a dedicated community of families and staff, Hebron Christian Academy takes pride in offering a seamless experience for everyone involved. When the school adopted a continuous enrollment model, HCA saw new opportunities to refine the way accounts for existing families with children already in the system were managed. This transition highlighted areas for improvement within the business and admissions offices and brought attention to ways the school could enhance billing transparency and reduce parental confusion.

While attending Blackbaud’s annual tech conference, bbcon, HCA’s Director of Technology Patrick Mulvehill learned about Blackbaud Billing Management, which promised a user-friendly approach being built on the same core data platform as Blackbaud’s education management solutions. “Choosing Billing Management was a clear decision for us, offering operational efficiency and an improved experience for everyone involved,” said Mulvehill. “The seamless integration with our existing Blackbaud solutions has simplified processes for both our staff and families, providing everything in one place.”

By leveraging the strong data integration between Blackbaud’s systems, the school managed to fully implement Billing Management in just four months—a timeframe that exceeded expectations. “Honestly, Billing Management was one of the easiest implementations I’ve ever done,” Mulvehill added. “The Blackbaud team was incredibly responsive. They really listened to our needs and worked with us to get everything in place before our enrollment period.”

Enhancing the Family Experience with
Billing Management

For HCA’s families, the transition to Billing Management could not have gone smoother. HCA provided clear communication, including an instructional video on how to set up autopay, to ensure an easy transition for guardians. This proactive approach led to an overwhelmingly positive response from families, with approximately 93 percent of households having set up their accounts and payment preferences within the first few weeks.

Previously, parents and guardians were required to navigate between separate platforms, but Billing Management brought everything on to the same core platform. Now they can access billing details in the same place they check their children’s grades or school updates.

“Parents love the convenience of having everything in one place,” Mulvehill said. “When they log in to check their child’s test results, they can now see their billing information right there without switching platforms. It’s that simple.”

The introduction of per-student billing was a pivotal feature that drastically improved HCA’s ability to handle complex family payment situations. For families with multiple payers—such as divorced parents or grandparents helping with tuition—Billing Management allows the school to assign tuition responsibilities in a flexible and transparent manner. In addition to billing flexibility, the intuitive design of the system made it easy for both staff and guardians to access essential information.

“Families are actually checking their bills more often now because it’s all in one place. They’re more informed and able to plan ahead better,” Mulvehill explained. “For our staff, features like incidental billing made it easier to manage charges, saving valuable time and eliminating the need for manual processes.”

Operational Efficiency Benefits for All

The simplified processes and streamlined integration of Billing Management have significantly reduced the time staff spend addressing technical concerns, allowing them to focus on other priorities. The ability to bill directly from activity groups or athletic teams, without needing to juggle spreadsheets, has also been huge for the business office.

One standout feature of Billing Management is the impersonation capability, which allows staff to see exactly what guardians see on their end. Mulvehill shared how influential this has been: “Now, when parents need help, staff can provide solutions in five minutes instead of 20 minutes. By eliminating technical hurdles and improving staff efficiency, Billing Management created a foundation for long-term operational success.”

From operational efficiencies for staff to enhanced convenience for parents, Billing Management has elevated the school’s ability to serve its community effectively. Looking ahead, HCA is excited to continue maximizing the potential of Blackbaud’s ecosystem with plans to bring financial aid into the same unified system. “We remain committed to providing a fully integrated experience for staff and families,” Mulvehill said. “We’re all in on Blackbaud. The integration, the support, the vision—it’s exactly what we need to keep moving forward.”