GoFan simplifies paying for games and other school events

Teachers Seema Patel and Sarah Voorhees check a GoFan confirmation during a football game on Oct. 20.

Athletics director Rick Ellis said the transition from cash to GoFan since the start of the pandemic has made accounting and data processing much easier.

Before the pandemic hit in 2020, going to a school sports event often meant pulling out a purse or wallet and having to pay cash for a ticket.

Because cash transactions were viewed as being an unnecessary health risk during the pandemic, the athletics department transitioned to using the GoFan app in 2021. Using GoFan also helped solve occasional problems with inconsistent accounting.

“[Activities Manager] Anna Ybarra was always having to go correct everyone’s mistakes because it was never the same person doing the cash box, so the new people would do the math a little bit wrong, or count the cash that already started in there with the new amount,” athletic director Rick Ellis said. “There were just too many moving parts in the cash system.”

GoFan also made transactions easier, as tickets can be bought online or at the event with a credit card or other contactless payment methods. GoFan charges a $1 fee for every ticket.

Another benefit of GoFan is its versatility, Ellis said, being usable for anything from football games and winter formal to school plays. GoFan immediately calculates event statistics for the school, which helps them compare the success of various events. For example, if the administration was curious whether winter formal or prom sold more tickets in a given year, sales data is easily accessible from information stored in the GoFan database.

“The transition to GoFan has been totally positive because not only can you use it for sports, but you can use it for dances or boba sales,” Ellis said. “You can use it for anything, and it goes right into the account. It’s awesome.”