Vendor Systems
How Greek Life Pays, Navigates, Searches, & Discovers Vendors.
Depending on your your vendor needs, there are 2 types of vendor to work with through Chptr.
Approved Vendors
Approved Vendors are vendors that your organization chooses to use, which aren’t already in Chptr’s system. Your organization is able to add them to our system, simply creating a way to manage your quotes, messages, and payments in one place. These vendors are not pre-vetted by Chptr, because they are not seeking partnership opportunities or high visibility.
Chptr’s Accounts Payable service ensures smooth, trackable transactions and keeps a history of vendor interactions for future execs—without changing how you work with your vendors.
And there’s no cost to vendors—it’s simply a payment portal built to make life easier for Greek organizations.
Preferred Vendors
Preferred Vendors are vetted partners in the Chptr system, chosen to give students reliable options and the best pricing available in the market. This ensures organizations get maximum value for their budgets.
Preferred Vendors provide a rebate to Chptr and are featured prominently in the app with detailed profiles, making them easy for execs to find and hire. While student leaders still run the process, Chptr can step in when needed to ensure operations are handled with a higher level of accountability and professionalism.
Students trust our vendor list because every partner is vetted for quality and performance, helping create smooth, dependable experiences for every event.
Vendor Perks
| Vendor Capabilities | Approved | Preferred |
|---|---|---|
| Sorority & Fraternity Payments |  | |
| Record Keeping (Ex. Invoice, Contracts) | | |
| In-Platform Messaging | | |
| Extensive Vendor Profile | | |
| Highest Level Visibility for Your Business | | |
| Trade Centered Events with Clients | | |
| Marketing Opportunities to Chptr Membership | | |
| Al Enabled Vendor Discovery | | |
| Appear in Curated Vendor Lists | |
FAQ's
Does my vendor have to pay Chptr?
No. Vendors join Chptr as Approved Vendors at no cost. Chptr functions as a secure payment platform for them. If a vendor chooses to become a Preferred Vendor, they agree to offer exclusive pricing and provide a rebate back to Chptr, but they must still give you the same or better price than what they offer anywhere else.
How do I invite a vendor into Chptr?
It’s simple. You can invite a vendor in three ways:
1. Upload their email address directly into Chptr
2. Upload a vendor invoice to Chptr
3. Forward a bill to your organization’s custom Chptr email address
What happens after I invite a vendor?
Once you upload an invoice, the vendor will receive an email invitation. Our team follows up with a personal phone call to answer any questions and help them get set up to receive payments.
When setup is complete, your treasurer will be notified and able to pay the vendor through Chptr. That vendor will then be saved in your organization’s vendor list for future use.
How will my vendor receive payment?
Vendors can choose their preferred payment method: ACH (direct deposit) or mailed check, for those who prefer physical payment.
What vendors will be in my vendor system?
Preferred Vendors are visible to all organizations on campus.
Approved Vendors are only visible to the specific organizations that invited them.
How does Chptr benefit vendors?
Working with Greek Life can often be disorganized and time-consuming.
Chptr simplifies and professionalizes the partnership by providing a streamlined process, keeping vendors visible year after year, ensuring organizations are committed to paying vendors through Chptr, driving demand to Preferred Vendors, and building trust with students.
Preferred Vendors benefit from consistent, repeat business because students recognize their names, trust their service, and appreciate how easy Chptr makes it to work with them.
What if a vendor chooses to step down from Preferred to Approved status?
That’s completely up to them — participation as a Preferred Vendor is entirely voluntary. While this rarely happens, vendors who move to Approved status typically experience a significant reduction in visibility and business volume, which reinforces the value of remaining Preferred.
Our data shows that Preferred Vendors consistently receive more orders, stronger relationships with Greek organizations, and repeat business year after year.
