From textbooks to devices to extracurricular activities, school is expensive. We can all recall moments when a small gift from parents or family friends went a long way, but what if there was an easier way for them to offer their support and monitor your progress along the way?

GoEnnounce, a young start-up, offers an academic approach to social networking. It’s a free service that allows students from elementary to graduate school to create a personal page where they can post updates and invite family and friends to support them. Every time a student posts an update to her page— “Check out my latest article in the school paper” or “Finally achieved that 4.0!”—her family receives an update.

Melissa Davis founded GoEnnouce with her sister Meghan in 2009, and originally imagined the company as a graduation announcement platform. However, they soon discovered the most popular feature was the page where family members and friends could learn more about the graduate, and were inspired to pivot GoEnnounce into the service it is today.

It also has a unique crowd-funding platform, where students can raise money for textbooks or extracurricular activities (parents have the option to reward for good grades, too). As public schools nationwide face budget cuts that force them to transfer more and more fees onto families, such a platform becomes a useful tool for students.

“With all the budget cuts to schools, students can’t always afford to do the things they want to,” explains Melissa. “Together, collectively, people can help a student achieve their goal.”