Your ordering needs can be met at the click of a button! Log in to place orders, request a reimbursement, check the status of allotment requisitions, review allotment amounts, tell us when you receive materials, and more!

FAST AVAILABILITY

Please note: FAST is offline for scheduled maintenance Monday-Friday between 5:00 P.M.-6:00 P.M. while we update student data and between 1:00 A.M.-3:00 A.M. for backups. If you get bumped out at that time, you will not lose anything that was already added to your cart.

FAST ORDERING TIPS

1. VENDORS: Enter all items for one vendor and then check out before entering items for another vendor. Each requisition should only contains items for a single vendor!
2. DESCRIPTION FIELD:  This is what prints on the PO. If the vendor uses item numbers of some kind, first put that, then the title or name of the item, all on one line, like this: 1234 My Homeschool Book
3. MULTIPLE STUDENTS?: We only track spending by student for instruction. If you are ordering items for more than one student, just pick one. Don't provide added notes about which students it is for and don't enter the same book twice for two different students - instead enter once, with a quantity of two.
4. INTERNAL NOTES: This field is for any additional notes that our staff might need, but not the vendor (i.e., "internal" to IDEA). For orders, this field should be empty 99% of the time. Do not add things to the internal notes field that are in the description field or should be in the description field.
5. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Subscriptions for online instruction and monthly boxes are common. Online classes always need student name and sometimes something else, like a birthdate, grade, or student email. Information needed can be found at the Vendor Info link on the FAST HELP<https://www.ideafamilies.org/families/fast-help/> page in the family section of our website.
6. SHIPPING: After entering all of the items for one vendor (just before checking out), add one more line for shipping (unless they are online products only). If you think shipping is free, enter "Free shipping" and $0. (Shipping is virtually never free for orders placed through IDEA, either because we live in Alaska, or because we are paying with a purchase order, or both. Unusual rates can be found at the link referenced above. We will adjust the amount if necessary.)

FAST QuickTip (Receipts for Materials)

We need the following: vendor name, date of purchase, individual titles & prices, total amount & method of payment, and proof of receipt. Documentation may include some combination of receipts, packing slips, and/or credit card statements that together provide all of this information.

1. If the receipt does not clearly name each item (with its corresponding dollar figure) for which you want reimbursement, please label the items yourself.
2. Do NOT use a highlighter on cash register receipts! Highlighting quickly washes out the ink on cash register receipts so that they are no longer legible. (Use pen to circle items you wish to draw attention to.)
3. Please scan and attach documentation in FAST. If you are unable to attach the receipts or other documentation, you can fax, mail, or email. If you mail them, just put them in an envelope, with no staples or tape attaching them. Please send promptly to ensure prompt payment!
4. Once you "check out," you will be given a requisition number. Write this number on each receipt for reference. Be sure to include this number if you are sending the receipt to us after you have checked out. (If you attached it to the requisition, it is already connected to that number.)
5. Save your receipts until you receive your reimbursement in case there is any problem in us receiving or reading them and they need to be re-sent.

FAST QuickTip (Supplier)

Remember: the question that you ask yourself when entering something in the "supplier" field is, "To whom should the money go?" When you are entering orders, you select the company name from the list. But when you do reimbursements, you choose "-REIMBURSE" (reimbursement to family), which is right at the begining of the list.

FAST QuickTip (Magnifying Glass)

Remember: in FAST, the magnifying glass is your friend! If you are not sure what to put in any particular field, just click on the magnifying glass!

FAST QuickTip (Requesting Allotment Carryover Account Funds)

If your students have funds remaining in their allotment carryover accounts, you may use FAST to request these funds once your regular FAST budget for the school year has been exhausted. Enter a requisition in FAST as usual except for these adjustments:

1. Price field = $0
2. Req Type = ACA
3. Internal Notes = Enter the actual dollar amount for the entry and which student’s ACA to utilize. Remember that for direct services for students, we can only use that student’s carryover funds.

LOG IN TO FAST HERE

Your User ID and password are the same ones that you use to access your ideafamilies email and to get into the family section of the website. (For User ID, use just the first part of your email account, i.e., tjsmith.)

You'll find an assortment of helpful FAST materials on our IDEA families website, such as:
-FAST QuickSheets (1-page instructions)
-FAST training videos
-Shipping rates and other notes on some frequently-used vendors
-Added info or forms for use when ordering high school courses
-Details on ordering packages from Sonlight or WinterPromise

If you need personal assistance, get in touch with your Field Rep, Contact Teacher, or the Ordering Department in Fairbanks. Need help using FAST outside of normal business hours? Contact Carol Simpson at 907-235-5910 or carol.simpson@ideafamilies.org.

Ordering Department customer service: 907-374-2200 or 877-582-4332; ordersinfo@ideafamilies.org
Ordering Department mailing address: IDEA, 751 Old Richardson Hwy. Ste. 202, Fairbanks, AK 99701
Ordering Department fax number: 907-374-2275