Polar Bear FC tried all the major fundraising platforms, all at the same time. Zeffy cut through the chaos and centralized their payments on day one.

Sports are never just about playing a game, are they? At Polar Bear Football Club, that’s kind of the point. Polar Bear FC coaches teach kids in Ohio how to play soccer, both for the love of the game and to help them develop crucial skills for life off the field. 

Our mission is simple – we’re here to provide a friendly, inclusive, and supportive environment for players of all ages and skill levels. At PBFC, we don’t just focus on soccer skills; we focus on building character, teamwork, and sportsmanship in a way that helps our athletes grow both on and off the field. We’ve created a community-driven club where every player feels welcome, whether they’re stepping onto the pitch for the first time or striving to compete at the highest level. With quality coaching, structured programs, and a strong support system, we help players develop confidence, discipline, and a love for the game.

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Background

Soccer is a great way for kids to get active and play, but it’s also a way for them to learn about themselves and how they want to relate to the world. Polar Bear FC takes that responsibility very seriously. They work with players year round, developing skills outside during the warmer months and inside during the winter. This means there’s no lag time. Students are continuously developing as players and as people instead of making leaps during one season and having to catch back up after long breaks. 

The founders of Polar Bear FC noticed that all the other soccer clubs in their area were strictly divided by gender. 

“We started the Polar Bear FC with the mindset that we were going to be different from other soccer organizations in the area. We were going to be a club that welcomes everyone regardless of talent or gender,” says Samuel Martin, Founding Artistic Director.

Dividing teams by gender may be common, but Samuel and his colleagues realized it was both divisive and inefficient. Not only do strict divides shape the way young boys and girls see the world, it puts unnecessary strain on families. 

“This made it inconvenient for families. They would have to register in two different clubs which had two different schedules, game plan, methodology. We wanted to focus on the community,” Samuel says.

Teams are co-ed and organized by age, so players of similar skill level and development get to learn from each other in a relatively even set of peers. Coaches use their time with these teams to foster real community and emphasize the important parts of becoming a good player, things like character, leadership, and respect. 

“Our goal is to create not just skilled soccer players, but well-rounded individuals who feel connected to the sport and the community,” Samuel says.

As a nonprofit club, Polar Bear FC collects fees through fundraising platforms, and they’ve tried just about all of the big names: PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, Square, as well as physical methods like cash and check. They wanted to accommodate all the parents and let them pay with whatever method they wanted, but, well, that led to chaos on the club’s end. 

“Payment was always the bane of existence,” Samuel says. “We tried to accept everything, primarily for fear of missing out on payment options, but then it became a nightmare trying to track. Did this athlete pay the club venmo or the coach venmo? Did we actually receive payment?”

Record keeping was a nightmare when they couldn’t track payments in one place. On top of the disorder on the incoming payments side, the different platforms all disbursed funds on different schedules, so the Polar Bear FC team was constantly triple-checking balances and payments.

“And inevitably we would be pressed for cash and have to pay for the expedited processing times. This caused us to leave valuable operating money on the table,” Samuel says.

In addition to cutting into their time, the processing fees added up to $5 to $7k annually. This is the equivalent of roughly 47 athletes' registration fees or nearly 50% of their entire roster. Between the high fees, lack of customer support, confusing payouts, and lack of features, Polar Bear FC knew they needed something better. 

Samuel spent hours searching the internet and consulting with other nonprofits. His search kept coming back to one place: Zeffy. Samuel wasn’t sure at first. 

“I admit, I had not even heard of Zeffy and was, to say the least, very skeptical. There was no way that it would be $0 processing forever. It has to be some sort of catch. Much to our surprise, it didn't seem like there was,” Samuel says.

Zeffy immediately changed the way money flowed at Polar Bear FC. The chaos ended, and the fees disappeared, giving the team more time and margin to train more athletes. 

“Zeffy solved the problem, by consolidating all the payments into one program, we know that every Monday we will get money deposited to our bank account,” Samuel says.

Today, Polar Bear FC is finally able to trust in their own funding stream. Coaches can check on the funds that have been deposited from the comfort of their own homes, and they’re always able to cover their costs without adding fees for expediting payouts. Since converting to Zeffy, every single team has had the funds they need to cover registration and referee fees at every single game.

“Given the support and ease of use, we have literally been telling every nonprofit about Zeffy and have even converted some over,” Samuel says. “This is a must for any nonprofit with built in tools, email blasts, reporting. No brainer.”