With Zeffy, Play for Jade’s Processing Fees Disappeared

Navigating the mental health care can be challenging. For many, it can take both guts and determination to seek treatment. When a person is in a crisis, working within this system to receive lifesaving health treatment is all too often an unwelcome test of endurance. Play for Jade was founded for young people facing such challenges.  

In a world where the mental healthcare system is often complex and opaque, the organization helps provide guidance and hope for better outcomes.

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“The cumulative efforts of Play for Jade’s initiatives are aimed toward filling the gaps in the adolescent mental health system, to assist and guide young patients and their families to access and afford individualized, age-appropriate care for their mental wellness and suicide prevention.” - John Marasigan, Founder and President

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Background

Jade was a loving young woman with a beautiful smile, recognized by her friends and family for her compassion, intelligence, and creativity. Tragically, after valiantly battling with Major Depressive Disorder and Severe Social Anxiety for years, Jade died by suicide at 17 years old. 

John, Jade’s father, started Play for Jade in Jade’s memory. The nonprofit works to fundraise for the Jade Lee Marasigan Charitable Fund at the Northridge Hospital Foundation which benefits young people who struggle as Jade had. He chose the name “Play for Jade” because Jade loved to have fun; she was a long-time volleyball player and a talented artist who loved spending time outdoors. 

By bringing out the fun in fundraising - with activities like Bingo!, bowling, pickleball, volleyball, dancing, and golf - supporters can proudly say they “Played for Jade!” - meaning they’ve helped advance a noble cause while working to keep Jade’s legacy alive.

Despite their strong fundraising strategy, Play for Jade soon encountered a big problem: high processing fees. John began using Stripe to raise money – he was familiar with the payment platforms like Stripe and Square, as Jade had used them as part of her small business selling jewelry. 

Jade’s story resonated with many, and Play for Jade started amassing significant donations. Frustratingly, however, the more money John and his team raised, the more the processing fees increased. He envisioned a convenient fundraising platform that allowed for stand-alone event pages and accepted payments for ticketing and payments for things like raffles and silent auctions. This would help him channel funds towards his mission rather than platform fees. 

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“I used a sport-specific web-host with templates for our golf events. In this case, I had to either pay extra to integrate Stripe, or use their payment processor which charged a higher percentage per transaction. For payouts, I had to place a request and wait for a check to be remitted. Any way I cut it, it wasn’t convenient and there were a number of fees that took away from our net.” - John Marasigan, Founder and President

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Given the high cost of the services Play for Jade makes available to their beneficiaries — services like therapy sessions, transportation costs to appointments, and psychiatrist visits — these fees were a source of unnecessary frustration.

John began searching for a Stripe alternative. Zeffy’s zero processing fees model caught his eye during online research, and he decided to give the platform a go. To his delight, his nonprofit processing fees disappeared. Plus, as Zeffy expanded its features, John discovered new tools to advance his fundraising efforts. 

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The zero processing fee option is attractive and unique. It was almost too good to be true. We tried it and like it; as do our customers. The platform features are also growing, and we’ve recently used Zeffy as an exclusive event landing page for registration, donations, and communications for that particular event. - John Marasigan, Founder and President

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Learn more about why nonprofits are making the switch from Stripe to Zeffy

Since switching to Zeffy, Play for Jade has raised $9,511 and saved $476 on processing fees. The organization has achieved its goal of spending every dollar raised on helping young people navigate the mental healthcare system. 

Play for Jade continues to stay true to their mission of “fun fundraising”. In recent years, they’ve hosted a bowl fundraiser, Wild West Shindig at the Granada Hills Women’s Club, volleyball tournament, and multiple golf tournaments. 

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“Zeffy empowers us to maximize our impact by giving us 100% of our donations and making fees optional for our donors.”- John Marasigan, Founder and President