Case Study · St. Paul, Minnesota
stpaulff.tidyhq.comA non-profit dedicated to sword fighting. Seriously.
How St. Paul Freifechter uses TidyHQ to run a 501(c)(3) historical martial arts club — memberships, classes, workshops, and a growing community of people who study 16th-century longsword techniques.
The organisation
St. Paul Freifechter is a 501(c)(3) non-profit in St. Paul, Minnesota, dedicated to the study and safe practice of Historical European Martial Arts — HEMA. Founded in 2016 by Scott MacDonald, the club teaches longsword techniques drawn from the published works of Joachim Meyer, a 16th-century Strasbourg fencing master who documented fighting systems for longsword, dussack, rapier, dagger, staff, and polearms.
This is not reenactment or stage combat. HEMA practitioners study original historical sources — handwritten manuscripts and printed fight books from the 14th to 17th centuries — and reconstruct the martial arts they describe. Training involves real technique, real sparring with protective equipment, and a vocabulary of guards, cuts, and principles shared by practitioners worldwide.
The club operates without a profit motive. All revenue supports operational costs and member resources. Classes run at community centres in Fridley and St. Paul, and the community gathers monthly at a local burger joint for their After-Swords Social — because even sword fighters need a good meal after training.
“Dedicated to the in-depth study and safe practice of Historical Martial Arts for both Sport and Martial applications.”
The challenge
Running a volunteer-run martial arts club sounds straightforward until you start listing what it actually involves. Membership tracking — even when memberships are free, you need to know who's current for voting rights, for insurance, for class rosters. Class coordination across multiple community centre locations with a rotating quarterly schedule. Workshop registration for visiting instructors. Communication about schedule changes, equipment requirements, and event logistics.
And then there's governance. As a 501(c)(3), St. Paul Freifechter has legal obligations — bylaws, officer elections, financial transparency. When officers rotate (the treasurer joined in 2022, the secretary in 2024), the incoming person needs to step into a system, not a folder of someone's personal files.
Most niche sports clubs solve this with a combination of Facebook groups, Google Docs, spreadsheets, and someone's personal email. It works until it doesn't — until a key volunteer burns out, until Facebook hides a schedule change from half the members, until the new treasurer can't find last year's financial records.
How TidyHQ helps
TidyHQ manages St. Paul Freifechter's two membership tiers: Full Membership for adults 18 and over (with voting rights and eligibility for officer positions) and Student Membership for ages 16+ and full-time students. Both are free — the club operates on donations and class fees — but tracking who's a current member still matters for governance, insurance, and community management.
Members sign up through the club's public TidyHQ page, with annual renewals tracked automatically. The committee can see at a glance who's current, who's lapsed, and who's eligible to vote at the next meeting — without maintaining a separate spreadsheet.
For a club that rotates through different weapons disciplines every quarter — rondel dagger in Q1, sword and buckler in Q2, highland broadsword in Q3, self-defence in Q4 — and runs workshops with visiting instructors from across the HEMA community, having one platform that handles memberships and member communication means the volunteer officers can focus on what they actually care about: teaching people to fight with swords.
What TidyHQ runs for the club
Two-tier membership
Full membership for adults 18+ with voting rights and officer eligibility. Student membership for ages 16+ and full-time students. Both managed through TidyHQ with annual renewal tracking.
Member status tracking
Even with free memberships, knowing who's current matters — for voting, for insurance, for class rosters. TidyHQ tracks who's active without chasing spreadsheets.
Class communications
Schedule changes, workshop announcements, and event updates reach the right members directly. No more relying on Facebook posts that half the group never sees.
501(c)(3) governance
Bylaws, officer elections, and organisational records in one place. When committee roles rotate, the next person inherits a system, not a pile of someone's personal emails.
What they teach
Four programs running year-round, coordinated by three volunteer officers.
Longsword Foundations
Beginner-friendly classes teaching historically accurate longsword techniques from Joachim Meyer, a 16th-century Strasbourg fencing master. Footwork, seven cutting methods, and safe training partnership.
Longsword Study Group
Intermediate and advanced study of Meyer's published works. Sunday mornings at Fridley Community Center — review, new concepts, then structured freeplay to test interpretations.
Rotating Wednesday classes
Quarterly rotations covering different weapons and disciplines: rondel dagger, sword and buckler, highland broadsword, and self-defense fundamentals. Each taught by a different instructor.
After-Swords Social
Monthly community gathering at a local burger joint after Sunday training. Open to the public — a way for newcomers to meet the community before ever picking up a sword.
“Foster inclusive community that values all participants regardless of skill or experience.”
Part of something bigger
St. Paul Freifechter doesn't exist in isolation. The club requires HEMA Alliance membership for all class participants — and HEMA Alliance, the national body coordinating 40+ HEMA groups and 10,000+ practitioners across the United States, also runs on TidyHQ.
That's the pattern: a local club using TidyHQ for their memberships, part of a national body using TidyHQ for theirs. The same platform at both levels of a federated community. Members interact with TidyHQ when they sign up for their local club and again when they register with the national organisation. Familiar interface, consistent experience.
The broader HEMA community has grown rapidly — from a niche interest to a recognised martial art with tournaments, ranked competitions, and clubs in every major US city. Organisations at every level of that growth need the same thing: a way to manage members, communicate reliably, and maintain governance without it consuming all the volunteer hours.
The people behind the swords
Scott MacDonald
Founder, President & Lead Instructor
Founded StPFF in 2016. Fechter-ranked in longsword and dussack through the Meyer Freifechter Guild.
June Carnahan
Secretary
Joined 2024. Studies Meyer longsword, highland broadsword, dussack, dagger, and sword & buckler.
Taylor Hodne
Treasurer
Joined 2022. Studies Joachim Meyer's material and competes in longsword tournaments.
TidyHQ features used
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HEMA Alliance
“10,000+ members across 40+ groups. The national body for Historical European Martial Arts in the US.”
Hobby ClubNorth Shore Bee Keepers Association
“From beekeeping courses to honey sales — seven TidyHQ features running one club.”
Community GroupMen's Shed Pomona
“Standardised processes mean any committee member can step in during emergencies.”
Your club deserves more than a spreadsheet.
Whether you teach sword fighting, beekeeping, or cricket — if you're a volunteer-run club that needs to track members, communicate reliably, and maintain governance, TidyHQ was built for you.