Board Presentation: How to Pitch a Flat-Fee Ticketing Switch

You've done the research. You know switching from percentage-based ticketing to a flat-fee model saves money. Now you need to convince a board that includes people who remember when tickets were sold at the door with a cash box.

This guide prepares you for that meeting — the talking points that land, the objections you'll face, and the math that closes the argument.

Know Your Board

Nonprofit boards tend to include:

• The treasurer — predictable costs, clean reporting, audit trails.
• The risk-averse member — "what if it goes down?" and "what if buyers can't figure it out?"
• The status-quo member — needs a reason to change.
• The tech-forward member — already nodding. Your internal champion.

Address all four. Lead with money, address risk directly, explain the cost of inaction, and have technical details ready for your ally.

The Core Argument

"Our current platform charged us [X] last season. A flat-fee platform at $0.79 per ticket would have saved [$difference]. I recommend we switch, and I've planned how to do it without disrupting our current audience."

Everything else is supporting evidence.

Building the Math

Pull last season's actual data:

	Current Platform	Flat Fee ($0.79)
Paid tickets sold	1,200	1,200
Avg ticket price	$18	$18
Total platform fees	$1,812	$948
Savings	—	$864

Use your real numbers. For a detailed breakdown, see flat fee vs percentage ticketing. For many community venues, savings are hundreds to low thousands per season — enough to fund a marketing push or reduce ticket prices.

Handling Objections

"What if it's hard to use?" "It's designed for venues our size. I'll run a test event before going live. I've already walked through checkout myself."

Offer a live demo — show a working test event on your phone.

"What about our buyer data?" "We keep our email list from past orders. The new platform tracks all future purchases, and we own the data directly — it's not locked in someone else's system." See nonprofit ticketing essentials.

"What if something breaks on show night?" "The scanner runs in any phone browser. If WiFi fails, cellular works. We'll print a paper attendee list as backup for every show."

"Can we trial it first?" "Yes. One event on the new platform, no commitment. If it works, we migrate fully for next season."

This is often the easiest path — boards approve trials more readily than permanent switches.

"Is $0.79 really the only fee?" "Platform fee is $0.79 per paid ticket. Free tickets are free. Standard credit card processing (Stripe) applies separately. No monthly fee, no contract, no percentage."

The One-Page Summary

For written materials:

1. Problem — "We paid $X in ticketing fees last season."
2. Solution — "Switch to a flat $0.79/ticket platform."
3. Savings — Your calculated difference.
4. Risk mitigation — Trial period, paper backup, data preservation.
5. Timeline — "Test after current season. Migrate before next."
6. Ask — "Approve a one-event trial for [specific event]."

One page. Board members who want detail will ask.

Features Beyond Cost

Cost isn't the only argument. Highlight capabilities that address real pain points your organization has experienced:

• Reserved seating with interactive map — eliminates manual seat assignment by phone and reduces box office calls.
• Email ticket delivery — no printing, no will-call table management for most buyers.
• Phone-based door scanning — no hardware to buy or maintain, no app for volunteers to install.
• Payouts approximately 7 days after event — predictable cash flow the treasurer can plan around.
• No buyer account required — fewer confused phone calls from community members who struggle with account creation.
• Buyer data ownership — your email list stays yours, not locked in a platform.

For guidance on setting ticket prices that cover costs and feel fair, see pricing a 200-seat house.

After the Vote

If your board approves (or approves a trial):

1. Set up your organizer account immediately — don't wait until the next event is imminent.
2. Build your venue's seat map without deadline pressure. This takes time and is best done carefully.
3. Run a full test event internally — sell tickets to board members, scan them at the next meeting. Make it tangible.
4. Document the process for future organizers so your successor doesn't have to re-research this decision.

Get Started

Create your organizer account and build a test event. Real demonstrations beat hypothetical arguments. Browse our resources library for more guides, and see how other community organizers have made this transition.