Board Presentation: How to Pitch an All In Fee Ticketing Switch

You've done the research. You know that stacked ticketing fees, a platform fee plus a separate card processing line, are hard to predict and easy to overpay. 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 platform with one all in rate, card processing included, would have cost [$Y]. That is [$difference] less. 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	Free plan (5.9% + 60c)	Community plan (4.9% + 60c)
Paid tickets sold	1,200	1,200	1,200
Orders (about 2.4 tickets each)	500	500	500
Avg ticket price	$18	$18	$18
Fees, card processing included	$1,812	$1,575	$1,360
Plan cost per year	Add yours	$0	$399
Total	$1,812	$1,575	$1,759

Use your real numbers, and make sure your current figure includes card processing, since ours does. The fee is charged once per order, so count orders, not tickets. The Community plan only pays off on fees alone at higher volume, so pitch it when you will also use its other products. For a detailed breakdown, see how ticketing fee models compare. A small, real saving earns more board trust than a big guess.

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 that really the only fee?" "Yes. One payment fee per order at our plan's printed rate, 5.9% + 60c on the Free plan. Card processing is included, so there is no separate Stripe line. Free tickets cost nothing. If we fully refund an order, the fee comes back too. We choose per event whether buyers pay it on top or we absorb it, and buyers always see it before they pay."

The One-Page Summary

For written materials:

1. Problem: "We paid $X in ticketing fees last season."
2. Solution: "Switch to a platform with one all in rate, card processing included."
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.