Fayetteville, AR – September 20, 2024 – Arkansas Edge, the official Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Collective for the Arkansas Razorbacks, today announced a new partnership with Community Auctions, an Arkansas-based provider of high-quality, hand-made sports and entertainment memorabilia that benefits local nonprofit organizations.
Through this innovative collaboration, Community Auctions will host at least 50 rotating table auctions in restaurants, hotels, and other businesses across Arkansas. A significant portion of the proceeds from these live auction tables will be shared with Arkansas Edge monthly, directly supporting NIL opportunities for Razorback student-athletes.
"Here at Community Auctions, we are proud of our Arkansas roots," said Marc Owen, President of Community Auctions. "My dad's company has been a partner of Razorback athletics for over 16 years through the 'Game Day Auction' program. We look forward to carrying on that same tradition with a similar concept in local businesses across the state."
Community Auctions has a long history of supporting nonprofits and charitable causes within Arkansas by partnering with businesses to host silent table auctions. The company establishes relationships with local businesses that serve as table host locations and provide space for displays of specialty memorabilia up for bid. Bidding on items is simple, as Razorback fans and business patrons can merely fill out a short bid slip for any item on the auction table and place it into the provided locked bid box. Each week, the highest bidder for each item wins and will be contacted by a Community Auctions representative to arrange payment and shipment. Items are usually received within 3-4 weeks.
"Today's collegiate athletics landscape requires NIL support to be successful," Owen continued. "We aim to generate as much NIL revenue for the Razorbacks as possible while also supporting the local economy of Arkansas. We believe that businesses and fans across the Natural State will answer the call to join us in this initiative."
"We are incredibly excited to partner with another Arkansas-based company like Community Auctions to support NIL opportunities for our Razorback student-athletes," said Kyle May, Executive Director of Arkansas Edge. "This partnership allows Razorback fans a unique opportunity to show their support for the Razorbacks while also taking home a piece of Razorback memorabilia. We encourage fans to visit the live auction tables at participating businesses across the state."
In addition to specialty items available at table auctions, fans can also visit Community Auction’s webstore and use the code #edge24 to receive 20% off orders and get free shipping. A portion of proceeds from orders using the code will support Arkansas Edge.
Click here to learn more about Arkansas Edge’s corporate partners and for more details about this unique program with Community Auctions. The website will be updated regularly with table auction locations as they get placed.
About Arkansas Edge
Arkansas Edge is the official Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective supporting 465-plus student-athletes at the University of Arkansas. Supporters, fans, and alumni who support Arkansas Edge are pledging to maximize opportunities for student-athletes to build their brands and engage with the community. There are various ways to get involved, including corporate partnerships, memberships, and charitable contributions. For more information about NIL partnerships with Razorback student-athletes, visit arkansasedgenil.com or follow @ArkansasEdgeNIL on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Community Auctions
Community Auctions is a small, family-owned business, dedicated to supporting charitable organizations across the United States through an innovative fundraising platform called Table Auctions which has raised over $9,000,000 in fundraising revenue for our partners since 2016. Specializing in high-quality, hand-made sports and entertainment memorabilia, we provide a unique platform that allows local businesses to raise funds while offering exclusive, sought-after items through a bidding process. Our mission is to empower organizations by combining passion for sports, entertainment, and philanthropy into a seamless fundraising experience for participating businesses & their benefiting charities. Learn more at communityauctions.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Marina Bain, Sr Director of Communications at Blueprint Sports
marina@blueprintsports.com