Set new records with matching funds!

Here’s an idea to energize your sale and get more folks involved. Many businesses, especially in rural communities are owned and/or managed by individuals not personally involved in our local stock shows. For instance, the managers of many of your local franchise or chain type businesses such as Wal-Mart, McDonald’s or large grocery store or big name bank in town may not be familiar with how our stock show world works.

Nearly everyone of these businesses has a line item in the budget for charitable contributions. Every business likes to support hardworking, well mannered kids. The catch is the managers may not have a personal relationship with any kid in the sale and feels out of place at the auction just bidding or adding on to random kids.

One sale we spoke too seeks out matching funds from these types of businesses. They average the grand champion of each specie for the last three years then ask the businesses to match dollar for dollar for every dollar over the average up to their limit of giving. Then those proceeds are divided and disbursed as add-ons to all exhibitors.

For instance: The Grand Champion Steer over the last three years has an average price of $14,800. This year it brings $16,000 and each of the matching businesses will pay $1,200 that will then be added on to each exhibitor. Your sale may decide to earmark those funds just for seniors, the scholarship fund or the hardluck exhibitor fund. It’s your sale, have fun with it and raise money for the kids!

The cool part is your auctioneer can announce that every $100 bid above $14,800 is worth $1,000 or $2,000, whatever the number of matches you have. Buyers will bid another $100 to multiply the funds for all kids and the next thing you know, you’re breaking records.

Challenge: Ask your sale committee volunteers to bring in just one matching fund business. Obviously, invite them to the sale and once they are involved they’ll go from matching to bidding and buying!