We all know one of the biggest concerns for many prospective adoptive parents is cost. It’s also the biggest hindrance and the reason many people don’t even consider adopting. There are many ways adoptive parents can fund their adoption, such as grants and savings accounts. Finding the money to fund your adoption doesn’t always have to be so serious. Fundraisers are a fun way to raise money, get your community involved and enjoy what can be a stressful process. Here are five of the most unique adoption fundraisers we’ve found:
Baby Bottle Campaign. This is a good fundraiser for couples pursuing the adoption of an infant but can be modified in various ways to work for non-infant adoptions. For this fundraiser, you’ll need baby bottles – lots and lots of baby bottles. Buy them in bulk. Then design a flyer, and place it in each bottle. Distribute the bottles to family, friends, local businesses, churches, day cares or whoever is willing to give you their extra change. Give them a month to fill the baby bottles with spare change, and then collect the bottles. If successful, you could average $20-25 per bottle!
Puzzle Piece Fundraiser. For this one, all you need is a puzzle and a marker. Buy a jigsaw puzzle, and let people donate a certain amount for each piece. Once they’ve donated, let them write their name on the back of the puzzle piece. Continue to collect donations until the puzzle is complete.
Tag a Bag. Buy a backpack, suitcase, diaper bag or some other bag that you will use on your adoption journey, whether domestic or international. This could be your child’s diaper bag if you’re applying for domestic adoption or your suitcase for when you travel to your child’s birth country if you’re pursuing international adoption. Grab some Sharpies, and as donations come in, “tag” the bag with the donor’s name. Not only will this bag be used to help you collect donations, but it can also be as a keepsake for your child. He or she will be able to see the names of people who helped bring him/her home!
Freezer Pleaser Fundraiser. Recruit 30 friends to prepare and donate a freezer meal. Have them label it well and provide cooking instructions. Then sell raffle tickets for $5 each or 5 tickets for $20, and raffle away the meals. If you want to get a lot of exposure, set up a table and sell your raffle tickets at local events like football games! A local Junior Auxiliary raised $7,000 with this fundraiser a few years ago!
Grow A Beard! Obviously this one’s for the guys. Have you ever heard of “No Shave November?” It started as a movement to raise awareness and funds for cancer patients by donating the money typically spent on shaving to advocate for cancer prevention. There’s no reason why you can’t grow a beard to help fund your adoption. Better yet, ask some friends to get involved, and make it a friendly competition. Have every contestant (beard grower) find people who will sponsor their monthly beard growth and will pledge to give a certain amount of money for every month. For example, find someone who will say, “I will pay you $10 for every month you don’t shave.” Of course, if your contestants are concerned about professionalism at work, trimming should be allowed. After six months, the contestant who has the most sponsors and donations wins.
These are all fun ways you can gather funds for your adoption, but if you need more help, be sure to call us at 662.842.6752 in Mississippi and 615.378.7099 in Tennessee. As always, at New Beginnings we are committed to guiding you through the entire adoption process, including the financial planning part. Now through an innovative service, the Adoption Finance Coaching System, our team of adoption finance coaches can help you create a comprehensive financial plan to help fund your adoption.
Source: http://fundyouradoption.tv/101-adoption-fundraising-ideas/
