How do I pay for this again??

So - you want to adopt, but don’t have millions or even thousands set aside to finance your parenting journey?

I’ve seen many of our Christian Adoption Consultants couples work (yes, it is work, and you will need to work hard, and be creative), to raise the funds to adoptive both domestically and internationally.  Although there are many awesome grants available for adopting families, we also recommend that our families consider fundraising options as well.

Because in many cases, through fundraising and online donations from friends and family members, plus adoption grants, couples have been able to raise the entire bulk of their adoption fees within a few days. More on that below.

But - you do have to be bold and ask!  Remember that your friends really do care about you and want to be a part of your journey!

While I can’t guarantee you the same results - here are a few best practices from the field…. from adoptive parents just like you, who don’t have oodles of extra cash laying around, and a few tips from my fellow adoption consultants, Casey Zaruba and Renee Bergman. 

I also really enjoyed reading this list from another adoptive mom, who has already done the "heavy lifting" of scouring the Web for awesome fundraising ideas!  She has listed some great ideas!

As you are brainstorming up ways to find extra cash, consider these additional options:

Sell Something Unique!

• Tee shirt sale:  Don't sell just any tee shirt.  Casey recommends considering a group like Chrome Buffalo    ....  She says, "one advantage with Chrome Buffalo is that you don't have to mail all of the shirts yourself and it is very easy to set up!

• Jewelry sale:  Companies like Compelled Designs want to help you as well!  Compelled, for example, will ship you a set of handmade necklaces that you sell for a certain amount of profit. You send them back the wholesale cost of the necklaces after your sale, in addition to any unsold items.  Zero risk, and you can do this necklace fundraiser as many times as you like, either via Facebook or at an at home party.

Also - consider linking your product sales to an upcoming holiday, in this case, Mothers Day or Father's Day, or End of Year teacher gifts. 

Make it a Community Effort

• Garage sale:  ask friends/family donate items to a garage sale that you organize and host.  It is a lot of work - and you will need some lead time to get it all organized.  But I have seen couples raise thousands that way, depending on what folks donate, and how many people participate/donate items to your cause.  Make sure you also request some trusted friends to run the sale on site!  And have a plan to dispose of any unsold items afterwards!  

Set up an Online Auction or Raffle Something New and Amazing

• Facebook Guessing Game Fundraiser:  Ask your friends to '"Buy the State" you think your baby is being born in!' Charge $20 per state, and a small prize for the winning guess.  Or, “guess the baby’s height and weight,” if the state is already known.  
• Online auction or raffle - I've known folks to raise upwards of $2,600 this way, on each "auction."  Ask friends to donate an awesome new item, such such as one of those “Green Egg” grills, or whatever the fancy new iPad or tablets are. Sell raffle tickets for whatever dollar figure you are most comfortable with charging!
• Use social media like never before. Ask a graphic design or creative friend to design a great logo for you that says "Bring _______ Baby Home” with a link to your fundraising page.   Post it on your Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter pages, and ask everyone you know post it on their social media.  Also consider posting a photo or video of yourselves, telling the story of your adoption journey.      

As my consultant colleague Renee Bergman says, “Write a little story to accompany your social media photo and request, and just fire it off several times a day. We raised $35,000 in donations in 48 hours...it was insane. And it is because of storming social media. But you have to be willing to be really bold in asking and asking your friends to ask:) We were matched on a Wednesday and he was born that Friday!!!”

There really are countless other ways  you can raise funds, and quickly, for a good cause such as a domestic or international adoption.

What else would you suggest to a friend who is raising funds?