Adoption Fund Raiser Ideas

This is not an exhaustive list by any means. These are the adoption fund raisers that I have held in the last six months. I will continue to add to this list as I continue my journey. I will also try to add a section for successful fund raisers that I have seen others do. I thought it could a list would be a nice resource for new families who need a good place to start.

Fund Raisers I've Done:
1. Give Away. I held a Give Away with various items that friends and family donated. This was very successful! There are some legalities you should know so check into those before you start (or ask me if you are interested). Just make sure you specify the rules and regulations very clearly.

2. Just Love Coffee. This is a very easy fundraiser. You enroll with them and then get a percentage of the profits. It wasn't hugely successful for me but I did get a small check every month. It requires no work on your part so it doesn't really hurt to set up an account.

3. You can find a friend or another adoptive mom who has a direct sales business. I had a friend host a 31 party for me. Another adoptive mom held an Avon Fundraiser. I am currently holding a Pampered Chef Party and another friend is holding a Scentsy Party. These parties have mixed success. It depends on the product itself, the percentage of sales you get, if the seller is willing to donate their commission, etc. I like them, though, because you are giving people a good product for their donation.

4. Yard Sale. I was pretty skeptical about this one. The woman in my small group held a Yard Sale for Sara. It was a HUGE success. They made it clear that it was for an international adoption and some people were very generous. Definitely something worth looking in to.

5. Puzzle Piece Fundraiser. I stole this idea from other Reece's Rainbow families. I've seen mixed success with these.

6. On-Line Auction. I auctioned off items that had been donated by friends and family. I also included things I had made and things that I had at home. I used a facebook page to do this. My auction was hugely successful but did require a lot of work on my part.

7. Change Drive. I've seen this done many ways but I kept mine very simple. I also scheduled it around her birthday to make it more significant.

8. Adoption T-Shirts. I am selling t-shirts through Adoption Bug. There are other organizations that also host these sales. You get a check each month for a percentage of the sales. I like these because they raise money and awareness at the same time.

9. Find a Skill or Craft. I've been selling scarves that I knit. I've seen other people sell hair bows, sock dolls, and many other things. This can be done with an esty shop, a facebook page or a blog post.


Fund Raisers Others Have Done:
1. Amazon Associate. This program is also very simple and requires little effort on your part. You put a link on your blog and encourage your friends and family to go to Amazon through that link. You get a check each month for a percentage of all the sales that come through your link. This program isn't allowed in IL so I can't do it. I do, however, make sure I use another adoptive family's link every time I go to Amazon.

2.  Karaoke:  Here's an idea I saw in a Colombia group:  "My family just had a karaoke fundraiser at our local Mexican restaurant. We raised $894 in 3 hours!  We borrowed a friends karaoke machine. We posted at church, our work, & on fb. We charged money to make people sing ($2), money not to have to sing($3) , & money to buy an "exemption bracelet" ($10) which we bought in bulk from oriental trading."

Other Tips:
1. Update your Adoption Blog Regularly. People want to experience this with you . Keep your blog updated--even when you feel like there aren't any updates to make. You never know who is reading and who is donating. I made a list of donations and where they came from. I also made a list of where my readers come from. I don't know a lot of these people!

2. Get your family profile listed. I have a profile on Reece's Rainbow and AdoptTogether. Both of these organizations give people the opportunity to make tax-deductible donations to my adoption. They also make Sara's story public! Reece's Rainbow only lists children with special needs but AdoptTogether lists all kinds of adopting families.

3. Free Ways To Help. Remind your friends and family that there are many ways they can help without spending any money.

4. Keep Your Blog Info Current. I have a blog post that contains all the current fundraisers. I keep this updated so everyone knows exactly what is going on. I also have a link to this post on the layout of my blog so that it can easily be found.

5. Apply for Grants. You need a completed home study for most grant applications but it doesn't hurt to research them early and have them ready to go. Lifesong has one of the best lists I've seen. You can also find them by googling things like Adoption Grants, International Adoption Grants, Special Needs Adoption Grants. Try searching by your country, by your child's specific need, etc.

Ways You Can Help

Updated 12/7/2012:

The fundraising portion of this journey has come to an end.  I am still knitting to raise some extra money and always willing to take on little jobs to earn a little extra.

1. Prayer. This process is far more emotionally and financially draining they I could ever imagine. Please pray that I will handle tricky situations with grace and that I will wait patiently for God's timing. Also, please pray for Sara. I don't think she has any idea that her entire world is about to change.

2. I am available for babysitting, tutoring, anything to earn a little extra money. I'm contributing as much as I can and am more than willing to work to bring my child home! As of this week, dog sitting has been added to that list.

3. Current fundraisers:

*Scarves for Sara. I am selling Sashay scarves on facebook and my blog.

*Skirts for Sara. I am making and selling Starbella skirts/tutus.

*Tax-deductible donations can be made at Reece's Rainbow. This money will be released to the adoption agency when I have a travel date. It will help cover travel and in-country expenses. These donations are also tax-deductible.

So, how's the adoption going?

In all honesty, this is starting to be my least favorite question ever. It's kind of like when you are a senior and everyone wants to know what you are going to do after graduation. I really don't know how the adoption is going. I've never done one before. I have nothing to compare this to.

I can tell you this: It's long. It's hard. I'm emotionally exhausted.

(I don't think that's what people really want to hear.)

On the other hand: It's amazing. I feel so supported and blessed. I can see God's hand in it.

I feel like I should have a daily update for everyone but really, most days, I just fill out, copy, and notarize more paperwork. I send it off to someone....somewhere....who doesn't seem to be in nearly as much of a hurry as I am.


Regardless, here's where I am in the process right now:

I have completed all the things I need to do for the home study. I've been waiting for a draft from my social worker. She emailed today to say that she will submit it to the state by Friday! FINALLY!!! It then has to be approved by the one person that reads home studies for the entire state. Please pray that she has a slow week next week and gets to it immediately.

I have completed my paperwork for Homeland Security and Immigration. As soon as the homestudy is approved, that paperwork will be sent to a lockbox. I have no idea why they call it that but it doesn't sound promising, does it? Again, please pray that the right person will get my paperwork and that it will be processed quickly!

While I am waiting for that paperwork to be processed, I will compile the rest of the documents for the dossier to go to Latin America. This is a lot of the same paperwork for the homestudy but now has to all be notarized. (This means another visit with my doctor to get a letter she didn't give me last time. Oh, boy!) Thankfully, we have a notary at work who has been very gracious to me and is great to work with! That saves me lots of time!

When that's all approved, I get a date to travel. I will then have to be in country in 3 weeks or less. Yikes! Can't wait and am scared to death to spend so much time in a country, with a child I've just met, but alone. Definitely going to be a life experience I will not soon forget!


The other question I dread: How much money do you still need?
Honestly, I really have no idea. I know that I am about $1,000 short of my program fee. I know that I will need another big chunk when I submit my dossier and some more to travel. I haven't sat down and figured out what I've spent so far or what I still need. I'm a little afraid the number would cause a numbing fear.

I know that God will provide. I've seen it happy so far for me and I've seen it with tons of other RR families in the last month. I appreciate every gift and everyone who has donated.

As soon as I have the official home study, I can start applying for grants. After that, we'll see what happens. I have seen God work so much in this situation that I have to believe he will provide!


The question I hate to answer in person but have lots of answers for: What can I do to help?

1. Pray. I have seen God working and answering prayers. I know it's because there are so many people praying for my little girl to get home quickly. It's the only answer! Please continue to pray for both of us through this process. Pray for those who are caring for her now and for those people who will process our paper work.

2. Repost my blog on your blog. Post it on your facebook. Tweet about it. Spread the word about Sara and about Reeces Rainbow. Long after Sara is home, there will be more little children around the world needing homes.

3. If you are a coffee drinker, both Just Love Coffee and Furnace Hills Coffee are giving a portion of their sales to Sara. FHC even made Sara's blend---specially created to support Sara's adoption.

4. If you feel led to donate, you can donate on the ChipIn on the right or on my FSP on Reece's Rainbow.

5. It's not too late to donate an item to my Give Away that will continue for the rest of the month of April.

6. A few of the women in my small group are planning to host a Yard Sale in early June and donate the profits to Sara. This is still in the beginning planning stages but I wanted to put the idea out there. If you have items that you would like to donate to be sold, please let me know. I will let you know more info as it is available but wanted to let you know that this is coming up. Start cleaning out those closets and the garage!

Above all, just continue to be the amazing, supportive, encouraing people that you have been to me for the last 2 months!