There are many ways to overcome financial hurdles during the adoption process, and some adoption financing options require minimal capital. Today we will discuss fundraising options, and in future articles we will go over grants, side-hustles, and low-cost adoption options.

Fundraising for adoption is one option that some future adoptive families choose, and often with great success!

Fundraising for adoption is a great option, as there are hundreds and hundreds of ways on how you can do it. It will all depend on you and your family’s motivation and resourcefulness. Fundraisers are pretty hassle-free for the right person, since all you need is some determination, resourcefulness, and even creativity. 

Raise funds for adoption with friends, family, and the community

One of the most important factors for successful adoptive families as they move through the adoption process is having a support system of friends and family.professionals to expecting parents is to have a support system. You need your family and close friends, as having some encouraging and loving around while you go through the process can take the pressure off the adoption financial woes and help you stay on your feet. In addition, most of the time, it’s them who you may ask for, and wholeheartedly get some tangible help. Let’s discuss some ideas you can tweak, so you can start planning your own fundraiser:

Host a fundraiser gathering

Fundraiser events are brilliant in bringing together your family and friends, and also to attract donations or profits. However, fundraisers, big or small, require a lot of planning and some capital. Before we shell out any money for the venue, food, or any other logistics, you must know what your goal is, where your audience’s interest lies, and how it can be doable and ‘profitable’. To discuss more strategic planning, here are some examples of fundraiser activities:

• Performance-based fundraisersWho doesn’t like the idea of winning, right? Performance-based fundraisers include Fund Runs, biking, weight lifting, or any mileage challenges that require the donors to be active. These can be very in demand for the health-conscious and competitive community. In addition, performance-based fundraising events are great as instead of donations, you’re getting pledges. It’s easy to hit the target money if people pledge the amount they’re willing to give, rather than be asked for a fixed amount. 
• Community Gatherings Carnivals, baking contests, outdoor movie nights, pet talent shows, or adoption car washes—anything that brings together the community to bond over their interests is a great and fun idea to raise awareness and raise funds for your adoption. Not only do you collect enough money, but they also get to celebrate this wonderful life-changing phase of your life with you. 
• Auctions & RafflesThere are many types of auctions and raffles you can do. There is live auction, raffle, all-pay auction, bucket auction, and hybrid reaction. This is very appealing for those who like to gamble on the chance of luck, so make sure you decide on exciting prizes. Below is the summary of findings found in a study conducted in 2018, these may help you decide what works best for you:
•    -The traditional raffle of tickets (which a community member may buy as many as they can) may yield as high as 80% in terms of the participation rate.
•    -The bucket auction—which has the last-man-standing bidder format—had the highest average in terms of bid per person, while the raffle had the lowest. The bucket auction had the highest revenue among the five types of auctions and raffles observed.

Use your creativity and make sales

Bake sales have long been the most popular way of raising funds for adoption needs. However, there are also other ways on how you can earn from any talents and skills. You may also start an art auction for your masterpieces, do an online course on guitar playing, or sell your crocheted and knitted works. Indeed, anything is possible when you find what you’re confident about and share it with other people who are willing to shell out a reasonable amount of money for it! So, here are some tips you must not forget when you’re about to do this type of fundraiser:

• Check your local health and selling codes. You must remain compliant with the safety of everyone, especially if it’s a baked goods sale. 
• Know what the majority likes. Starting a sign-up paper may be a good idea to gauge what the target audience is leaning towards. In this way at least, no waste on capital goods is ensured.
• Present your product or service pleasantly. Cleanliness and a well-decorated area can help attract more customers—aside from the high quality of your product or your service!

Sell items you have no need for

Declutter for extra funds for your adoption! This might be the easiest (or maybe not, for a packrat) if you don’t want to burn a single hole in your pocket. No capital—and maybe only a few hands-on logistics are needed. Being said that, here are some tips to help to make your yard sale for adoption successful:

• Pick a weekend date and a high-traffic location. As much as possible, you want to hold it when the area becomes ‘busy’. Situate near a school or a church, as these are places where the majority of the community go to.
• Get plenty of things to sell. It’s now time to take a look at things stored in your attic, garage, and even storage spaces. And for even a wider selection, why not ask your friends and relatives to help you with the selling? And make sure to price smartly. Don’t overprice and sell too low.
• Publicize your event. For you to sell your items, you need some interested buyers. And to get them going to the yard sale event is to let them know about the details! Publicize the event as early and as regularly as you can. Your adoption financing event should be that ringing buzz to their ears as much as possible. 
•    - Post on the most used social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, depending on where your community is active. 
•    - Contact local media such as newspaper outlets and tv.
•    - Ask adoption agencies to help you get the word out. Adoption agencies have an active following and even have a group of old clients (prospective parents) who are willing to help the new ones like you!

Sign up on an adoption fundraising website

There are many crowdfunding platforms available right now that can help you cover the adoption costs. All you have to do is sign up, state your financial goal, and share with friends, the community, and even the whole world! We assure you; you’d find hearts that are willing to help you with your cause. So, to start, look at the following known crowdfunding sites, and know what works for you:

• AdoptTogether - Adopt Together is a non-profit funding platform catering specifically to adoptive families who want to raise money for the adoption costs.
• GoFundMe - GoFundMe is used by anyone who wants to collect for a cause, a passion project, or anything they want. In addition, they've partnered with various known merchant providers, so you can collect online donations in real-time.
• PlumFund - Plumfund is a top-rated crowdfunding website that can be integrated into various social media platforms. Just like GoFundMe, PlumFund is a top-rated site that has raised almost $50 million for its users, including adoption financial aids.
• Deposit A Gift - Deposit a Gift works like a cash gift registry platform. They give you the freedom to customize your fundraising site to bring your story to life and attract good-hearted people to give their donations.

You can do it! 

If you’re planning to welcome an adopted child as a new member of the family in the future, you must be aware of how costly the adoption process is. The truth is, the emotional ups and downs in adoption are mostly caused by administrative and financial hiccups. So, as much as possible, try to exhaust the adoption fundraising ideas we gave and learn from resources on other adoption financing options prepared by RainbowKids. As soon as you reach your adoption costs target, it’s easier to achieve peace of mind and concentrate better on the transition period of the child!