With the average adoption costing between $20,000 and $30,000 interest-free loans can be helpful but they don’t cover the whole cost. Here are a few creative ideas that other adoptive couples have used and God has provided through to fundraise for their adoption. Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments:
1. Host a Raffle or Online Auction. Have people and local businesses donate goods and services and have an online auction through Ebay or on your website.
2. If traveling internationally ask people to donate Frequent Flyer Miles.
3. Fund raising events Host a ticketed event with a theme and a meal (Valentines, Crazy 80’s night, Mexican Fiesta, etc). Consider hosting this at a community center, church, or restaurant, etc. Tracie Loux, an adoption consultant in Kansas City, also suggests giving people options for their ticket prices and holding a silent or live auction as part of the evening (get local businesses to donate gift certificates, gift baskets, products or services, and local artists to donate photography and artwork)
4. Set up a blog, website, or Facebook Group to journal about your adoption journey and include a DONATE link through Paypal for people wanting to give to your adoption fund.
5. Fundraising Sales. Do a fundraiser similar to what youth groups or schools do to raise funds for mission trips, band trips, senior trips, (ie. car wash, bake sale, etc)
6. Yard Sales. Have friends and church family donate items and have a huge yard sale with all proceeds going towards your adoption.
7. Donate your old cell phones and print cartridges. Every print cartridge is worth $1.00, and cell phones can be redeemed for a few dollars all the way up to a couple hundred dollars each.
8. A Child’s Desire has developed a fundraiser selling Kidsafe ID cards to your local daycares and preschools. The profits can be used by any adopting family towards their adoption-related expenses.
9. Baby Bottle Campaign. Buy bottles in bulk (or get used ones donated) and design a paper flyer to go in each bottle telling about your adoption. Then distribute them to friends, family, businesses, churches, schools, daycares – whoever is willing to put their spare change in the baby bottle. Give them one month to see if they can fill the bottle and then collect them. One crisis pregnancy center that does this averages $20-25 per bottle so this idea can really add up. It’s also a great way to get kids involved.
10. Mail letters to friends and family telling them about your plans to adopt. Send it out like a birth announcement. Share with them the estimated costs and ask them to consider helping.
11. Use a skill or hobby and sell items online or through your community network. Examples are paintings, crafts, photography, music, greeting cards, etc.
12. Independent Consulting/Sales. Sign up with a cosmetics, Tupperware, or other company where all sales you make through hosting parties, etc will go towards your adoption. Get the whole family involved!
13. Catelog Sales. Sign up with an online or paper catalog program where in many cases 50% of the profit goes towards your adoption. One example is http://www.currentfun.com
The ABBA Fund Blog 
Jason-Another idea is using http://www.loyaltymatch.com to convert your frequent flier and loyalty program points and miles into cash to support ABBA. I am with the Internet company. We have a community feature that allows members of groups to work together to convert points and miles to cash for your cause. We connect shoppers whom want to pay cash for a reward item e.g. merchandise(which you can obtain from your frequent flier or loyalty program with your points and miles), with a member whom can obtain them from their program. We are certified by TRUSTe for privacy and VeriSign for security. Please review our service as I am confident it could be of value to your families. Regards, David Howatson
Hi Jason. Thanks so much for contacting me. I have actually heard about The Abba Fund before. What a great ministry!
I will keep you in mind for our church…I’m not sure how open they will be about things yet…little steps!
We are hoping to avoid loans/debt, but I have no idea yet how we are paying for this. I am doing a huge yardsale this spring.
I love the raffle thing. I have a blog and I have thought of really cool ways that I could do things. I’ve thought of auctioning off a digital camera…each donation of $5 would get you registered. However, I read one place that in a lot of states raffles are illegal. Do you have insight on this? I don’t want to be unethical!
Thanks!
Hello. We are planning to have a square dance (my parents have a big barn and host “barn dances” at least 2 – 3 times a year) as a fundraiser. Do you have any site suggestions for how to word the invitation?
Carole, that is a great idea! Let me know how it goes. I would love to see some photos when you post them.
As far as getting the word out to invite folks http://www.Evite.com is the best option I have seen.
Blessings!
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How can people donate frequent flier miles? My wife and I are getting ready to go get our son from Ethiopia this summer, and the plane tickets are not cheap! I have several business partners that might be willing to consider donating frequent flier miles, but I’m just not sure how to do it. Thanks.
Hi
I wonder if you can help me. I’m the Director of a Pregnancy Care Center. We are hoping to expand our services to include adoptions eventually. But for now we have to refer girls to our nearest pregnancy care center that offers adoptions which is about 25 miles away.
I was searching the web for fundraising ideas. How do I get the loyalty match people to convert points etc. to cash for us?
Thank you.
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Without a doubt, this blog has been one of the most useful resources I’ve been able to find. Thank you so much!