What do you think about adoption fundraising?

Question

My husband and I would like to adopt. We are foster parents and really want to adopt through the state. However, we would also like to adopt an infant. Of course, adoption is expensive. We can afford to care for our child/children, but we don't have 20,000+ sitting around. Many people fundraise to make up for the difference, but many people I have discussed this with have not been very supportive of the idea. Do they think it is rude? (I am making items to sell and that type of thing. I don't just expect people to give us money so we can adopt.)

Any thoughts? Also, has anyone else tried to fundraise for adoption?

Answer 1

My sister is adopting as well, and I suggested the fundraising idea.  I think it's a wonderful way for family and friends to contribute and bond with this new child!  I think that it's rediculous how much it costs to adopt, and I don't blame anyone for fundraising.  The only problem I would have would be if people were claiming to adopt, and then keeping the money.  I really like your idea of selling things.  Good luck to you and your new addition!!

Answer 2

if you think you can give a child a better life don't stop thinking about the roadblocks.  Some advice: appeal to the people who have raised succesful children.  They are more likely to help spread joy.  Good luck

Answer 3

The foster kids we got were all young. Could you talk to your worker about placing an infant with you that is likely to go to TPR? (termination of parental rights) We had a 2 and a 4 year old who were supposed to go to TPR, but the judge gave them back to their mom at the Emergency Foster Care hearing, and she left the state with them. I wanted those little girls! They were so precious!

Answer 4

I don't think it's rude. Some might but then they don't have to attend the fund raiser. My sister and her husband are in the process of adopting and they held a garage sale with  neighbors that are also adopting.  They asked family, friends and church members for donations of items.  People that know you and care for you will want to help.  Go for it.

Answer 5

We intend to adopt internationally in the (relatively) near future, and the cost is exorbitant.  I have already brainstormed ways to raise money.

I do not believe it is wrong.  You want to give a child a home and make a family for yourself.  If you were giving birth, you would not have to pay all of the expenses yourself (insurance would cover doctor expenses, etc).  So trying to find ways to help pay the adoption expenses is not rude, atleast not in my opinion.

Some ideas I have come up with are a garage/yard sale (clear out some unwanted clutter and raise some funds), bake sales, etc.

Also look into getting help elsewhere.  Some companies offer adoption incentives, because it is a tax write off for them-so the human resources department at your employer may be the place to start.  There are adoption tax credits.  And there are some organizations that offer grants.  Sometimes you can get help through your church.  And, many banks offer low interest loans for adoption expenses.  

You CAN do it!  And you are not wrong for trying to do it without paying it all out of pocket.

Answer 6

My wife and I made the decision when we got married that we would only expand our family through adoption.  In 2004 we completed a Chinese adoption.  We're now over halfway through our 2nd Chinese adoption.  The first time we did not do a lot of fundraising.  This second time we have.

Here's my advice.

First, be sure you want to face the public eye.  I used any time I went out with my rubber ducks (yes, I purchased rubber duckies to sell as Duckies for Jenny) as an opportunity to talk to people about adopting as an option.  I never hid the fact that I was pursuing a foreign adoption.  This resulted in some resentment.  I've endured a lot... "why adopt some foreign kid when there are plenty over here?" ((truth of the matter, our system favors younger parents.))  "adopting from China only encourages them to treat their girls with disrespect." ((their problem is centuries in the making; it was a cultural decision.  Just the opposite occurs in India)) to probably the worst, being spit upon.

Because I took the effort to educate, I think our future daughter has made a big difference.  Other families are considering it.  Some families have begun collecting rubber ducks as a family building excercise.  But, most of all, it has made me even more convicted in my belief that adoption is more than option, it should be held up as the first and foremost option.  No child has to be raised without parents.

I've heard and seen a lot of different fund raising.  Some people have asked for donations for an auction or big garage sale.  Some people have asked for assistance from church groups.  There's no limit as to how you can do this.

However, as I said before.  If you do it, make sure you are committed in your beliefs about adoption.  After a woman spit on me for adopting a little orphan from China, it took me a few months to find the courage to go back out into public.

I had moments where I had to talk to people who were adopted domestically as to why I was doing so internationally.  First, it was my age.  Second, the Chinese have a system set up where an adoption is not a money pit.  Third, I came to understand Chinese culture to the point where I could effectively tell people what would have happened to my little Wei-Wei if I hadn't adopted her.  By the age of seven the state would have chosen her profession.  She wouldn't have had the schooling most kids get.  She wouldn't be able to get married as she had no family and no dowry.  She would basically be a second class citizen just because her parents went ahead and gave birth to her instead of having her killed during the pregnancy.  They can usually argue with me all they want, but when my little daughter comes up to them and talks to them, they realize we made a big impact in a little girl's life.

Good luck to you.

Answer 7

I feel very ambivalent about the idea of giving someone money in support of them adopting a baby. I was all set to give my sister money to adopt a baby and then it turned out that it could have been a huge mistake and i would have felt awful about bringing a child into her life. I kind of decided from that experience that most people who want to adopt should be able to raaise the money themselves without borrowing it. That said, I'm not so sure that what you're proposing is any different than getting a job becasue you are selling something and that's a business. Why does it have to be that you are raising money for adoption? Why not just view it as trying to increase your income so you can afford to adopt? I think there's a major difference between asking people to give you money so you can adopt and providing a service or a product and selling it to people to increase your income.

Answer 8

I think adoption fundraising is perfectly acceptable.  We did not do a fundraiser, but we had yard sales, sold items on e-Bay as we de-cluttered our home and I worked two jobs for a while before our first adoption.

Our adoptions were relatively affordable.  We found a faith-based, non-profit agency that charged us fees on a sliding scale according to our income.

Remember the tax credit given by the government (for 2007, it will be just over $11,000).  You will have to come up with the money beforehand, but the adoption expenses can be claimed the year after the adoption is finalized.  We used our tax credit to pay off our home equity line of credit that we used for the adoption expenses.

Good luck to you!