For many, adoption is an incredible way to welcome a wonderful new family member. But it can be costly, too. 

Between attorney fees, home study fees, court filing fees, etc., adoptive families can expect to pay between $40,000 to $60,000.

It’s a hefty and overwhelming price tag. But adoption fundraisers can help overcome this hurdle and turn dreams into real-life love stories. 

You’ve probably seen adoption fundraisers every November when people celebrate National Adoption Month and World Adoption Day. 

But you can set up adoption fundraisers anytime with Braid Money Pools. We’ll show you how, so you can help bring adoptees and families one step closer together.

Contents:

  • 5 adoption fundraiser ideas (Plus a fundraising secret no one’s telling you)
  • Is adoption fundraising tacky?
  • How to give donors a seamless donation experience with Braid Money Pools
  • How do you celebrate National Adoption Month?
  • 9 adoption charities to fundraise for

5 adoption fundraiser ideas (Plus a fundraising secret no one’s telling you)

Adoption fundraisers aren’t just about raising money. They’re also about raising awareness and opening people’s minds to adoption. 

Nonetheless, it can feel awkward and embarrassing to ask people for money. So, don’t. 

Try this fundraising secret instead: 

Create a donor-centric event focusing on giving to donors rather than asking them to give.

Here are five adoption fundraiser ideas that put this secret into action:

  1. Invite people to walk with their favorite family members at an Adoption Walk or Run. Set up a photo booth and merchandise table at the finish line so they can commemorate the event.  
  2. Treat donors to yummy baked goods and hot coffee at your home, local school, church, library, or farmer’s market in exchange for free-will donations.
  3. Let donors buy a custom T-Shirt for their wardrobes. For a $20 donation, people can support your fundraiser and get a cool new piece to wear. 
  4. Spoil donors with a home-cooked or catered dinner in exchange for donations. Send them home with a thank-you gift, like homemade cookies. 
  5. Ask people to donate rather than give gifts during a Birthday Campaign. There’s one condition: they provide you with their birthdate so you can send them a personalized card on their special day. 

Click here to set up your adoption fundraiser Braid Pool today.

Is adoption fundraising tacky?

We’ve designed this blog post to support and inspire your upcoming fundraiser. So, we’d be remiss to ignore an important question: Is adoption fundraising tacky? 

Like any other initiative, some people support adoption fundraisers, while others do not.

Rather than focus on the latter group, concentrate on running a fundraiser that feels correct and true to you. This will resonate with the right people and raise the funds you need.

How to give donors a seamless donation experience with Braid Money Pools

A Braid Money Pool is your one-stop shop to collect, manage, and spend donations. Set up one pool to collect all donations, or separate pools for different donation categories, like attorney fees, home study fees, court filing fees, etc.

  • Collect as much as you can for as long as you want. With Braid, there are no fundraising caps, limits, or deadlines. Keep your pool open throughout the year to collect donations with Pool Links. More on Pool Links to below!
  • Manage your pool alone or with family members or volunteers. Send a pool invitation link so you can manage donations together.
  • Spend or disperse donations with your free Braid debit card. Spend 100% of pool funds to cover adoption fees or donate to your chosen organization. 

Each pool has a Pool Link you can customize. This way, when you share it, people know exactly what they’re clicking on and where it’s taking them.

Here are two examples of what Pool Links can look like:

Additional ways to customize your Pool Link include choosing a pool color, adding a photo of your current family, and writing a brief description of your fundraising and goals.

Once your Pool Link is finished, share it to collect donations. 

You can share Pool Links within personal blogs or websites, social media posts, text messages, emails, QR codes, and more. No matter what adoption fundraiser you organize, your Pool Link fits perfectly. 

  • Adoption Walkathons? Post QR codes along the way so people can donate as they go.
  • Selling custom T-Shirts? Share your Pool Link in social media posts, emails, or text messages. 
  • Hosting a Birthday Campaign? Ask family and friends if you can text them your Pool Link. 

As you fundraise, remember these 3 tips to build better connections with your donors and increase donations:

  • Behind every successful adoption fundraiser, there’s a personal story. What’s yours? Share your adoption story together with your Pool Link so people can donate quickly and conveniently. 
  • Respect the adoptee's privacy and avoid publishing their name, image, or family history.
  • Share how you are financially preparing for the adoption. 

Click here to learn how to set up your free Braid Pool for your adoption fundraiser!

How do you celebrate National Adoption Month?

Whether you raise money for your family’s adoption efforts, foster care services, birth parent support centers, adoption organizations, or charities, check out how people celebrate adoption every November during National Adoption Month. These ideas can enrich your adoption fundraiser and create a powerful movement.

  • Learn about adoption via websites, social media, podcasts, etc. The more you know, the more you can share.
  • Use the power of storytelling to showcase families brought together by adoption.
  • Volunteer at foster care centers or charities. Invite your donors to do the same.
  • Invite people to collect and donate resources with you, like gently used baby items, diapers, formula, children’s clothing, school supplies, and more.

9 adoption charities to fundraise for 

Adoption fundraisers aren’t just for hopeful parents. Anyone can set them up and provide much-needed financial support to various organizations. 

Consider these nine adoption charities for your next fundraiser. 

They provide much-needed support for everyone involved in the adoption process: from expectant mothers to children in foster care, from legally-appointed volunteers to mental health support for families brought together by adoption. 

Pick one and use your Pool Links to raise funds quickly and conveniently. 

  1. Together We Rise is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization “dedicated to transforming the way youth navigate through the foster care system in America.” Together We Rise strives to provide a sense of normalcy and belonging to foster children in what can be a disruptive and chaotic period. 
  2. With the help of donors like you, the Dave Thomas Adoption Foundation ensures that adoption professionals can find permanent families for the most often overlooked foster care children. 
  3. Help Us Adopt is a 501(c)3 financial grant program that helps couples or individuals with adoption expenses, irrespective of ethnicity, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation. Financial support allows Help Us Adopt to award grants of up to $20,000 to hopeful parents.
  4. Adoption is a powerful way to create and grow a family, however, it may also present challenges to adoptive families. Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE) tackles this concern by providing mental health services and educational resources for everyone in the adoption and foster community, from adoptive families to adoptees. 
  5. Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, or CASA volunteers, advocate for the child’s best interests until they are safely placed in a permanent home. CASA volunteers work with legal and child welfare professionals, educators, and service providers to ensure judges make the most well-informed decision for each child. 
  6. Becoming a parent is a challenge in and of itself. What about mothers who choose adoption for their children? On Your Feet Foundation (OYFF) provides parents with the physical, psychological, and emotional support they need during and after pregnancy.
  7. Parenthood for Me was founded by adoptive parents who believe that “having a family is fundamental to the human experience.” Their organization provides emotional support, educational tools, and financial support through grants to those pursuing adoption. 
  8. Donations to The Gift of Adoption Fund bring children closer to a permanent family. At The Gift of Adoption Fund, you can choose where your donations go: to local organizations, sibling adoptions, critical medical needs, or foster care children. 
  9. Love Without Boundaries works with local citizens worldwide to identify children at risk of abandonment or abuse and finds local homes for them until they can be reunited with their birth families. Love Without Boundaries also supports domestic and international adoptions when a return to birth families is no longer possible.

Both hopeful parents and organizations need financial support to unite adoptees with their permanent families. Running an adoption fundraiser is a simple yet powerful way to help. Make it even simpler with Braid Money Pools.

Set up as many free pools as you need, easily collect donations with Pool Links, and manage donations alone or with others - all from one dedicated place.