Personal Fund-raising

The following is a list of ideas that we were given by Jason Kovacs at The Abba Fund.

Give-Aways or Online Auctions
You can get people to donate goods and services and have an online auction through ebay or even on your blog with a deadline. In the blogs people can leave their bids in the comment section and have a limited number of days until the auction closes.

Donation of Miles
If traveling internationally ask people to donate Frequent Flyer Miles.

Fund-raising events
Here is one idea about how to host your own event:

  1. Choose a theme. Be unique: Valentines, Crazy 80's night theme, Mexican Fiesta, or a theme based around the origin of the child you are adopting.
  2. Decide what you will serve.
  3. Secure a location such as a community center, church, restaurant, or something similar.
  4. Enlist help! There are always friends out there who would love to assist in this type of project. Get help so you don't burn yourself out. You might even consider a party planner, if they would give you a good deal, to take care of all of the details!
  5. Make your fund-raiser a ticketed event. Give people options for their ticket prices. One couple, for their 80's night music themed fund-raiser, had different ticket prices like, Vinyl- $25, Silver- $50, Platinum- $100, Gold $250.
  6. Other things you can add to your dinner would include hosting a silent auction (get local businesses to donate gift certificates, gift baskets, products or services, get local artists to donate photography and artwork) or possibly even a live auction!

Set up a blog
Blog to journal your process and allow people to stay connected and feel part of your journey. Consider setting up a DONATE link through Paypal on your side bar for people wanting to give to your adoption fund.

Fund-raising Sales
Do a fund raiser similar to schools that raise funds for the band or senior trips, (i.e. car wash, bake sale, etc.)

Yard Sales
Have friends and church family donate items and have a huge yard sale.

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.

A Child's Desire
A Child's Desire has developed a fund-raiser by selling Kidsafe ID cards to your local daycares and preschools. The profits can be used by any adopting family towards their adoption-related expenses.

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.

Mail Letters
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.

*Thank You to The Abba Fund for the previous list.

Yahoo Help
There are several Yahoo Groups that are dedicated to sharing ideas about adoption fund raising. Once at the Yahoo Groups page, type "adoption fund raising" in the search bar. Click here to go to the Yahoo Groups home page.

Produce Your Own DVD
It's pretty easy these days. Even if you don't have the capability to do this, you probably have a friend that does. All you need is a Mini DV video camera and some editing software on your computer. It doesn't have to be professional quality. However, a DVD of your family is much more effective than a letter. Mail the DVD out with a letter and give your testimony about your adoption process in the DVD.