I had been racking my brain trying to decide on what to post for today's adoption related post. I couldn't narrow it down was the problem. That's when I got a FB message from the lovely and talented mrs. r telling me that my necklace was ready. If you know mrs. r, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't know her, why not? ;o) Mrs. r has started with some of her friends, an etsy shop, called, what else but, the r house, featuring handmade, gorgeoue necklaces, and has recently added some children's clothing to her shop. A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E children's clothes too! Adorable I tell you! Cute little onsies for baby and shirts for toddlers that say things like, "I love my Birth Mother", and "I get my good looks from my birth family". Seriously, how cute is that!
What does this have to do with adoption you ask? Why everything! mrs. r started this shop to help raise funds for her adoption costs. As I mentioned in my last post, they have been in court for over a year fighting for their son. Their legal costs, as you can imagine, are crazy, so they started this shop as a way to help raise money. They do premade necklaces, that they have designed, and they do custom necklaces (that's what I got). Along with those adorable clothes.
So why am I mentioning this in this post and not the last one? Because what I want to focus on in this post, is ways to raise funds for your adoption.
Here are just some of the many ideas:
----- like mrs. r, open an etsy shop, etsy is a great website where crafters can sell their handmade items.
----- think of something you're good at, and offer that as a service, like if you're good at photography, offer to take family photos at a reduced rate, and all proceeds go to your adoption. Ecspecially this time of year, everyone is looking for affordable photographers for Christmas card photos!
----- sell on ebay, set up an ebay account if you don't already have one, and sell items on ebay for extra funds for your adoption.
----- garage sale, yes, in most parts of the country it is getting too cold for garage/yard sales, but now is a great time to start gathering items for your sale. Ask family members and friends to donate items that you can sell. When you're ready for your sale, don't hesitate to advertise your sale as being held to help raise funds for your adoption. You may be surpised how many people come to help support you. Put your blog address, or a link to your adoption profile on the price tags of your items. Place your pass-along cards on a table along with flyers telling all about you. You never know if someone who comes may know someone who is considering an adoption plan.
----- Adoption grants, Adoption grants are everywhere. some you need to pay back, some you don't. (just google adoption grants to find out more)Also, Check with your employer, they may offer adoption grants, or they may have a program to reimburse you for some of your adoption expenses.
----- bake sale, ask a local retailer, or a local church if you can do a bake sale in their parking lot, or in front of their building. You can also combine a bake sale with your garage sale. sell a couple of different beverages too, 12 packs of soda can be bought when they go on sale for as little as a couple dollars or less, you can sell each can for 50 cents giving you a nice profit.
----- car wash, need I say more?
----- the holidays are coming up, so write a letter to your family and friends and let them know that you won't be sending/giving gifts this year as you save for your adoption. You may even find that instead of giving you a gift, some of your family members want to donate to your adoption fund.
----- save save save! I know that isn't a "fundraising" idea, but there is no better way to obtain your funds, then to save, save, save! One tip I got from our new case worker who went to a recent conference on adoption, giving us notes because she knew we didn't live here when it was held and weren't able to go(did I mention she rocks!) is to figure out what the cost will be per week once your child is placed in your home. If the cost of diapers, wipes, formula, clothes, etc. will cost you $50-$100 a week, depending on where you live and where you shop, start setting that much aside in a savings account every week. You will be surprised how quickly that adds up. Plus, once your child is in your home, you will already be used to having that cost, so it won't be such a shocker to your budget.
Honestly, the possibilities are endless. I googled adoption fundraising and I can't even tell you how many hits I got. What fundraiser ideas have you used? Come on, let's share! :D
And I'm going to leave you with a photo of my gorgeous necklace. I can't wait to get it! (I hope mrs. r doesn't mind that I am using the photo that I got from her etsy store where my necklace was listed. I just had to show you all how gorgeous it is!)
What does this have to do with adoption you ask? Why everything! mrs. r started this shop to help raise funds for her adoption costs. As I mentioned in my last post, they have been in court for over a year fighting for their son. Their legal costs, as you can imagine, are crazy, so they started this shop as a way to help raise money. They do premade necklaces, that they have designed, and they do custom necklaces (that's what I got). Along with those adorable clothes.
So why am I mentioning this in this post and not the last one? Because what I want to focus on in this post, is ways to raise funds for your adoption.
Here are just some of the many ideas:
----- like mrs. r, open an etsy shop, etsy is a great website where crafters can sell their handmade items.
----- think of something you're good at, and offer that as a service, like if you're good at photography, offer to take family photos at a reduced rate, and all proceeds go to your adoption. Ecspecially this time of year, everyone is looking for affordable photographers for Christmas card photos!
----- sell on ebay, set up an ebay account if you don't already have one, and sell items on ebay for extra funds for your adoption.
----- garage sale, yes, in most parts of the country it is getting too cold for garage/yard sales, but now is a great time to start gathering items for your sale. Ask family members and friends to donate items that you can sell. When you're ready for your sale, don't hesitate to advertise your sale as being held to help raise funds for your adoption. You may be surpised how many people come to help support you. Put your blog address, or a link to your adoption profile on the price tags of your items. Place your pass-along cards on a table along with flyers telling all about you. You never know if someone who comes may know someone who is considering an adoption plan.
----- Adoption grants, Adoption grants are everywhere. some you need to pay back, some you don't. (just google adoption grants to find out more)Also, Check with your employer, they may offer adoption grants, or they may have a program to reimburse you for some of your adoption expenses.
----- bake sale, ask a local retailer, or a local church if you can do a bake sale in their parking lot, or in front of their building. You can also combine a bake sale with your garage sale. sell a couple of different beverages too, 12 packs of soda can be bought when they go on sale for as little as a couple dollars or less, you can sell each can for 50 cents giving you a nice profit.
----- car wash, need I say more?
----- the holidays are coming up, so write a letter to your family and friends and let them know that you won't be sending/giving gifts this year as you save for your adoption. You may even find that instead of giving you a gift, some of your family members want to donate to your adoption fund.
----- save save save! I know that isn't a "fundraising" idea, but there is no better way to obtain your funds, then to save, save, save! One tip I got from our new case worker who went to a recent conference on adoption, giving us notes because she knew we didn't live here when it was held and weren't able to go(did I mention she rocks!) is to figure out what the cost will be per week once your child is placed in your home. If the cost of diapers, wipes, formula, clothes, etc. will cost you $50-$100 a week, depending on where you live and where you shop, start setting that much aside in a savings account every week. You will be surprised how quickly that adds up. Plus, once your child is in your home, you will already be used to having that cost, so it won't be such a shocker to your budget.
Honestly, the possibilities are endless. I googled adoption fundraising and I can't even tell you how many hits I got. What fundraiser ideas have you used? Come on, let's share! :D
And I'm going to leave you with a photo of my gorgeous necklace. I can't wait to get it! (I hope mrs. r doesn't mind that I am using the photo that I got from her etsy store where my necklace was listed. I just had to show you all how gorgeous it is!)
Gorgeous right?! Here is the reason behind what I chose. I chose 2 discs, one saying hope, because I have hope and faith that we will find our birth mother, and that we will be blessed with her and her little one as new additions to our family (along with all her family and our birth father too if he wants to be). I chose love because I love my husband and daughter with everything I have and everything I am. I chose the pearl because it is Tammy's birthstone, and I chose the green stone because it was close to aquamarine which is Jacob's birth stone. :D Are you jealous? Do you want one too? Just contact mrs. r through her etsy shop or through her blog. And just think, not only will you get a gorgeous peice of custom jewlery, but you will be helping a wonderful family stay together. :D
No comments:
Post a Comment