So many families want a child of their own and they see adoption as the perfect option. Many times, the cost of an adoption prevents them from getting started. If you have been called to adopt, God will provide all your needs. Please don't allow this to prevent you from adopting. Fundraising is time-consuming, but is easy and people will simply want to help. If you have been one of those families that feels hopeless because of the cost of adoption, we have great hope for you.
First of all, let's consider a China Adoption through Chinese Children Adoption International (CCAI). Their costs are among the lowest of agencies: $15,000 to $17,000. That's it. No other hidden costs. That includes flight, food, hotel, adoption expenses...everything included in that total. If two people travel, the costs will be closer to $17,000. (We highly recommend, for several reasons, both mom and dad traveling. It's a trip of a lifetime). A China adoption is among the lowest of any adoption around the world and CCAI's costs are among the lowest of China programs.
The good news is that you do not have to come up with all the money at one time. You will pay as you go. You pay for the Home Study to your social worker. You pay USCIS for immigration approval. You pay CCAI for their services, and so on. These fees are spread out through your adoption process of about 14 months...depending on what the current time frame is for China adoptions. It's hard to compare costs of different agencies because some agencies include different things in their agency fee. I love how CCAI explains in detail where every dollar goes. CCAI fees include translation because they have their own Chinese translators. Some agencies do not include this. If you would like to see a schedule of payments, you can see details on the CCAI website here.
Second, our United States Government provides a tax benefit to adopting families after you come home with your baby. Right now, the benefit is nearly $11,000 tax credit (it is adjusted annually for inflation). For more details about this, click here.
So if you subtract the adoption tax credit from the total adoption costs, you get a difference of $6,000. Yes, you do have to come up with the $17,000 up front, before you travel to get baby. As you file your taxes each year, you will get a portion of that money back. As you see, the final cost is really only about $6,000.
Saying it again....If God has put it on your heart, He will provide in miraculous ways. There are many other ways to find the money.
Our Fundraising
God's way for us to fundraise has been through Premier Designs Jewelry. Trina has been a jeweler for five years. In the middle of her first year as a jeweler, we decided to adopt. Through God's blessings and Premier, she has raised all the money needed for Alaina's adoption. Premier is a Biblically-based home business located in Dallas, Texas, and founded in 1985. Premier Designs offers a beautiful line of High Fashion Jewelry that is affordably priced and backed by their exceptional Golden Guarantee. God is blessing her business again while fundraising for our new baby. If this sounds interesting to you, Trina would love to talk to you and can help you get started today. Contact her at joelandtrina2@yahoo.com. You can also access more details about Premier on their site: www.PremierDesigns.com.
Other ideas for Fundraising
1) The support of your local church body. We have several friends who have raised $1000's of dollars by having a yard sale at their church. Many church members have donated through the church for a specific family. One family had a Rock-A-bye-Baby rock-a-thon fundraiser. All of this adds up, and the support of your church is so important.
2) Grants. One organization that gives large Grant money (free money), is Steven Curtis Chapman's Shaohannah's Hope. What you do is complete their online form and ask your pastor to write a letter for you. It's important to wait until you have had several fundraisers at your church so you can total the amount. One friends church has helped her raise around $6,000 so Shaohannah's Hope could give this couple $6,000. This is not written in stone but we do know that Shaohannah's Hope expects the church to be apart of this families' life and this new precious baby that needs a loving family. It appears that Shaohannah's Hope will "match" the funds that the church has helped raise. Read more about Shaohannah's Hope here.
3) There are other Financial Aid opportunities out there. Many wonderful organizations are listed on the CCAI website. Grants are great because this is "free" money. Look at the extensive list here. You can print out the list and start making calls and sending emails. The adoption "pregnancy" is a lot of "labor." :)
4) You can also get money from "NO INTEREST" loans. One organization is Abba Fund. They will allow you to borrow the money at no interest and make scheduled payments. This is a great option. For more details on Abba Fund, click here. Another no interest opportunity is through a credit card. We get many of those in the mail on a daily basis. You borrow the money you need for one year with no interest and then you pay it back after one year. This gives you time to fundraise and then you don't have to stop the process because you don't have all the money in hand for the next step. Borrowing money is not our first choice, so please pray about whether this is the best choice for your family.
5) Life International encourages Christian couples to adopt a child by relieving some of the financial burden of international and domestic adoption. They provide Adoption Matching Grants from $1k-$4k per child, and also offer Interest-Free Loans. You can visit their website at www.lifeintl.org , or email at info@lifeintl.org , or phone 309.747.3556
6) More ideas can be found on: Fundraising for Adoption Yahoo Group. This is a great group to bounce ideas. All the families are adopting and are fundraising just like you. You can share your ideas and get many more. Believe us when we tell you that many babies have come home to America because their moms and dads sold Wendy's Bucks, Car washes, and bottle water. One amazing mom sells things on Ebay and she has brought three children home from China.
7) Employer Adoption Benefits
(Courtesy of CCAI)
Many companies offer adoption benefits to their employees, which may range from financial assistance to parental leave. Some employers will help with costs by reimbursing adoption expenses with a cash benefit of up to several thousand dollars. Check your employer to see what adoption assistance may be available.
8) CCAI's Discount for Returning Families
(Courtesy of CCAI)
More than 40% of CCAI families return for a second China adoption! To show their appreciation and support, CCAI offers substantial discounts on agency fees for returning CCAI families
9) CCAI's Waiting Child Program Gift of Appreciation
(Courtesy of CCAI)
When your family makes the final decision to adopt a specific child with a special need and your Travel Notice has been received in their office, they will automatically send you a check for $500 to express our gratitude. Returning CCAI families adopting a child with a special need will benefit from both the Discount for Returning Families and the Waiting Child Gift of Appreciation. Check with CCAI to confirm the current status of this Gift of Appreciation, as it may be subject to change at some time.
