Pursuing an international adoption requires a significant commitment of both time and money. You'll be working with a lot of specialists along the way, from social workers to family attorneys and possibly even a translator if you're adopting internationally. You may find that you need to do some fundraising to help cover the costs of these services and the adoption itself. Many families are turning to fundraising letters as a way to support their efforts. Here are some tips to create a comprehensive fundraising letter for your adoption.
Explain the Situation
The first step to an effective adoption fundraising letter is to let the recipients know exactly what your path is, why you have decided to adopt and what the financial situation looks like. Start by clearly illustrating your reasons for adoption. This section should reflect your emotional investment and your passion for adoption.
In addition, you will need to explain how much the adoption is costing you. The recipients won't be able to truly appreciate your fundraising needs until you clearly define the expense for them. Provide a breakdown of the budget so that they know not only how much it costs, but how much money you still need to raise. It may be difficult to put that information out there, but it will help to put the process in perspective. A family lawyer, such as those at Bahan Law LLC, can help you understand the laws and costs associated with adoption, so you can provide accurate information.
Tell your recipients what you've done so far to raise money, and explain any future fundraising plans that you might have. This lets everybody know that you are taking an active role in getting money together. If you have made significant changes to your household budget for this, don't be afraid to tell them about that as well.
Don't Be Afraid to Get Personal
Include pictures of your family and details about how you plan to welcome this child into the family. Show that the family as a whole is taking an active role in providing a good home. You may even be able to get approved pictures of the child from the adoption agency. Before you include any personal information about the actual child that you're adopting, though, talk to your family attorney about what is legally permissible to say.
Provide Other Support Options
Create a support card insert that tells your friends and family about other ways that they can help you with the adoption process. This may include donating items for garage sales, submissions for bake sales or recipes for a fundraising cookbook.
With the tips presented here, you can create a fundraising letter that will clearly illustrate your need and the progress that you've made. Make sure that you have an attorney review it before you send it out, though, because you want to make sure that there are no legal concerns with the content.
Share31 December 2014
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