John and Tracie Loux, Malcolm and Amy Young, Randy and Kelsey Bohlender
photos courtesy of Shelley Paulson
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Adoption Seminar Photos
John and Tracie Loux, Malcolm and Amy Young, Randy and Kelsey Bohlender
photos courtesy of Shelley Paulson
Monday, February 18, 2008
Silent Auctions
A silent auction can be a huge success and is always a lot of fun at a fund raiser! Have a starting bid and an ending time, and allow people to out bid each other throughout the evening.
This gift basked contained candles, CD's, and tickets to the Kansas City ballet!
Here's a fun basket with some teas, coffee, and hot chocolate!
Hit up your local coffee shops, hair salons, day salons, and other local businesses for donations of goods and services!
This gift basked contained candles, CD's, and tickets to the Kansas City ballet!
Here's a fun basket with some teas, coffee, and hot chocolate!
Hit up your local coffee shops, hair salons, day salons, and other local businesses for donations of goods and services!
Seminar Reminder!
Our Free Adoption Seminar will be this Saturday the 23rd from 10am-12pm at New Hope United Methodist Church on Wornall Avenue in Kansas City. It's not too late to RSVP! Feel free to email me or respond to this post if you'd like to attend but haven't responded yet!
Also, please not that we have updated our website.
Christian Adoption Consultants
Also, please not that we have updated our website.
Christian Adoption Consultants
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Adoption Fundraising 101
In addition to grants and loans that are available for couples pursuing adoption, there are many creative ways to raise the large amount of money needed.
I always advice my couples this way:
1. Let people know you are planning to adopt. Send out a letter to family and friends, like a birth announcement! Let them know the expense that you are facing and ask them to support you if they can. Share with them your heart for adoption and allow them the joy of partnering with you. There are many people out there who cannot adopt but desire to walk out James 1:27 by giving.
2. Plan a fund raising event. Be creative.
- Choose a theme (Be unique: I just attended a Valentine themed dinner, Ours was a crazy 80's night theme, one of my couples is planning a Mexican Fiesta)
- Decide what you will serve (I've seen everything from dessert and coffee to a sit down catered dinner and everything in between.)
- Find a location (community centers, churches, restaraunts, etc)
-Get HELP! There are always friends out there who love doing this kind of thing. Get help so you don't burn yourself out. You can even see if you can get a party planner to give you a good deal and take the whole thing for you!
-Always make your fundraiser a ticketed event. My suggestion is that you give people options for their ticket prices. For our 80's night music themed fund raiser, we had different ticket prices like this: Vinyl- $25, Silver- $50, Platinum- $100, Gold $250. Friends of ours had a flower themed event and their tickets were Carnation, Daisy, Rose, and Orchid (I think).
-Other things you can add to your dinner:
-A silent auction (get local businesses to donate gift certificates, gift baskets, products or services, get local artists to donate photography and artwork)
-A live auction is fun too!
3. Raffels or Online Auctions. You can get people to donate good 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.
Other ideas:
1. One of the couples that I am working with set up an account with www.onecause.com
OneCause is a nontraditional fundraising program that will help us earn the funds we need through everyday opportunities, such as shopping on-line, in stores and catalogs, purchasing gift certificates, by using the OneCause credit card, or through a variety of other easy programs.
2. If you like to write and especially if you have a lot of family and friends out of town, set up a blog to journal your process and allow people to stay connected and feel part of your journey. You can even set up a DONATE link on your side bar for people wanting to give to your adoption fund.
3. Non-profit Fundraising Sales: Gather a group of eager helpers, maybe even kids from your youth group at church and do a fund raiser similar to what some schools do to raise funds for band, senior trips, etc. Here's a link to check out.
4. Here's another option A Child's Desire.
(there are hundreds of other adoption fundraising ideas with just a quick google search!)
Feel free to post other ideas that have worked for you or others you know!!!
Again, Pray! Above all else I believe that God's heart is for adoption and He will provide!
I always advice my couples this way:
1. Let people know you are planning to adopt. Send out a letter to family and friends, like a birth announcement! Let them know the expense that you are facing and ask them to support you if they can. Share with them your heart for adoption and allow them the joy of partnering with you. There are many people out there who cannot adopt but desire to walk out James 1:27 by giving.
2. Plan a fund raising event. Be creative.
- Choose a theme (Be unique: I just attended a Valentine themed dinner, Ours was a crazy 80's night theme, one of my couples is planning a Mexican Fiesta)
- Decide what you will serve (I've seen everything from dessert and coffee to a sit down catered dinner and everything in between.)
- Find a location (community centers, churches, restaraunts, etc)
-Get HELP! There are always friends out there who love doing this kind of thing. Get help so you don't burn yourself out. You can even see if you can get a party planner to give you a good deal and take the whole thing for you!
-Always make your fundraiser a ticketed event. My suggestion is that you give people options for their ticket prices. For our 80's night music themed fund raiser, we had different ticket prices like this: Vinyl- $25, Silver- $50, Platinum- $100, Gold $250. Friends of ours had a flower themed event and their tickets were Carnation, Daisy, Rose, and Orchid (I think).
-Other things you can add to your dinner:
-A silent auction (get local businesses to donate gift certificates, gift baskets, products or services, get local artists to donate photography and artwork)
-A live auction is fun too!
3. Raffels or Online Auctions. You can get people to donate good 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.
Other ideas:
1. One of the couples that I am working with set up an account with www.onecause.com
OneCause is a nontraditional fundraising program that will help us earn the funds we need through everyday opportunities, such as shopping on-line, in stores and catalogs, purchasing gift certificates, by using the OneCause credit card, or through a variety of other easy programs.
2. If you like to write and especially if you have a lot of family and friends out of town, set up a blog to journal your process and allow people to stay connected and feel part of your journey. You can even set up a DONATE link on your side bar for people wanting to give to your adoption fund.
3. Non-profit Fundraising Sales: Gather a group of eager helpers, maybe even kids from your youth group at church and do a fund raiser similar to what some schools do to raise funds for band, senior trips, etc. Here's a link to check out.
4. Here's another option A Child's Desire.
(there are hundreds of other adoption fundraising ideas with just a quick google search!)
Feel free to post other ideas that have worked for you or others you know!!!
Again, Pray! Above all else I believe that God's heart is for adoption and He will provide!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Great Couples that I'm Working With
Mike and Stephanie
Rusty and Elisabeth
Kristi and Steven
Dean and Chrystal
Won't you join me and praying for these terrific couples as they walk out their adoption journey! I am honored to be working with such amazing families!
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