Adoption is EXPENSIVE! Just how expensive you may ask, well, so much so that it will be awhile before we can even enter the actual adoption process. With the agency we are going through a rough estimate of expenses that we are planning for is $26,000, which is a hefty chunk of our total income. Our estimate is based off of an information meeting we attended with IAC. They gave us a spreadsheet of all the expenses and average costs for the state of Indiana. As a breakdown this includes:
Initial Join Fee: $9,000
Birthparent Services: $1,560
Due at Birth: $1,560
Total = $12,220
Those are the required fees. The initial join fee is actually broken down into 6 monthly payments. However, if you are matched with a Birthmother during that 6 months the total $9,000 is due at that time. So that alone means we need to have at least $9,000 in savings for us to feel comfortable starting this process. Now, you are probably asking where that other $13,780 in expenses is coming from. Here are the possible/probable expenses we will incur.
Networking Expenses: $300-$3,000
Medical Expenses for Birthmother: $0-$10,000
Pregnancy-Related Expenses for the Birthmother: $0-$6,000
Travel: $100-$5,000
Legal Expenses: $1,500
Total = $1,900 – $25,500
The networking expenses are definitely something we will need to do. It covers our adoption website, 1-800 number and brochures about us that are sent out to prospective Birthparents. We do not expect to spend the full $3,00 here but we do expect to spend a good deal. The medical expenses and pregnancy-related expenses are something that we are unsure about at this point only because it requires us to be matched and know what the Birthmothers situation is. Travel is also something that will be required but at this point we are unsure of how much. We are fairly certain that we want to adopt out of state, so that will definitely require a few flights or driving as well as hotel stays. The legal expenses are for finalizing the adoption so that is a definite too. Our first goal is to raise $10,000. This will cover the initial join fee, as well as have a little bit left over to get us started with the networking things we need. We have come up with a few different ideas for how to raise this money that I want to share with everyone.
Bows for Adoption is an Etsy shop that I am working very hard to get set up. Basically, the idea for this came about last year. A coworker wore a couple of bows to work that she had made from scrap fabrics. They were so adorable I asked her to show me how she made them. To my surprise they were incredibly easy to make too! Since then I have been making a few bows every work day just for the heck of it. Originally, I was going to put them in my first Etsy shop, Mae’s Garden. Then Eric and I began talking more seriously about how we were going to pay for our adoption. That was when I knew what to do! I started a separate shop just for this. All of the bows are made from scraps of fabrics that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. The only things I purchase new for these are the headbands and hair clips. So far, I have made over 60 unique bows. I have been collecting fabric scraps from work so I can continue to make more. Within the next month I should have better photos taken to use for each listing and be able to officially open Bows for Adoption. Each bow will cost anywhere from $5.00-$10.00. All of the proceeds from each sale will go directly into our adoption savings account. 
Other than this shop we are wanting to have a garage sale or two this summer. We are asking friends and family who have things that they are wanting to get rid of to donate them to us for this. We are also going to have some info about us and our adoption plan with a donation jar just in case people want to help contribute.
We also need to look into restaurant fundraising. I read about a few people who have partnered with a restaurant for an evening. The idea is that anyone who comes in and purchases during that evening a small portion of their sale will go towards our adoption. I actually have a friend in the area that has done this for an organization she is apart of. This could definitely be a fun way to talk to everyone who is supporting us. This would probably come after the garage sale. That way we could hand out fliers about this as an upcoming event to everyone who stops by the garage sale.
Once we have officially started the adoption process there are grants available that we can also apply for and we fully intend to do that. If you have any fundraising ideas I would love to hear them, even if they are not related to adoption. Anything that has or has not worked out for you in the past.
I am very excited to announce the winner of my Shabby Apple giveaway! Using the True Random Number Generator the winning comment is #6 from Amdierm!
