This weekend I spotted another great fundraiser idea on Facebook – “Tag the Bag.” The Besk family (now famous among my readers for their Karaoke Party fundraising idea) used the idea to raise funds specifically for their airfare to Ethiopia.

Catherine was quick to give credit to her friend Ashley Rippke who in turn says it was actually her mom’s idea during their first adoption. Got that?

It’s pretty simple. Grab the suitcase you’re going to use for travel and some markers. For every donation someone makes, tag your bag with their name. You could name a specific amount if you want, but both these families made it open to ANY dollar amount.

The Rippke family raised approximately $3,500 with this fundraiser during their adoption of Elsa. (They bought the suitcase for $.50 at a garage sale and is now used as Elsa’s keepsake bag with items from Ethiopia and other special items she’ll collect during her childhood.)

This time around, the fundraiser has raised $7,500 of the Rippke’s $17,000 goal. And they’re not done.

Here’s a great graphic they did to explain their story and fundraiser.

The Besk family limited their fundraiser to a 48 hour time period. They received 58 donations and raised $3,250 for their airfare costs.

If your adoption doesn’t include travel, this idea could be taken elsewhere…

• tag the crib
• tag the stroller
• tag the carseat
• tag the diaper bag

What else could you tag?

 

In November of 2009, I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a form of cancer in the bone marrow. Due to the amount of pain I experienced and the round of chemotherapy that I went through, my husband and I decided that, instead of the possibility of passing this on to a child, we would adopt.

As we started to think more about adoption, we started to pray that God would let us know if this was something He wanted us to do. He showed us that adoption is a true reflection of what He has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. We are all adopted by God into His family.

In January of 2013, we started the formal domestic adoption process through Bethany Christian Services. Because of one doctor’s report, we were denied the process. In March of 2013, when I visited my lead oncologist, I asked him to clarify some things the other doctor said. When I left his office, he hugged me and said, “We will get your baby!” In just a week or so, we got another letter from Bethany letting us know they had reversed their previous decision and we were approved!

In April of 2013, I lost my job. It was a job that I loved and I had been there close to nine years. With that, we lost almost half of our income.

While we feel this is something God has called us to do, the $30,000 amount is something we cannot do without Him. This amount includes legal fees, counseling for the birth mother, medical expenses for the birth mother and other services provided by Bethany.

Through monthly fundraisers and generous donations, we have raised $6,000 so far.  We are hosting a fundraiser each month until our adoption is paid for and our child has come home.

On October 19, 2013, we will be hosting “Laissez Les Bon Temps Roullez for Baby Lewis.” Having grown up in Louisiana, I love a good party with good food. We are having a gumbo dinner and silent auction and are planning on this being our largest fundraiser to date. Our silent auction will also be displayed beforehand online to collect bids from people who are unable to attend the event.

I spend my days looking for people to donate items. I started with the contacts in my phone. I looked for anyone who owned a business, had a talent, was crafty. I wrote them letters asking for donations. Then, I went to my Friends on Facebook. I sent them emails. If anyone had any connection to something I thought was valuable, I asked. It is quite a humbling experience.

In the past few months, we have done a restaurant fundraiser (Texas Roadhouse – about $200), a garage sale (about $1,200), had friends run a half marathon in our honor (about $300) and done a ton of odd jobs here and there. Through these, and the generous friends and family members God has blessed us with, we have raised over $6,000.

In November of 2013, we will host a miniature golf tournament at a local indoor play place. In December, I plan to have my friends out to dinner to celebrate my birthday – with our child getting 10% of our guests’ bills.

Also, I have a friend who owns a salon. She asked if my husband and I could be her “charity” this Christmas. I immediately said no! There are so many people who need more than I do. But, a good friend in my Bible study group quickly pointed out that we have been praying for financial help for our adoption for a long time. Who are we to dictate how God wants to bless us? So…we are the family in need this holiday season. On our wish list, we have requests for money for the adoption, gift cards to help pay for diapers, formula and clothes and people’s favorite childhood books.

God is constantly showing us we are doing what He has asked. He will provide. It is so nice to be adopted by Him!

Each Friday I’ll feature a different fundraising adoptive family. My hope is that we can support each other and also learn from each other. For submission guidelines, go here.