8 Creative Adoption Fundraising Ideas

The benefits of having a virtual bake sale is that you don’t need a location for your sale and you won’t have any items left over. Experiment with a few recipes, choose 1-2 items to sell, then take orders on social media, over the phone, and in person. Do the baking (with help from family and friends), deliver the deliciousness, and receive payment. It’s that easy.

Make treats that people typically don’t make for themselves and are decadent or unique. A couple of sure winners are devil’s food cake balls (easier than cake pops) or bacon-pancake cupcakes with maple frosting.

This unique event requires little planning and upfront costs. The challenge could be selling the experience to dads (but moms will love it!). Partner with a hair stylist and host a date night for dads and daughters. Dads get to learn to do their daughters' hair from a professional, paint nails, and spend quality time with their girls. Daughters get one-on-one time with dad, their hair done, and their nails painted. Include snacks, fancy beverages, girl’s magazines, and cute hair accessories for the girls in the ticket price.

Plan a bus trip for women (shopping), men (sporting event), or families (water or amusement park). Bus trips can build community within a church or school while supporting your adoption. Moms love bus trips because they don’t have to plan anything. They just pay and show up!

A snack stand is an easy fundraiser to pair with an already existing event. Ask organizers if they will allow you to sell snacks and beverages. Set up in an area with a lot of traffic and sell something that appeals to everyone. For a state-wide cross country meet on a cold fall day, we sold warm cinnamon roasted almonds (from a crockpot) and hot chocolate. A local marathon, festival, or even a long sidewalk sale can provide a great opportunity to raise money with minimal effort.

A sports tournament can bring in a lot of cash quickly. You can charge teams to participate, sell t-shirts, and make money from snack and beverage sales during the event. The downside is that there is a lot of planning involved. Kickball is a great choice because it’s a game for all ages, it’s not too rough, and it requires little skill. Plus, who doesn’t like kickball?

Ok, so this isn’t very “creative,” but it is a classic fundraiser because it is a guaranteed money-maker. Ask family and friends to donate their gently used stuff (you’ll be overwhelmed with donations), promote your sale, price everything, set up, and take money from strangers. Be sure to make a large sign informing shoppers that the sale is to raise money for your adoption. They’ll be less likely to haggle over prices and they may even make a donation. A large sale can make upwards of $1,000 in a weekend.

Youth groups, tweens, and teens can get in on the action by raking leaves, mowing lawns, shoveling/blowing snow, or asking neighbors to donate their empty soda cans. With a large group, you will “rake” in the cash (Ba-dum-bum!).