International adoption requires the services of a lot of professionals – social workers, attorneys, translators – and the expenses add up. Increasingly, prospective adoptive parents are turning to fundraising letters to raise these funds for their adoption. Below are 11 tips for writing an effective adoption fundraising letter.

1. Clearly articulate your passion to adopt and describe your motivations for wanting to adopt.
2. Share what you plan to do or have already done to raise funds.
3. Share how you have made sacrificial changes to your current budget.
4. Send your letters out in increments – close family and friends first. Add recipients to your list as you progress through the process.
5. Add photos of your family and/or other adopted children. You may be able to obtain approved photos from your agency. NEVER include photos of your referral photo. MLJ country facilitators suggest using three descriptors of your child: region of birth, gender, and age. Example; We are adopting a male, age 2-4, from Eastern Europe.
6. Explain in your own words that the beneficiary of any donation is THE CHILD, not your family, and they will have a direct and active role in providing a safe, loving home to a child in need.
7. If you have an on-line platform or another avenue prepared for accepting tax-deductible donations, share that information in your letter.
8. Add a support card which lists a variety of ways your friends can help, such as; prayer, monetary donations, donations for a garage sale, volunteer assistance at fund raisers, submissions for a cookbook, baked goods donations for a fall festival, and ANY fund raiser you are considering.
9. Be honest about how much money the total adoption will cost and how much you need for the next leg of the journey.
10. Consider including the plight of global orphans. Your letter can educate those who have not been exposed to adoption.
11. And, finally, always send a thank you note in a timely manner for any donation given.

For additional tips, see: How To Write The Perfect Fundraising Letter. These sites are not “adoption specific” but have some helpful ideas.

Photo Credit: Pete O’Shea