AdoptTogether.org Brings Crowdfunding to the Adoption Process

According to Hank Fortener, founder of AdoptTogether.org and World Adoption Day, 87% of families interested in adopting a child are dissuaded from doing so due to the costs involved in completing the adoption. Which is why Fortener decided to found AdoptTogether.org as a central crowdfunding platform in which would-be adoptive parents can create a profile and raise money from friends, family, and even strangers across the world to fund the costs associated with both domestic and international adoptions, including legal and travel costs. Thousands of adoptions have already been funded through AdoptTogether.org.

If you are familiar with crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter or GoFundMe, you already have a good sense of how AdoptTogether.org works. Parents seeking to adopt a child can submit a profile to the website which includes sending in all invoices and documentation related to the adoption the parents are working towards. Submissions are evaluated monthly by a board based on adoption status, actual adoption expenses and donor designations.

Once an adopting family is approved for inclusion on AdoptTogether.org, the organization lists the family’s profile which allows for friends and family to donate, and the organization also solicits donations from other individuals and corporations on the family’s behalf. Parents can post videos and messages about their adoption journeys for their donors and would-be donors to see. AdoptTogether.org is non-profit, meaning families receive all donations over the organization’s operating costs.

Since AdoptTogether.org was created in 2012, over 2,300 families have been funded in their adoption journeys through raising over $10 million, and the organization is seeking more adoptive families to help fund. More information about the group can be found here , as well as in this profile of the organization broadcast on The Today Show last month on World Adoption Day.

Adoption Law Group salutes and supports the work done by AdoptTogether.org and other organizations dedicated to helping parents in the adoption process. Adoption Law Group is a law firm in Southern California dedicated exclusively to adoption. Our areas of practice include stepparent adoptions , fost-adopt finalizations, agency-assisted adoption finalizations, adult adoptions, guardianships and international readoptions. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.