4. Fundraise. Go in person to local businesses and ask them to donate to your cause. You can raffle gift certificates and merchandise by setting up a stand at Wal-Mart. They’re very lenient about this, so just call ahead and set up a date. Consider doing a pancake breakfast or spaghetti dinner (just be aware that doing it at an LDS church building is a no-no.) Ask your newspaper to donate the add space and get businesses, friends and family to donate the supplies. You can also raffle or auction off donated items during the dinner, and encourage attendees to bring along items they can donate. Think about the people you know and what they could offer you. Do you have family who own a timeshare or condo or cabin? If so, auction off a weekend! Do you have a dentist in the family? Auction off a free exam and cleaning! Can you or a friend sew or quilt? Raffle off a custom quilt or blanket!

5. Adjust your withholdings to give you more money each month, up to the amount of the tax credit. Be careful with this one, especially if you are adopting internationally. Because international adoptions must be COMPLETED prior to claiming the credit, you should be reasonably sure your adoption will indeed be completed in the year you adjust your withholdings. Domestic adopters can claim the credit against their aggregate expenses, even if the adoption is not yet finalized. Essentially, by temporarily reducing your withholdings, you are giving yourself more money to put toward your adoption each month while simultaneously increasing the amount of tax you will owe at the end of the year. You must be sure that you will not exceed the credit amount, currently $10,960. Be aware, also, that the credit begins to phase out at $170,820 and is completely eliminated at $210,820. This strategy works best for people who have a consistent monthly income.

6. eBay everything that isn’t nailed down. When we were working on our first adoption, we made about $4000 selling things on eBay. If you've never sold anything on eBay before, you can find tutorials here.


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