Advertising
This category causes the greatest variance when the different programs estimate total adoption cost. For example, Agency #1 may allot $8,000 to advertising whereas Agency #2 might require you to place ads. Therefore Agency one's total cost estimate will most like be $8,000 higher. See example below.
| | Agency #1 | Agency #2 |
| Advertising allotment | $8,000 | $0 |
| Total cost estimate | $20,000 | $12,000 |
There is also another factor to consider. The largest agencies in the United States average spending $8,000 in advertising for each successful Caucasian placement. This is with excellent support services such as high quality counseling, great accessibility, and stability. There are some adoption programs that are not being honest when they suggest less can be spent on advertising for a Caucasian adoption.
If an agency is placing the ads for you and they are only spending $4,000 in advertising then they must sign up two prospective adoptive families for each adoption. This means only 50% of their families who join their list will receive a baby. What happens to the unlucky families? They wait on the list.
If an agency is asking you to place ads and informs you that you only need to spend $4,000 in advertising, then you will only have a 50% chance of receiving a placement. This is assuming you can provide the same quality services as the largest agencies in the United States.
Some families are lucky and only spend $500 in advertising and they find the perfect birth mother. While yet there are other families who spend $10,000 and do not find any quality birth mothers. The bottom line is MOST families will spend $8,000 advertising through a large agency and will usually spend several thousand more when advertising through small professionals. You will find the advertising through smaller professionals will cost more because smaller professionals do not offer as many services and therefore they lose more birth mothers. This means you will usually spend more than $8,000 in advertising with a smaller adoption agency.
| | LARGE AGENCY | ATTORNEYS | SMALL AGENCY | MEDIUM AGENCY | FACILITATORS |
|---|
|
Average amount allotted to advertising
|
$6,000- $10,000
|
$2,000-$3,000
|
$1,000-$2,000
|
$2,000-$4,000
|
$3,000-$4,000
|
|
Average total cost estimate for a successful adoption
|
$20,000-$30,000
|
$8,000-$16,000
|
$8,000-$14,000
|
$14,000-$25,000
|
$12,000-$20,000
|
|
Average advertising amount actually needed for a successful adoption
|
$8,000
|
$8,000-$10,000
|
$8,000-$10,000
|
$8,000-$9,000
|
$8,000-$9,000
|
Keep in mind, adoption programs provide a total cost estimate for a successful adoption but what most programs do not share with you two important factors:
- Many list a lower allotment for advertising which artificially lowers the total cost estimates.
- Most programs do not calculate costs for working with birth mothers who do not place. These costs, which will be billed to you, can be significant. You will see this broken down later in this chapter.
Facilitators - Most charge between $5,800 and $10,000 as an upfront fee. One very important fact to understand with most facilitators is that the facilitator's fee only covers advertising for two years, which means if you do not receive a placement in two years then you must pay this fee again. Facilitators are known for accepting twice as many families as they are producing placements. There are a few ways you can try to determine how many families they are accepting versus placement. You can ask for the number of placements they facilitated last year and how many families joined their list? Another good question to ask is how much do they allot towards advertising? You will then be able to calculate the chance of success.
Attorney - Most attorneys have adoptive families place their own advertisements. Attorneys often provide low advertising estimates which artificially and falsely distorts their total adoption costs. Remember, the average family will spend $8,000 in advertising to locate a pregnant mother. Lower estimates are often provided to encourage families to join an attorney's list. Since attorneys offer far less services than most adoption programs, their only way to attract families is to artificially set their total adoption costs lower. Families often join hoping they will be getting an adoption for less than through other professionals. Unfortunately, many families discover months or years later that they have spent $5,000 to $10,000 and have no adoption to show for it. You will also find attorneys bill for consultation on each birth mother you refer to them, which can become very costly especially because only 1 in 10 birth mothers considering adoption actually place their child.
Small agencies - Most small agencies are structured very similarly to attorneys.
Medium agencies - These agencies often service one or two states and most advertise for adoptive families. The problem with medium sized agencies is they often only allot $2,000 to $4,000 in advertising.
Large agencies - These agencies often advertise nationally. They allot anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000 in advertising for each family who joins. This equates to accurate and dependable waiting times. However, the total cost estimates while more accurate are almost always higher than other adoption programs. Large agencies are often more realistic with total costs, which is often due to experience. In order to attract families, smaller programs must appear less expensive to families. With large agencies, families should be aware of the overhead costs in running multiple offices that can result in higher total costs, so be sure to select one who is fiscally sound.
| | LARGE AGENCY | ATTORNEYS | SMALL AGENCY | MEDIUM AGENCY | FACILITATORS |
|---|
| Family must advertise on their own. | NO | YES | YES | VARIES | NO |
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