One of the biggest questions that adoptive parents have when beginning the domestic adoption journey is…how long will we have to wait?
Lots of people (my wife and I included) have asked this question – only to get the same answer.
It depends.
What does this mean? Well, the wait to adopt depends on how quickly you can match with an expectant mother. Agencies and attorneys try to give an estimate based on their experience, but ultimately there is no way to know and there is no guarantee as to when an expectant mom will choose you to match with.
The good news is there are some fantastic ways to get quicker connections and shorten your wait. One way is to use online profile services who specialize in matching hopeful adoptive parents with expectant moms. Here are several that I recommend:
Parentfinder.com is one of the most comprehensive, hands-on adoption profile services. They offer professional guidance to parents looking to adopt. They are a trusted partner to dozens of adoption agencies. Expectant moms can view adoption profiles on their phone or with the adoption agency of their choosing. Parents match and place faster using Parentfinder’s adoption marketing services and technology. They have profile creation tools including video recording, blogging, photo albums, and social network integration. They have different plans available.
1. Network Membership Plan ($300 one-time fee): Designed for self-starters who have a great handle on marketing, their Network Membership is a self-guided membership that provides you with the toolset necessary to build and market your online profile.
2. Featured Membership Plan ($750 one-time fee): Their team of professional editors and designers will guide you from beginning to end while you build a rich and dynamic adoption profile. They have years of experience building adoption profiles and will help you share your story in a unique, but effective way. You’ll be able to create an online profile, printed profile, and a video profile. This plan is focused on increasing your visibility behind the scenes. They’ve built SEO into your profiles, ensuring that when expectant moms search for adoptive families, your profile will show up organically. You’ll also be featured on social media pages along with seven other adoption-related websites – boosting your visibility even more.
3. Preferred Plan ($2,000 one-time fee): This plan gets you one-on-one guidance and consulting. You’ll be paired with one of their adoption consultants who will guide you from beginning to end on your adoption journey. This consultant will help you understand the nuances of the adoption process and advocate for you all along the way. You’l get custom and dynamic adoption profile creation. They will pair you with a home study provider in your area and help you prepare. You’ll get access to their network of over 20 of the largest adoption organizations in the U.S. By choosing to work with Parentfinder, your profile will be shared by each of these agencies, which means more exposure and less wait time.
ParentProfiles is part of the Adoption.com site. By posting a profile on their web site, you make information about yourself and your desire to adopt available to all expectant and placing parents who visit the site.
You can easily create a beautiful profile on one of the world’s most-used adoption site, making it easier to connect with women who are pregnant and considering adoption.
They have 3 packages: Silver, Gold, and Platinum starting at $199/month. The higher the package, the more features and benefits you get, which can (and should) decrease the time it takes to match with an expectant mom.
Adoptimist is a place for online adoption connections. They have tools and solutions for faster and easier adoption connections between expectant mothers and qualified adoptive parents. Customize your adoptive parent profile page exactly the way you want it with your latest photos, videos, and blogs. Connect quickly with interested expectant parents.
To be eligible:
- You must be homestudy approved – providing written proof of your homestudy within two weeks of joining.
- All single and married couples are eligible.
- See their frequently asked questions page for more details.
To see their currently waiting families, click here.
Key Features:
- photo album
- video album
- home page
- blog entries
- about page
- diary
- personal 800 phone number
Fees:
There are two service plans – with the Premium plan increasing your exposure to potential birthmothers:
1. Featured Plan: $50/month. You’ll get an expanded profile page with enhanced features such as a custom domain (www.yournamehere.com) and blog entries. You’ll also appear on the homepage and in other high-traffic areas on the site each time you update your profile. Your placement in these highly-visited and desirable areas will increase your chances of being noticed.
3. Premium Plan: $150/month. In addition to all the benefits of the Featured Plan, you’ll have access to every available tool and service they offer: a robust, unlimited profile, a featured ad placement on the site exclusively for you, and custom ads built for your family that will run across the internet and link directly to your profile page.
