Lifesong Overview

Rich Metcalfe

Who is Lifesong?

Our Mission – Bring joy and purpose to orphans

Our Method – To mobilize the church, so each person can provide a unique and special service: some to adopt, some to care, some to give, some to go

Our Pledge – “Our Children” will have:

•No want for food, clothing, medical care, or shelter•Fundamental Christian training and discipleship•A quality education to provide a foundation for the future•Continued love and support as they transition into adult living

What does that look like?

Culture Changing Orphan Care Adoption Funding Church Partnerships Foster Care

Orphan Care:

Bolivia:

Guatemala:

Honduras:

India:

Ethiopia:

Liberia:

Zambia:

Ukraine:

Is it working?

Adoption Funding:

Church Partnerships:

Foster Care:

Orphan Care is all about God

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families. Psalm 68:5-6

In you the orphan finds mercy. Hosea 14:3

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. Isaiah 1:17

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father.” Romans 8:14-16

A person who pleads for a cause

Advocate

someone who expounds or interprets

Exponent

person who uses the mind creatively

Intellectual

highly cultured or educated

Highbrow

So, when we fundraise we remember that we are being an Advocate…

… a person who pleads for the cause of orphans or expounds and explains

their plight by using the mind creatively in an intellectually

appealing and highly cultured manner!

Why is this important?...

The “Wyatt’s” of the world are why it’s important!…

Wyatt – orphaned in Lithuania

Born with:

Cleft lip & palate

1 finger on each hand

2 toes on each foot

Severe hearing loss

Congenital heart defect

Wyatt in orphanage

Wyatt – in CA hospital after adoption

Rock climbing?

A Father to the fatherless…

God truly…

“sets the lonely into families….”

- Psalm 68:5,6

Financial Need & Resources

Often the greatest challenge – cost of adoption

Overview of the Costs of Adoption

Domestic Adoption – $8-35k International Adoption - $25-$45k +

Adoption Funding Solution Tools

1. Direct Grants

2. Matching Grants

3. Interest-Free Loans

4. Fundraising Support (gifts, donations without a grant/loan)

Direct Grants

Direct gift to cover adoption expenses

www.showhope.org & others

Adoption Matching Grants

Matching Grants of up to $4,000/per child ($2500-$3,000 average)

Kingdom Activity: see adoption as “missions in reverse”…bringing the mission field home

LS offers a $1-for-$1 match – mobilizes the Body of Christ!

Lifesong provides ‘Adoption Support Raising’ kit E.g. Harlow family - $2500 Matching Grant – raised over $11K

Average Scenario: Matching Grant of $2,500 - mobilizes an additional $5,000 - average total grant funds for your adoption = $7500

*Key Strategy: mobilizes Body of Christ and leverages funds to bridge financial gap

Federal Adoption Tax Credit Currently there is a federal adoption tax credit

of up to $12,970 per child for unreimbursed “qualified adoption expenses.”

See IRS Tax Topic 607: Adoption Credit (www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc607.html), which provides general information about the current federal adoption tax credit.

Note: Please be sure to consult your tax adviser for additional information and to understand how the federal adoption tax credit works and may impact you.

Interest-Free Loan

Maximizes stewardship by utilizing Federal Adoption Tax Credit – reducing the initial, upfront ‘cash-flow crunch’

An Interest-Free Loan allows a family to capture $12,970 Federal Tax Credit

Couples sign a covenant agreement to repay Monthly or Annually (can use Fed Tax Credit to repay loan)

The loan is repaid & then circulated to another family

*Key Strategy: funds become self-sustaining, where the loan repayments each month/year help to fund new families

How does an “Adoption Fund” fit with your church mission/vision?

Meet Needs – Orphans find homes, Families are assisted, Churches become more active

Share Jesus – Adoption provides an opportunity to share the Gospel

Encourage Others – We are able to put our faith in action, to develop relationships and encourage & support others

Live out Loud – As we care for orphans and help with adoption, the community around us see the body of Christ at work

Top 3 common ‘barriers’ & their solutions… Barrier: Church staff “plate is already full” to administer fund

Solution: Lifesong can manage/facilitate the Fund & carry the administrative load on behalf of church, using mutually agreed upon criteria (reviewing applications, accounting, donor receipts, disbursing funds on behalf of adoption, etc.)

Barrier: Church feels uncomfortable/awkward approving/denying their own families (viewing financials, etc.) Solution: Lifesong can provide all the screening, reviewing, approving/denying as

a ‘partner’ on behalf of the church, using mutually agreed upon criteria for those decisions

Barrier: Adoption Fund is unfamiliar territory Solution: Lifesong has passion, and expertise in adoption funding processes,

maximize stewardship, use existing grant/loan procedures, IRS approved, ECFA approved (establishes financial integrity & avoids recreating the wheel)

Administration of Adoption Funds for Church at no cost to Church or Fund!

3 Options - in Creating an Adoption Fund

1. Church CREATES own 501(c)3 (non-profit organization)

2. Church MANAGES own funds, donations, distributions, screening, qualifying, etc.

3. Church PARTNERS with a group like Lifesong for Orphans, ABBA Fund to administer the fund on behalf of the Church

www.showhope.org for more info on these options

What are you good at? What do you enjoy?

Construction

Teaching/Education

Relationships

Letter writing

Entrepreneurship

Accounting

Medical

Team building

Technology

Photography/videogr

aphy

Running/Walking/Cyc

ling

Funding Tool

Help a WIDOW & ORPHAN!

Innovative tool to remove financial barrier A team fixes up a widow’s home Renovation provided for free to widow (donated labor & construction

materials) Sponsorship donations help fund adoption expenses

How does this help fund adoptions? 100% of donated sponsorships are used for adoption expenses /

adoption fund / orphan care project Disbursed as Adoption Grant & Adoption Loan (thru Lifesong)

Other fund raising ideas:

- Spaghetti suppers / meals- Family fun days- Coffee / Shirt sales- Skill / Gift auctions- Yard sales- Bingo Night- 3 on 3 Basketball Tourney- 147 Million Orphans www.147millionorphans.com

- …

Real life example – Scott & Jennifer

Adopting 1 yr old, cleft lip, India (already had 2 children in family)

Adoption Cost: $31,350 $3,300 - from savings $10,000 – withdrew from retirement fund $2,500 – adoption Matching Grant (from Lifesong) $12,906 - donated, result of Matching Grant $3,000 – adoption grant from Katlyn’s Fund $2,000 – unexpected property tax refund $300 - garage sale proceeds that friend held

Real life example – Tim & Susan

Adopted 2 yr old, China (already had 5 children in family)

Adoption Cost: $25,050 $2,000 gift from their church $2,000 savings $2,000 sold personal items $3,000 Matching Grant (given by Lifesong) $9,716 donated, result of matching grant $1,000 result of giver after reading newsarticle $2,000 (2) anonymous givers $1,000 each $3,500 sister donated FF miles to pay for flights/airfare

Other Grant Organizations…

www.showhope.org www.lifesongfororphans.org (matching grants, direct grants) www.carolinespromise4u.org (North Carolina only) www.ggam.org (matching grants) www.micahfund.org (Midwest only – black & bi-racial adoptions) www.nafadopt.org www.achildwaits.org www.ourcreatorshope.com www.lydiafund.org (International Adoptions) www.katelynsfund.org www.hadassahshope.org www.cadmanfoundation.org

Other Tools & Ideas…

Tax Credits Federal (as mentioned previously) State

Employer Adoption Assistance A number of companies have adoption assistance

programs built into their benefits with some providing between $2,000--$10,000

The military provides $2,000 www.adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org

Q & A

Rich Metcalfe - [email protected]

“For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills...” Psalm 50:10

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:25,26

Adoption Matching Grants – the process Opportunity to glorify God and mobilize the Body of Christ Invite others to invest in the Kingdom Overview of Process

Couple shares adoption journey & making needs known (i.e. letter, blog, Facebook, etc.)

Matching Grant $ amount – adds significant momentum Lifesong writes Letter of Support – (adds validity to grant/support raising)

People can donate tax-deductible gifts to Lifesong ‘preferencing’ an adoption if done appropriately

RESULT!: - Church body becomes engaged – not just financially, but prayerfully, etc.

Funds are distributed to adoption agency on the child’s behalf

100% of donations allocated to adoption grants – no administrative costs!

Option #1 - Creating own 501(c)3 Organization

Option #2 – Manage Fund in-house Setting Your Course

Questions for creating grant guidelines What types of adoptions will we fund? Who is eligible? How far along in the process must families be in order to

apply? What percentage of the total adoption expenses will this

grant supply? Who on the team will make the grant decisions? How will the funds be disbursed? What if any follow-up will be required from grant families?

Managing accounting, donation receipting, verifying qualified

expenses, funds disbursement, IRS guidelines, etc.

Option # 3 – Partnering with an Organization to Administer the Fund

Benefits of using a Funding Partner Flexibility - church can be as involved or uninvolved as desired

Speed - a fund can be established in 1-2 days

Administratively easy – partner will facilitate the Fund and provide administration (at no cost to the Church or Fund)

Qualify/approve families (based on mutually agreed upon criteria) Administer the Funds, as agreed by Church/Lifesong partnership Disburse funds on behalf of adoption expenses Provide tax-deductible receipts, mailings, accounting records

Reports - full transparency, and Fund Reports & Status given as often as Church desires

100% of Donations Allocated to Fund - no admin costs deducted

“Win-Win-Win” situation – Church is actively seen as engaged in adoption ministry; financial roadblock is removed for family; orphan child is adopted; with little/no admin burden for church

Synergy - We can do more together than sometimes can be done on our own