Lifesong Overview

2. Rich Metcalfe

4. 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

5. 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

6. What does that look like?
 Culture Changing Orphan Care
 Adoption Funding
 Church Partnerships
 Foster Care

7. Orphan Care:

8. Bolivia:

9. Guatemala:

10. Honduras:

11. India:

13. Ethiopia:

14. Liberia:

15. Zambia:

17. Ukraine:

19. Is it working?

28. Adoption Funding:

29. Church Partnerships:

31. Foster Care:

33. 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

34. 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

36. A person who pleads for a cause
Advocate

37. someone who expounds or interprets
Exponent

38. person who uses the mind creatively
Intellectual

39. highly cultured or educated
Highbrow

40. 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!

41. Why is this important?...
The “Wyatt’s” of the world
are why it’s important!…

42. 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

43. Wyatt in
orphanage

44. Wyatt – in CA hospital after adoption

45. Rock
climbing?

46. A Father to the fatherless…
God truly…
“sets the
lonely into
families….”
- Psalm 68:5,6

47. Financial Need & Resources
 Often the greatest challenge – cost of adoption
 Overview of the Costs of Adoption
 Domestic Adoption – $8-35k
 International Adoption - $25-$45k +

48. Adoption Funding Solution Tools
1. Direct Grants
2. Matching Grants
3. Interest-Free Loans
4. Fundraising Support (gifts, donations without
a grant/loan)

49. Direct Grants
 Direct gift to cover adoption expenses
 www.showhope.org & others

50. 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

51. 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.

52. 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

54. 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

55. 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!

56. 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

57. 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

59. 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)

61. 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
- …

62. 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

64. 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

66. 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

67. 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

68. Q & A
Rich Metcalfe - rich@lifesongfororphans.org

69. “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

70. 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!

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

72. 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.

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

74. 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