Use Advertising to Encourage Family Bonding & Awareness

The following upcoming events focus on family awareness and provide excellent advertising opportunities: National Family Week, National Adoption Month, National Game and Puzzle Week, World Orphans Day, National Parents as Teachers Day, Family Volunteer Day, National Child Day.

• Design a general parenting special section taking advantage of the many family-related events for this month. Offer articles on parenting and developing closer ties as a family through shared activities, such as volunteering, games & puzzles, and outdoor activities.
• Related advertisers to target: child-friendly restaurants, game & craft stores, park district with family activity programming, recreational stores, social services or organizations that accept family volunteers.
• Create a special month-long campaign highlighting adoption. Approach local social service agencies, foster care, and orphanages (private & public) to showcase services they offer. Include expert articles on issues related to the adoption process. Contact lawyers and attorneys to advertise their specialties related to adoption.

November is National Adoption Month. According to The Adoption Guide, there are approximately 129,000 waiting children available for adoption in the U.S. foster care system. Unfortunately, nearly 20% age out of foster care each year. Additionally, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute found in a recent study that adoption is poorly understood by the public. Because couples don’t know all the details, they often rule out adoption as a choice. Your publication can help spread knowledge and promote more informed decision-making.

Ad/Promotion Ideas:
• Build an adoption signature page with various agencies and businesses as sponsors.
• Use ready-to-sell spec ads and feature “The Truth about Adoption” in a relevant area of your publication.
• Support the cause with a special section featuring all the details parents need, sponsored by businesses below.
• Gather stories from former foster children with profiles of families who have adopted to include in a special section or relevant area of the newspaper.
• Work with foster care agencies and group homes to create ongoing events and outreach activities. Getting to know foster children in the community can build connections that may lead to adoption. Local businesses can sponsor these efforts.

Businesses to Contact:
• Adoption agencies
• Adoption attorneys
• Pediatric doctors
• Religious groups
• Child welfare agencies
• Counseling and therapist services
• Child abuse prevention groups
• Foster care agencies
• Baby/kids stores
• Parenting coaches and classes

Share your experiences!
Have you tried an adoption month campaign? Was it successful? Do you have any other ideas? Post them as a comment and let’s increase ad sales together.