It is a good idea to obtain a separate telephone line into your home or to have a separate cell phone to receive adoption related calls only. Make sure you have a good voice mail message. This way, if the phone rings, you know that it may be a birth mother searching for you and you will be ready to take the call.
Dedicated Phone Lines
Advertising on the Internet
The Internet has, of course, eclipsed print advertising for most purposes. It can be much less expensive and reach more people, but the competition has become imense.
Advertising
A traditional approach to private adoption is for a couple to place personal advertisements in local newspapers. You have probably noticed these ads. There may be eight or ten such ads in a single addition of a local paper. They all begin with words like, "Loving Couple Wants to Adopt." While it may at first seem a little pathetic, these ads have worked many times.
Spreading the Word
Seeking to adopt a child through private adoption requires a high level of commitment. It is not something that can usually be done in secrecy. If you decide that this is something you want to do, then you must commit yourselves to it and you must be willing to have everyone you know be aware of your desire to adopt.
Photographs in the Profile
It is often said that "one picture is worth a thousand words." But too many photographs just cause confusion.
Birth Parent Fraud
Eight years ago, a number of adoption professionals created the Birth Parent Fraud Advisory System. While this by no means includes all professionals involved in the adoption process, the System reports that in that eight year period, over 1,000 instances of fraud have been identified.
