 IAC Announces Major Fundraising Drive In Support of Birthparent Advocacy Campaign (May 1, 2008) Ann Wrixon, the Independent Adoption Center’s executive director, announced the launch of a major fundraising drive in support of the Adoption is an Option campaign, the most ambitious birthparent advocacy campaign that IAC has ever undertaken. The two-year social marketing campaign will feature a new, compelling, network quality television commercial designed to reach and inform young adults, who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, about open adoption. The total cost of the campaign is $280,000, which includes $80,000 to produce the ad and $100,000, each of the first two years, to purchase television broadcast time, nationally. Funds are being raised through individual donations, corporations, and foundations. Each year, approximately 3 million diverse women experience an unplanned pregnancy in the U.S., of that number, nearly half result in births. In addition, approximately 14,000 women choose to place their newborns for adoption. The average age of a woman experiencing an unplanned pregnancy in the U.S. is 24. According to Safeguarding the Rights and Well-Being of Birthparents in the Adoption Process, a 2006 national report produced by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, … adoption is not well understood by the public generally, most women struggling to make decisions about unplanned pregnancies do not have accurate information with which to make an informed choice about whether [adoption] is a reasonable option for them. The campaign was developed to address the fact that the vast majority of women who experience an unplanned pregnancy are unaware of adoption as one of their choices and are unaware that research continues to confirm that open adoption is the healthiest form of adoption. The campaign will be produced in partnership with Zystar Films, a nationally acclaimed television production company based in Los Angeles. In her remarks, Ms. Wrixon stated, "I am announcing this campaign with a great sense of urgency. As an open adoption advocate and the leading fully open adoption agency in the U.S., IAC recognizes that the lack of information about open adoption does not serve the best interests of birthparents, adoptive children, or prospective adoptive parents which is why we have initiated this campaign." "As a society and as an agency, it’s our responsibility to ensure that young people are well informed when experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. This campaign will increase the number of young women and men who, when experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, are empowered in their decision-making process, aware of open adoption as one of their choices, and, should they choose to place their child for adoption, will consider open adoption and IAC.” Ms. Wrixon went on to state, “Because of an unexpected and exciting partnership that developed during the planning of this campaign with one of the country’s leading television production companies, we have an opportunity to make a highly effective ad. However, we have precious little time to gather the resources necessary to produce it. Zystar Films has agreed to not only produce the ad but they have offered to invest over $40,000 in in-kind contributions, if they are involved. The issue is that Zystar is in high demand and their busy season is fast approaching. From what I understand, we’ve only got about 90 days to raise the $80,000 needed to produce the ad." According to Ms. Wrixon the timing of this campaign couldn’t be better as new – about to be published – research confirms that open adoption is substantially healthier than the various forms of closed adoption that continue to exist. Open Adoption includes birth and adoptive parents meeting one another, sharing full identifying information, and having direct access to ongoing contact over the years. In open adoption, birthparents and adopting parents select each other. They have control over all critical decisions in their adoption, including the amount of ongoing contact. Research continues to show that the more open an open adoption is the healthier it is.
<< Back to Fundraising Drive Home Founded in 1982, IAC is a professional, licensed, nonprofit national adoption agency focused on transforming lives through open adoption by serving the best interests of birthparents, children, and adoptive families.
|
