Pray
I know this often feels like the generic, if-you-can’t-give-money answer, but it’s so important. It can also be a big encouragement to adopting families. Here are some specific ideas for getting involved through prayer.

• Prayer Chains/Vigils: Consider setting up a prayer chain/vigil for an adopting family. A prayer chain is when you break up a day into 15 minute prayer segments and recruit people to sign up for one or more segments. The idea is to wrap the family in prayer 24 hours a day. Here’s a sample Adoption Prayer Chain. You can use this sample by clicking “Add to My Drive”. Invite people to sign up by then going to share and setting the spreadsheet to allow people with the link to edit (feel free to ask me for help). Once you get it set up, send me the link and the link to he family’s adoption blog. I’ll make the spreadsheet available for other interested teens to sign up to pray.
• All God’s Children Prayer Team: AGC’s prayer team page states, “We are inviting all those who are willing to join our Prayer Team. You will receive monthly emails with current items of praise and thanksgiving, prayer needs and special requests. Your prayers can and will make a difference in the lives of orphans.” Visit this page to join the prayer team.
• Compassion Prayer Partners: Sign up to receive a monthly prayer calendar.
• IJM Prayer Partners: Sign up for weekly prayer updates for yourself or organize a group of three or more friends to get together monthly to pray for International Justice Mission’s work around the world. 

Stay Informed and Educated
Learn what you can about adoption policies, grants, fundraising, etc. This knowledge will help you seize opportunities as they arise, and you may be able to help adopting families by sharing what you’ve learned with them.

Provide Photography and Videography Services
If you are a talented photographer or videographer, consider donating your talent to a local adoption agency. Adopt Us Kids states that “Adoption agencies around the country are in need of high quality photos and videos of children that can be shared with prospective families.”
Resource Link

Donate Items to Foster Kids
“Many children in foster care have very little to call their own. Everything from back-to-school supplies, toys, and suitcases are needed by foster care organizations around the country.”
Resource Link

Intern at an Adoption Agency
Some adoption agencies offer internships. Here are a few opportunities.

• American World Adoption: “Internship and volunteer opportunities (unpaid) are currently available at the corporate office in McLean, Virginia in all programs. Interested applicants should email cover letter, resume, and Statement of Faith to Human Resources.”
• Gladney Center for Adoption:
  “If interested in volunteering or an intern opportunity at Gladney, please email volunteering@gladney.org”
• Holt International Children Services: “Holt’s unpaid internships are for individuals interested in gaining professional work experience. In order to intern with Holt, you must be enrolled in a college or university or have graduated within the past year.”

Participate in Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child doesn’t minister exclusively to orphans, but shoeboxes go to underprivileged kids, some of whom live in orphanages. Visit the Samaritan’s Purse OCC page for official directions and news, and then check out Clip With Purpose for tons of tips on how to pack boxes within your budget.

Offer Blog Creation and/or Graphic Design Help
Do you know how to create a good looking blog using blogger or wordpress? Offer to help adopting families set up an adoption blog. If you’re good at graphic design, you could even create blog headers and buttons to dress the blog up and get word out about it. (If you’d like to do this, let me know and I’ll start compiling a list.)

Advocate
Use your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. to advocate for waiting children and/or adopting families. There are thousands of waiting children lists available online (check out the “Christian Adoption Agencies” links on the Resources page). These kids need people to be aware of their existence. You can also use your online connections to spread the word about adopting families who need prayer and funds.

Shop to Support Orphans
Some adopting families sell items online to raise funds, and some orphanages do the same. Consider adding these items to your Christmas or birthday wish list and/or giving these items to friends and family as birthday or Christmas presents.

• Pamba Toto: “Pamba Toto jewelry and crafts are created and sold to raise funds for Sanctuary of Hope homes for orphans in Nairobi, Kenya.”
• Compassion Gift Catalog Wishlist: Create a wishlist to share with family and friends using the Compassion Gift Catalog.
• Half the Sky: Store offers options to buy gifts for children in orphanages as well as items for yourself.
• Amazima Store: Jewelry made by mothers in the slum community of Masese. All proceeds support the feeding of more than 1,200 children in Masese.
• Show Hope Store: Support Show Hope by buying and wearing Show Hope apparel or purchasing orphan care resources from them.
• International Justice Mission Gift Catalog: Give a gift in honor of someone on your gift list. IJM fights injustice like slavery and sex trafficking and helps those they rescue.
• Gifts of Grace: Etsy shop run by 14-year-old Emilie Hockman to raise awareness and funds for orphans. Read More.
• Rahab’s Rope: Rahab’s Rope ministers to women at-risk, in, or coming out of India’s commercial sex industry. It’s not a ministry specifically for orphans, but orphans are at high-risk of being pulled into sex slavery. In fact, statistics on the Rahab’s Rope website state that many girls begin between the ages of 10-14, while some are forced to start as young as 5.
• Wild Olive Tees: This company run by three adoptive moms offers creative, faith slogan tee-shirts.  10% of the profits go to three charities that help orphans and other needy people.
• Tiny Hands International: Products sold to support adoption and anti-sex trafficking ministries.

Use Goodsearch
Goodsearch is a search engine that donates to the charity of your choice every time you search the internet. Sign up with them and make an adoption agency or orphan related ministry the charity of your choice.
Resource Link

Donate Your Birthday
Instead of getting gifts for yourself on your next birthday, ask friends and family to give you money or specific items for foster kids, child sponsorship, your local crisis pregnancy center, orphanage donations, or some other orphan related ministry.

• Legacy Child: This program allows families to set up fund used to provide interest free loans to adopting families. The Legacy Child page says, “Each time a loan is repaid and loaned out again, another child in a forever family becomes part of your family’s legacy.” Originally created for families to set up in honor of a loved one who passed away, Legacy Child funds can also be created “as an alternative to Christmas & birthday giving.”
• IJM’S One Big Birthday Wish: Website says, “Dedicate your birthday, special day or any unique event you dream up. The power is in your hands to help stop traffickers, slave owners and other criminals.”
• Show Hope Advocates: Raise awareness and funds by launching a project with Show Hope (aka Shaohannah’s Hope).
• 147 Million Orphans: Has a special program to make it easy to donate your birthday.

Marathons, Walk-a-thons, Etc.
Participate in “a-thons” to raise money for organizations that minister to the fatherless and/or to fundraise for adopting families. (You could even organize an “a-thon” of our own!)

Help Your Local Crisis Pregnancy Center
Crisis pregnancy centers help women facing unplanned pregnancies to either keep their babies or carry them to term and allow another family to adopt the baby. Centers like this are always open to support. Locate a pregnancy help center near you and find out how you can help.

Get Your School and/or Group Involved
Two are better than one. Get classmates and friends to join your efforts to help the fatherless.

• China Care Clubs: Program set up by Half the Sky. “China Care Clubs are independent, student-run organizations that raise funds and awareness for our special medical care program, as well as run community service programs (playgroups, mentoring, etc) to raise awareness of and build connections to Chinese culture, especially in their local adoptive community.”
• IJM Student Ministries: International Justice Mission offers options for children, teens, and college students to get involved.
• The Movement: Website says, “The Movement is a group of student-led, orphan-care service clubs in high schools all across America. It’s an opportunity for you to take a stand and be the difference in the life of an orphan! Students are capable of far more than most adults are giving them credit for. Together we can make a difference in the lives of the 140+ Million orphans in the world!”

Craft With Purpose
Use your crafting skills to support orphans. Sell items on Etsy, at craft sales, or to family and friends to fundraise for for adopting families or orphan ministries. Or make items to donate to your local pregnancy help centers or other ministries.

• Knit for Kids: “Knit for Kids is a nationwide program that unites thousands of volunteer knitters to fight poverty with their knitting needles.” (Could also be crochet items.)

P.S. Links on this page do not represent endorsement of these organizations, causes, etc. They are simply meant as a springboard for those wishing to get involved.