Showing posts with label adoption profile coach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adoption profile coach. Show all posts

Jun 27, 2016

Telling Your Story Part 1



Over the next few weeks, we will be breaking down the writing portion of Parentfinder Adoption Profiles so that you can get a better idea of what it means to share your story. Each Telling Your Story post will focus on one tip or profile section to help you hone in on certain elements that will help elevate your adoption profile.

Let’s begin! This post will focus in on one of the most important concepts of adoption profile writing: Showing, rather than telling.

What we mean by “showing, rather than telling,” is that we want you to avoid using too many adjectives when describing people, places or events in your life. Instead, you should challenge yourself to describe the scene, character or setting in the narrative. Here’s an example:

Telling: Colin is an adventurous, hardworking and intelligent man. He loves to collect books, go for hikes and is always honing his craft as a writer.

Showing: There is never a dull moment when you’re around Colin. One day, you may find yourself hiking up Mount Whitney, while the other you may be hunting for rare books with him at his favorite shop, Printer’s Row. I always love waking up early to make some coffee, only to find out that it’s already been made, and the pot is sitting next to Colin, typing away on his computer, working on his new story.

By showing a reader, rather than telling, you can create a more informative and authentic narrative. Let’s try this again when talking about a woman’s motherly qualities:

Telling: Tara is so amazing with our daughter Sophia. She is a loving, caring and fun mother and it always brings joy into my heart when I see them playing together. She is an incredible mom and so excited to welcome another child into her heart.

Showing: There is no better sound to come home to after work than the sound of laughter in the kitchen! Each night, Tara and our daughter, Sophia, choose a recipe from Cookbook for Kids and have a blast whipping up a dish together for our family meal. When they aren’t collaborating in the kitchen, you’ll probably find them crafting together in the basement or working on their vegetable garden out back. Together, Tara and Sophia make an incredible team – I can’t imagine the awesome things they could do with another set of hands helping out with all the fun.

To read more about Parentfinder, profile tips and adoption insight click here
http://www.cairsolutions.com/newsroom

#Parentfinder


Jun 13, 2016

Pictures Are Worth 1000 Words

How photos can add a whole new dimension to your profile

When creating your adoption profile in Parentfinder, photos are one of the most important elements to consider during the creation process. By taking the time to check the quality, content, and context of your photos, you are making an investment in your profile.

Here are three tips based on birth mother and agency feedback that will help you choose the best photos for your Parentfinder Profile:

1.    Quality: Here at Parentfinder, we require all photos used in adoption profiles to be above 500kb. The reason we have this file size standard is that we want to make sure that your book looks SUPER good – we care about quality. If your photos are below 500kb, they may appear grainy, pixilated or fuzzy upon printing. That is not putting your best foot forward.

2.    Content: Every day moments, memorable traditions and smiling faces– these are all elements of photos that will convey to birth mothers that you are a happy family when she views your adoption profile. Some of the content that we would rather you leave out:  sleepy faces, alcohol or cigarettes, sunglasses, too much skin or mundane shots (think, working at a computer). Find your most fun photos and make them the centerpiece of your adoption profile.

3.    Context: Did you write about last year’s trip to Disney World? Show us a picture! Also, think about where a photo will be placed in your adoption profile: if we are trying to choose a front cover photo, we need to make sure that the picture fits the context. This shouldn’t be a wedding photo, a swimsuit shot, or a Christmas card cover. Instead, this should be the best, most recent you have. Consider your front cover to be your first introduction to a birth mother. It’s her first decision she’ll make about you: should I open this book or not? 


Jan 26, 2016

Waiting parents Tim and Josine think Parentfinder is great!

“Wow it’s been great!” is the feedback we just received from waiting parents, Tim and Josine, with Heart of Adoptions Alliance in Tampa, FL
As a way of measuring our services and service we send a satisfaction surveys to all waiting families at 3 key times.
  1. After completing their profile book/ebook.
  2. After completing their profile video profile.
  3. After completing their adoption profile website.

Tim and Josine recently finished their profile book. 

Click here to view Tim and Josine's profile book,  https://www.parentfinder.com/profileflipbook/8412-0745982/mobile/index.html#p=1


Jan 13, 2016

Parentfinder's Family Marketing Program - Parent Satisfaction results

We send satisfaction surveys to every parent who completes Parentfinder's Family Marketing program. Here's what Adoption Associate's Hopeful Adoptive Parent Lorie had to say,

"What part of the process was the easiest or most helpful?:
Every portion was very user friendly! I think the initial conversation we had with Kim was very helpful in explaining the process + even more helpful with answering the questions that we had as well."

Overall satisfaction with profile creation process:: Very satisfied


Jul 23, 2015

Hopeful Adoptive Parents Rich and Teresa from Michigan

Introducing Hopeful Adoptive Parents Rich and Teresa from Michigan. They are hoping to adopt a baby in Michigan.  Their adoption agency is Adoption Associates in Jenison, MI. You can view their profile on parentfinder.com by clicking here http://www.parentfinder.com/richandteresa




Jul 17, 2015

Hopeful Adoptive Parents Jeff and Amanda from the Kansas

Introducing Hopeful Adoptive Parents Jeff and Amanda from the Kansas. They are hoping to adopt a baby in Kansas.  Their adoption agency is Catholic Charities of NE Kansas. You can view their profile on parentfinder.com by clicking here www.parentfinder.com/jeffandamandaadopt



Jul 16, 2015

Hopeful Adoptive Parents Lennart and Saskia

Introducing Hopeful Adoptive Parents Lennart and Saskia from the Netherlands. They are hoping to adopt a baby in Florida.  Their adoption agency is Heart of Adoptions Alliance in Tampa, FL. You can view their profile on parentfinder.com by clicking here www.parentfinder.com/lennartandsaskia You can view their flipbook profile here http://www.parentfinder.com/profileflipbook/7717-2649750/7717-2649750.html#p=12


Jul 13, 2015

Jason and Heidi are hoping to adopt a baby in Michigan.

Introducing Hopeful Adoptive Parents Jason and Heidi from Michigan. They are hoping to adopt a baby in Michigan.  Their adoption agency is Adoption Associates in Jenison, MI. You can view their profile on parentfinder.com by clicking here www.parentfinder.com/JasonandHeidi You can view their flipbook profile here http://www.parentfinder.com/profileflipbook/7244-3570186/7244-3570186.html


Jul 10, 2015

Hopeful Adoptive Parents Jason and Kim from Florida

Introducing Hopeful Adoptive Parents Jason and Kim from Florida. They are hoping to adopt a baby in Florida.  Their adoption agency is Heart of Adoptions. You can view their profile on parentfinder.com by clicking here
http://www.parentfinder.com/Jasonandkim  You can view their flipbook by clicking here



Jul 8, 2015

Introducing Hopeful Adoptive Parents Scott and Leigh Ann

Introducing Hopeful Adoptive Parents Scott and Leigh Ann. They are hoping to adopt a baby in Indiana.  Their adoption agency is Kirsh & Kirsh. You can view their profile on parentfinder.com by clicking here www.parentfinder.com/leighannandscott

Jul 7, 2015

New videos added to profiles in Parentfinder

Bob & Karin have uploaded a video to their profile on www.parentfinder.com  They are hoping to adopt a child in Virginia.  To view their video and learn more about them click here http://www.parentfinder.com/BobandKarin


Jul 6, 2015

A birth mom story

Here is a birth mom story from one of our groups:
"I decided I would get an abortion. I think this was a higher power watching over me because the day I went to the clinic with my best friend, Planned Parenthood wasn’t opening their door for me and wouldn’t answer the phone even though they were open. So the next day I went to the free pregnancy center to get an ultrasound and found out I was 8 weeks along and saw my son's little heartbeat. Once I saw his heart beat I couldn’t go through with abortion so I asked them for information on adoption agencies. There are only a couple agencies in Hawaii and 2 of the numbers I called weren't working numbers anymore so I looked online and found the agency that was right for me.”


Jul 2, 2015

Adoption Journal Update - 5 favorite sounds of summer

Adoption Journal update.  With summer officially here I began thinking about my favorite sounds of summer.  Here are my top 5:
1. Splashing and laughter of kids at the pool.
2. The pop of my ski hitting the water when thrown from a
        boat
3. The sound of my teeth biting into an ear of corn
4. The slap of our porch door closing at the lake cottage
5. A turbocharged Indycar whipping past at 230 MPH
Listing favorites like that gives an expectant birth mom insight into your life.  It’s an opportunity to form that connection that has her interested in learning more about you.


Jul 1, 2015

Hopeful Adoptive Parents Teri and Brian from New York

Introducing Hopeful Adoptive Parents Teri and Brian from New York. They are hoping to adopt a baby in New York.  Their adoption agency is Alliance for Children in Needham, MA. You can view their profile on parentfinder.com by clicking here www.parentfinder.com/brianandteri

Jun 25, 2015

Your Agency Can Be Frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a scenario that hopeful adoptive couples face: Recently you went to the trouble of creating a new profile. Then your agency implemented a new policy that incorporates a different profile format. You are frustrated by the new procedure and don’t want your hard work and money to go out the window.  
Parents, agencies don’t sit around dreaming of ways for you to spend more money. They made the change to help you. You chose them because you believed in them.  Ask plenty of questions about the new process with an open mind.  Educate yourself on why the changes were implemented and how they will benefit you.

Jun 24, 2015

Introducing Hopeful Adoptive Parents Arjan and Natasja

Introducing Hopeful Adoptive Parents Arjan and Natasja from the Netherlands. They are hoping to adopt a baby in the US.  Their adoption agency is Heart of Adoptions in Tampa, FL. You can view their profile on parentfinder.com by clicking here www.parentfinder.com/arjanandnatasja


Jun 23, 2015

Updating your Adoption Journal at www.parentfinder.com

Keely and I enjoy throwing a blanket out on the grass and sharing a picnic dinner.  Every weekend in the summer the symphony plays an outdoor concert.  We listen, eat, and dance under the summer sky.  It’s a kid friendly event.  What a great way to introduce children to a world of music and outdoor fun!  
Do you have a weekend activity in the summer?  Write about it in your adoption journal located in your profile at www.parentfinder.com  Don’t forget to illustrate it with a photo!