Couples turn to crowdfunding for adoption costs

The new year is right around the corner and some want nothing more than to grow their families in 2016. For couples who want to adopt or are struggling with infertility that can be a massive cost, and, more and more, people are turning to crowdfunding.

Brandy and Chester Connelly, of Broomfield, have started a GoFundMe page to help with adoption costs. They already have two daughters of their own, but said they've known for a long time they wanted to adopt as well.

"My parents so graciously opened their home up to foster care when I was about 12 years old," Brandy said. "And the very first set of kids they got are now my younger sisters."

"We love the idea of adoption," Chester said. "We love the idea of being able to give another child a home."

The couple said the main hurdle now is the cost.

"It's $25,000," Brandy said. "So we went and looked for ways to help us get there, and after seeking many different avenues and realizing there wasn’t much out there, we found the GoFundMe page."

Many others have gone the same route. When you search "child adoption" on GoFundMe, more than 2,000 pages come up. You can find hundreds more on YouCaring, another crowdfunding site. Thousands of couples have also created campaigns to help with invitro fertilization.

So far, the Connellys have raised $1,000.

"This has been such a blessing," Brandy said. "Every time we get a donation, I cry tears of joy just to see how much support we're receiving. So it's truly wonderful."

If you are considering starting or contributing to a crowdfunding site, keep in mind the sites usually take a percentage of donations ranging from five to ten percent. There are also typically processing fees, usually another three percent.