Posted by Trey Mosier
Every December, someone in your group says, “We should adopt a family this year.” Then the questions pile up. Where do we find a family? Who’s buying what? What if three people buy the same coat and nobody buys the boots?
An adopt a family program comes down to a few clear steps: find families through a trusted partner, collect their wish lists, let donors claim gifts, then gather and deliver everything on time. This guide walks through each step, plus how to adapt it for seniors, teens, offices, and schools.
An adopt a family program connects people who want to give with local families who need help during the holidays. A sponsor, or a group of sponsors, “adopts” a family and buys gifts from that family’s wish list. The gifts usually include a mix of needs, like coats and shoes, and wants, like a toy or a book.
Most programs run through a partner that already knows the families, such as a school counselor, a church, or a charity like The Salvation Army or Catholic Charities. The partner identifies families and protects their privacy. Your group handles the giving: collecting wish lists, matching donors to gifts, and getting everything delivered before Christmas.
Make a few decisions before you ask anyone for a single gift. Each one is hard to change once donors start shopping.
| Decision | What to Settle | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| How many families | Start with what your group can fully cover. One family with four people needs roughly 8 to 12 gifts. | A fully covered family beats three half-covered ones. |
| Spending limit | A per-gift or per-person limit, such as $25 per item or $75 per person. | Keeps gifts fair between siblings and keeps donors from overspending. |
| Gift rules | New items only, tags on or in original packaging. Decide if gift cards are allowed. | Partners often reject used items, and rules you set later confuse donors. |
| Wrapped or unwrapped | Ask your partner. Some want gifts unwrapped so parents can wrap them. | Unwrapping 60 gifts to check them wastes a volunteer shift. |
| Drop-off deadline | One to two weeks before your partner's pickup date. | Leaves time to fill gaps from donors who drop out. |
Work backward from your partner’s delivery date. Most programs need gifts by mid-December, which means families should be confirmed by early November.
October to early November
Mid-November
Early December
Mid-December
Don’t pick families on your own. A partner organization has already screened families, knows who needs help, and can keep identities private. That protects the families and keeps your group out of awkward situations.
Good places to start:
Call early. Larger programs often fill their sponsor spots by mid-November. Ask the partner three questions: when do they need gifts, do they want gifts wrapped, and how will gifts reach families?
Each family gets a code instead of a name, like “Family 12.” Each person in the family gets a first name or initial plus a letter: “Family 12, Child A, age 7.” Donors never need a last name or an address.
For each person, ask for:
Keep lists short. Two or three items per person is enough for donors to choose from, and the family still gets what matters most. If the family has a household need, like towels or a kitchen set, list it under the family code, not under one person.
👉 Collect family details in one place, not in a pile of emails
If your partner sends you family details, or caseworkers fill them in for you, an online form keeps sizes, ages, and notes in one spot. With SignUpGenius Forms and Waivers, you can collect the information privately and then post only the coded wish list items on your public sign up.
See how Forms and Waivers workThis is where most adopt a family drives get messy. A paper list on a table or a long email thread leads to two donors buying the same bike and nobody buying socks. An online sign up fixes that, because each gift becomes a slot that one person claims.
You can set it up two ways:
🎄 Start with an angel tree template
Copy the template, add your family codes and wish list items, set each slot to one, and share the link with donors. You can add a tab for drop-off times in the same sign up.
Use the angel tree sign up templateAdd a slot quantity of one so an item disappears once it’s claimed. Then add a second sign up, or a second tab, for drop-off times, so you aren’t buried in gifts at 8 a.m. on the deadline day.
Keep a short list of backup donors who said they’d cover anything left over. Every drive has a few people who claim a gift and then get busy. A backup list, or a small cash fund (see the workplace section below), fills those gaps without a last-minute scramble.
The same setup works for more than families. A few groups get missed every year, and they’re worth a look if your group wants a different focus.
Genius Tip
Not everyone has time to shop. Give people a second way in: a Group Gift where coworkers or classmates chip in money online. Use the fund for big items like a bike or a mattress, or to fill any gifts nobody claimed by the deadline.
See how Group Gifts workIf a wish list is short or vague, these ideas help donors pick something useful. Share this table with donors, or use it to fill in a family’s list with your partner’s okay.
| Age Group | Needs | Wants |
|---|---|---|
| Babies and toddlers (0 to 3) | Diapers in the next size up, pajamas, a warm coat, wipes | Board books, stacking toys, a soft toy |
| Kids (4 to 8) | Winter coat, boots, socks, a backpack | Building sets, art supplies, a favorite character toy |
| Tweens (9 to 12) | Coat, shoes, a lunch box, hats and gloves | Books in a series, sports gear, a craft kit |
| Teens (13 to 18) | Hoodie, jeans, shoes, toiletries | Earbuds, a gift card to a store they named, a phone case |
| Adults | Work boots, a coat, a grocery gift card | A cozy blanket, a book, a small treat |
| Seniors | Grip socks, a lap blanket, lotion, a cardigan | Large-print puzzle books, a photo calendar, a handwritten card |
Drop-off day goes smoothly when every gift already has a home. Give each family a large bag or bin labeled with its code. When a gift comes in, check it against the wish list, mark it received, and put it in the family’s bag.
Plan for three volunteer jobs:
Short shifts of an hour or two get more people to say yes. Post them using a volunteer sign up template so you know who’s coming before drop-off day starts.
The day after your deadline, check for open slots. Fill them from your backup list or group fund, and get those gifts in before handoff.
Send one thank-you message to every donor and volunteer within a week. Include a simple count, like “Together we sponsored 8 families, 31 people, and 117 gifts.” If your partner shares a thank-you note from a family, pass it along without names.
Then take five minutes to set up next year:
What is an adopt a family program?
An adopt a family program pairs people who want to give with local families who need help during the holidays. Sponsors buy gifts from each family’s wish list, usually a mix of needs like coats and wants like toys. A school, church, or charity usually picks the families and keeps their information private.
How do I adopt a family for Christmas?
Contact a local program first, such as your school district, a church, The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, or Volunteers of America. They’ll match you with a family and share a coded wish list. If you’d rather sponsor as a group, pick a partner, collect the wish list, and use a sign up so each person can claim specific gifts.
How do I find a family to sponsor for Christmas near me?
Call a school counselor, a local church, a food pantry, or a family shelter. You can also dial 211 to reach your local community services line, which can point you to holiday programs in your area. Start in October or early November, since many programs fill their sponsor spots before Thanksgiving.
How much does it cost to adopt a family for Christmas?
It depends on the size of the family and the limit you set. Many groups set a per-person limit, such as $50 to $100, so siblings get fair gifts. Splitting the family across several donors with a sign up keeps the cost low for each person.
I’m organizing an adopt a family drive at work. How do we split the cost?
Post each wish list item as its own slot so people can claim one gift that fits their budget. For anyone who’d rather not shop, set up a Group Gift where coworkers chip in online, and use that money to fill unclaimed items or buy bigger gifts.
Can I adopt a senior for Christmas?
Yes. Contact the activities director at a nursing home or assisted living facility near you, or ask your local senior center or Salvation Army about adopt a senior programs. Seniors often ask for practical gifts like grip socks, blankets, and large-print books. Check the facility’s rules on food and electronics first.
How do I sign up to receive help from an adopt a family program?
Ask your child’s school counselor, your church, or your local Salvation Army about holiday assistance. You can also call 211 for programs near you. Most programs open applications in October or November and close once they’re full, so reach out early.
How far ahead should we start planning?
Start in October. That gives you time to confirm families with a partner by early November, collect gifts in late November and early December, and deliver by mid-December. Groups that start after Thanksgiving often find local programs already full.
Holiday Sign Ups for Every Group
Potlucks, gift exchanges, cookie swaps, and volunteer shifts, ready to set up for the season.
See holiday sign up ideasGroup Gift Ideas for Coworkers
How to pool money at work for a gift everyone feels good about.
Get group gift ideas for coworkersToday was the first day on my sign up sheet with SignUpGenius, and unlike my usual makeup days, everyone showed up! They said they found the site fast and easy to use — no problems from anyone — which was amazing! I also liked the fact that I could assure them that there was no risk in using it with the nice privacy settings. They didn't even see the names of the others signing up and didn't feel obligated to add their email addresses or even last names. Fantastic. Thank you so much!
Kandice Kreutner
