For the safety of our friends, fellow adoptees and supporters we feel it’s necessary to share some details on this current topic as we always put the safety of our groups and the attendees of our groups, first.
It’s come to our attention over the last few months that there are groups forming around the USA that are using the Adoptees Connect name, but they aren’t in any affiliation with our organization.
This is a big problem.
We want everyone to be cautious of this, and the best way you can know that an Adoptees Connect group is a legitimate group is by looking at our group locations tab on our website. If the group isn’t listed on our website, it hasn’t completed our volunteer application process which means it’s not an authentic Adoptees Connect group.
Due to the counterfeit Adoptee Connect groups coming on the scene, that changes the dynamics of our organization a bit, as we’re set to protect our mission and vision at any lengths.
The first year our groups were being planted we had no idea of the outpouring of a response we would get from adoptees all over the world who wanted to be a part of what we are doing. This is a wonderful thing, but it’s taken some time to build a solid foundation for groups to be planted. We want to extend a huge thank you for every volunteer, facilitator and supporter who have been patient with us in this process of growth.
However, not everyone wants to cooperate with this new process and that’s perfectly okay. The great part is, we aren’t soliciting our groups to be planted or for volunteers to be recruited, as we feel adoptees need to be the ones to step forward to make these commitments. Once they decide from within that they want to be involved, we have an entire volunteer application process they begin to navigate before they are approved to volunteer for our organization. This is standard for most nonprofit organizations today.
What is the process as of January 2019 to volunteer for Adoptees Connect, Inc?
As of January 2019, the first step is filling out the volunteer application on our website. If that step isn’t completed by the individual, there is no partnership. After the application is filled out, we check multiple references, we do a criminal background check by one of the best companies in the nation, we conduct a thorough social media screening, and we have a over the phone interview that’s approximately 1.5-2 hours long. After all these areas have cleared, then an individual will be granted the opportunity to volunteer with Adoptees Connect, Inc.
Safety of our groups is our number one priority. We can’t have individuals who are random strangers off the internet using our name to pose as an authentic Adoptees Connect group, as this is extremely problematic on many levels. Therefore, our volunteer application process is critical as the safety of our groups depends on it. Adoptees Connect, Inc. is currently trademarked with the USPTO and anyone using our intellectual property without permission will be held accountable. Protecting our vision and mission is very important to us and we take it very seriously.
We’re writing this today to bring awareness to our supporters that there are groups out there that are posing as counterfeit Adoptees Connect groups, but they haven’t completed the volunteer application process.
Always double check our website to make sure the group you are considering attending is listed on our “Group Locations” tab.
If you notice any of these groups operating as one of ours but not listed on our website, please bring it to our attention by emailing this information to: adopteesconnect@gmail.com
Kindly,
Where Adoptee Voices Meet 