Thank you, Dave Thomas.

Yes, I know the founder of Wendy's International has been dead for five years now, but the foundation that bears his name--and carries on his commitment to adoption--has just released a list that all of us can cheer: the "100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces".

Working with Employee Benefit News, The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption collected information from 762 companies in the United States about the assistance--financial and otherwise--that they make available to prospective adoptive parents. And if any of you awaiting good news from Russia work for Citizens Financial Group, you probably already know about the attributes that landed it on top of the list: The Providence, R.I.-based bank offers $20,960 per adoption ($10,960 in direct reimbursement, plus a $10,000 five-year forgivable subsidy that can be used for legal and adoption agency fees).

The late Mr. Thomas, who was adopted at birth, made expanding adoption benefits a top priority, personally lobbying America's top chief executives and politicians. And they have definitely become more friendly: When Dave Thomas began his efforts, only 12% of America's biggest companies offered adoption benefits. Now, foundation officials say the percentage is 45%, and more smaller companies are jumping on the bandwagon.

The study released today found that 90% of the employers surveyed offer financial assistance to adoptive parents, although most aren't as generous as Citizens Financial. The average financial benefit is $4,700, pretty much what my former employer gave me. But I wish I had been with one of the companies that embraced another key point in the survey: paid leave. The foundation found that 51% of the companies surveyed offered paid leave for adoption, some for only one week, some for 16 weeks or more. The average paid leave was five weeks, which surely would ease the financial burden of adoption for many parents.

The complete list can be found here. And if your company isn't only it, you can always leave a copy of this post in the CEO's mailbox.