I'm hoping that I'm not driving you all crazy with all my questions :blush:

I visited our community center today and asked if I could drop off some brochures. I introduced myself and explained what exactly I was doing. The lady said that most people coming there are from "troubled" families. I'm willing to work for free if there is a need for support and the women can't pay. She said that she would like me to come by in the next two weeks and sit down so we could talk more about this. She also said that there is a big need for support and she thinks that we need to get the word out.

Does anyone offer part time volunteer services for low income, etc families based on donations? I would LOVE to be more involved and help but my own financial situation won't allow me to do it since I would have to pay all my expenses out of pocket (especially childcare). I'm very new to this profession and am still learning about taxes, owning a business etc. If you do this, do you have two separate accounts for donations and your profit jobs? How about taxes? How do you go about finding people willing to donate?

I don't have alot of answers to your questions...but I have some advice, its free advice, so take it for what its worth.
Don't get so excited about the prospect of going to births that you cloud your judgement! Maybe commit to only a few "free" births per year.... they will wear you out, and you family will begin to resent the time you spend away from home with no financial benefit for them. I used to do free births... and it wore me out. Yes I want to help, BUT I also need a paycheck.
I guess if you feel its your calling to work for free...then go ahead, but you don't want to be so booked up with free births that you don't have time to take paying ones.
JMO... like I said, take it for what its worth.

I don't have alot of answers to your questions...but I have some advice, its free advice, so take it for what its worth.
Don't get so excited about the prospect of going to births that you cloud your judgement! Maybe commit to only a few "free" births per year.... they will wear you out, and you family will begin to resent the time you spend away from home with no financial benefit for them. I used to do free births... and it wore me out. Yes I want to help, BUT I also need a paycheck.
I guess if you feel its your calling to work for free...then go ahead, but you don't want to be so booked up with free births that you don't have time to take paying ones.
JMO... like I said, take it for what its worth.


Thanks Michelle. I definitely appreciate your advice and am thankful for it...:yes

It's something that I could not do full time. I would like to do it from time to time but I still would need funds in order to do it.

I can just imagine how it could be tiring. My first birth was a free birth and my next one (I'm still trying to decide) is free as well. I agree with the paycheck too. I'm not expecting to make a lot from doula-ing it but anything will help. Because I don't have any clients and I'm having a hard time finding paying clients, this is something I want to consider. People are interested in my services once in a while but once they hear that I do charge, they change their minds.

Donations, in this case, would still need to be claimed as taxes. Since they received a service, they're really just paying you what they can afford.

And while working with that population can be very rewarding, a word of experience . . .
It'll burn you out, fast. We had doulas dropping like flies when we had a grant for 3 years that allowed us to provide services to the underserved/at risk. And they were being paid the going rate for doulas via the grant!! It's a hard population to work with. I'd say we lost 3-5 doulas over those years. More than we tend to lose from year to year due to general burnout.