Do You Belong to a Doula Support/Networking Group

[naturalbirther]

I was wondering what your fave or least fave thing about belonging to a group like this was. How did you learn about it? Did you start it? If you started it, how'd you get it going and how large is it? I really need some good brainstorming here. Even if you do not belong to a group, tell me what you would want to see in a group if you did belong to one or start one. I really want to get the word out about doulas in my community and also form a bond with my 2 fellow doulas. Not only that, I'd like to include Amarillo as well since it's only 2hrs from Lubbock and I think that it should be a regional group...the more the marrier concept. I want to use this group as a way to look "official" to the city when we have future baby fairs or meet the doula events, asl well as sending literature to OB offices about doulas. I think that if people see that we work together, despite our separate private businesses, they will see the heart of doula work by the way we network and support each other as doulas. (Am I rambling? It's really late and my headache is currently larger than my head, so you see the problem there! )

Thanks in advance!

[b'earth angel]

I agree w/trying to form a unified front. There's power in numbers sorta thing. Just being able to have hands on support/knowledge sharing would be an assest to me.
I'd love to have a support group, but to my knowledge, there's just me, my back-up and no one else, close by. We have to drive 2.5 hours one way to a larger city to find any sizable amount of doulas in our state. I could drive 1.5 hours south and find a whole lot more, but I'd like to have some Kansas sister doulas, KWIM?

[UtahDoula]

I am very involved with The Utah Doula Association www.utahdoulas.org
It is statewide, but the vast majority of our members live in the most populated areas in the northern part of the state, probably all within a couple hundred miles. We have around 85 members last I checked.
In the past we have surveyed our members (and have another survey planned for this year) and found that what our members MOST wanted was referrals, networking and educational opportunities locally so they didn't have to travel for contact hours. I think that is SO important - to not just try & make it what YOU want to see, but rather to make it work for everybody.
The UDA does an educational conference with contact hours each Spring and a social/retreat each Fall. Last Fall was the first one, and it was a big hit, so we're planning to make it an annual event.
We have our web site, and a toll-free referral hotline. We have business cards printed for the UDA which are distributed where ever we can get them (midwives, doctor & midwife offices, hospital CBE classes, maternity & breastfeeding shops, etc.)
We have a nice display board and have done booths as baby fairs and street fairs as well.
We have been trying to get some monthly discussion groups going with not much success, but we're going to keep pushing that this year.
We have a quarterly newsletter
In past years, we've done a client picnic in September - I don't know if that will happen this year or not.

I didn't start it, but I have served on the board for about 8 years, including a term as president. I (mostly) have enjoyed it and it has been a great way to get to know the doulas in my area and even outside my area. I know of a few other UDA members here at AllDoulas, too.

[b'earth angel]

Wow, sounds like a great group Utah! Now that you mention it, that local educational opportunities would make it all worthwhile I think. Instead of me stressing of how I'm going to get these 15 CEU hours for my recert in 3 years! I just though that the initial cert was difficult...
And the referrals a real bonus.
The group that hosted the doula training I took was DACO {doula association of central oklahoma] they also have an active group. They had dues of $20 or $25 dollars though. I'm not sure that having to pay local dues, plus DONA dues plus "dues" for is what I need right now though. But that's just me. If business was more plentiful, I s'pose I wouldn't mind.
I don't know if we have that many doulas in our state though. We may have I suppose.

[DoulaDani]

Hi Ashli,

I am a member of BirthWorkers of Central Ohio www.birthworkers.com . I didn't start Birthworkers, but was present at the second meeting and have been actively involved ever since. BWCO was started by a CNM and a doula who wanted to network with other birth professionals in our area. It is open to all, and I've found that people "self select" whether or not they should be a part of it based on their birth philosophy. We've been up and running since early 2000.

We originally thought of it as being a Columbus group, but we've had members/attendees from 60-90 minutes away. I think DoulaLori drives about an hour, and we're always thrilled when she makes an appearance!

We are mostly doulas and CBEs, but we have a CNM, and a few other professions (CPMs, Chiropractors, LMT, Midwifery Assistants, etc.).

Overall, I think it has been a great resource. I met my two best friends (Cowtown Doula and CatieDoula) that way, and have also enjoyed getting to know the others in town better. It has been a great resource (and excuse) to meet others and fiigure out who practices similarly. And we can get honest opinions and experiences regarding some of the careproviders that we haven't worked with before.

Probably the thing I like least (and I'm probably in the minority) is the lack of "Scope of Practice" and "Code of Ethics" for out group. While it hasn't been a big problem, I would be happier if we would adopt a consistant SOP/COE so that we don't end up associated with rogue doulas who would be better titled "birth activists", or associated with people who are vocally opposed to evidenced based practice. I think CIMS is our only guideline, IIRC.

We've done several community outreach programs, and last year held "Doula Day", an all-day seminar attended by 50 doulas (most I'd never met before!) and we had speakers from our community and PENNY SIMKIN! Great event, but we probably could have done it much cheaper if we'd used local talent exclusively. Penny was terrific, but it added to our financial outlay considerably.

Also, we have a DONA group membership option available, which cuts the cost of DONA membership by about $10 a year. It would be more if we had more members, but this is a good start.

[conniebonnie]

I go to two, one through the center i got trained at, and we meet once a month. Its more like a seminar, and its not always just doulas but mostly it is. But it is good to get connected in the birth world at least once a month you know? And we have different speakers come in and then we have a get together time where we talk about whats going on with us and our clients and trouble shoot.
I also was introduced to a birth workers meeting i think every 6 months in the city i live in, and we meet and discuss topics we have picked out and have a little potluck. I like them both. I really enjoy haveing lending library at the one, and would recommend that you do that, kinda llli style. its really helpfull to someone just starting out, for books that i want to read as well as books that i want to loan to clients.

[naturalbirther]

Great input, Ladies, Utah, Dani, and Connie: Great info, that really helps. How are these groups funded? I'm pretty sure dh would KILL me if I spent any more money on this kind of venture right now!

Quote:

Originally Posted by UtahDoula I (mostly) have enjoyed it and it has been a great way to get to know the doulas in my area and even outside my area.

What do you like least? (only if you're comfortable sharing that info! )

[UtahDoula]

Funding is easier than you might think.
We have a group membership to DONA and our members join DONA through us. The group memberships cost less per person than the $45 DONA charges if you join individually, but our members are more than willing to pay the same amount and get BOTH memberships. So each member pays $45 - the UDA gets $15 of that and the rest goes to DONA. (I think that's what the numbers are - I could be wrong since I haven't been the one to do the membership drive in a couple years). Some doulas are not interested in DONA, they pay a smaller fee to join, I think maybe $20-25 a year. This pays for regular expenses like the toll-free line, booth registrations, business card & brochure printing, renting a park pavillion for the client picnic, etc.
When we do a conference, people pay to come. We try to keep the charge to our members under $50 for conferences, that includes food, CEUs, handouts, etc. Some years we overestimate expenses and make a few dollars from each registration. Some years (like last year) we do well to break even!

As far as what I haven't liked, well, sometimes I feel like I end up with more of the responsibility than I should. People flake out on things, and it seems like I am always the one who has to to step up, or it doesn't get done and people complain to me as if I was the one who flaked out. And it can be crazy busy at times. I've been the conference committee chair a couple years now, and that week before the conference it is pretty much a full time job to pull off all the details.

[midoula]

This is a great topic! I love reading about what others are doing.

I started the local group that Connie was mentioning just 6 or 7 months ago so we are new at this. I organized the first get together because when I was a new doula here I called all the doulas I could find and each one said that they would love to meet other doulas. We started out intending to be a doula gathering but have become a general birth workers gathering. As Connie mentioned we have a topic of interest every time we meet and someone leads the discussion. I would love to do more in terms of community outreach. Doulas are still relatively unheard of here and I would really like to get the word out more. We have a big women's expo coming up next month and I always think how great it would be to have a booth there. The booths cost $595 though so it is too much to do individually. I think as a group it would be more do-able. It is so nice to hear how others are doing things

I do have a few questions. First, how do you establish CEU's for learning opportunities you do? Also, are you established as a non-profit?

[conniebonnie]

well, the center is a struggling non profit! so how it is funded is a mystery to us all. but the first thursday group, doulas pay i think $20 everymonth to go. We aslo hold topics that are broader and would interst other birth workers so they will come in too. occasionally these meetings qualify for ceus. come to htink of it i would say everyother one.
but, we also have a volunteer doula program, and doulas who are actively participating in that get in for free.
The other one, im not sure it would need very much funding. We meet in a meeting room at a local bookstore and we all bring a dish to pass...
so you could just meet in a coffee house or something you know?its the knowing each other and having that contact that is important

[UtahDoula]

CEUs are applied for from the various certification organizations. In the past we've done ICEA hours, but frankly, they are a pain in the butt and expensive. DONA is much easier to work with and cheaper. Details on the DONA process are here:
http://www.dona.org/develop/continuing_ed.php

We have not been a non-profit in the past, as we don't qualify as a charity 501(c)3 that most people think of as a non-profit. (Mainly because we exist to provide support and referal to our members, who pay us for it.) But after consulting with an attorney recently, we are in the very beginning stages of becoming a non-profit business league, a 501 (c)6 - similar to ACOG or the AMA, but only as far as the IRS in concerned! It's going to be expensive, but for a bunch of reasons that are way too long to go into here, it has become necessary.