Although Breastfeeding USA is growing, opening new Chapters across the country, sometimes a Chapter must close. If a Breastfeeding Counselor facilitating a Community Chapter moves to a new location or retires and there are no other Breastfeeding Counselors in the area to assume responsibility for the Chapter, the Community Chapter must be closed.
Notifying Breastfeeding USA
A Breastfeeding Counselor anticipating closing a Community Chapter should contact her Regional BC Support Team contact or BCSupport@breastfeedingusa.org to notify them when she will be closing the Chapter. The BC Support team will remove the Chapter listing from the “Find a BC” page on the website and internal databases.
If the Community Chapter has any financial assets, the Breastfeeding Counselor should also contact the Finance Department. If the BC has an open expense advance, she should complete an Expense Reimbursement Form for any purchases and/or send a check to Accounts Payable to reimburse Breastfeeding USA for any unspent funds. Any balances being held in a Breastfeeding USA restricted account may be released into the general fund for the organization or may be transferred to a nearby Community Chapter. Similarly, any supplies, library resources, or other materials purchased with Breastfeeding USA funds should be disposed of in one of the following ways:
- Returned to Breastfeeding USA Volunteer Support (who will share them with newly forming Community Chapters)
- Transferred to a nearby Community Chapter
- Donated to another nonprofit organization in the community which has a mission complementary to that of Breastfeeding USA
Notifying Chapter Members
Community Chapter members and supporters should be notified as early as possible of the possibility that a Chapter will close. Early notification is not only courteous, but it may also encourage a current Chapter member to consider training to become a Breastfeeding Counselor. Contact information for other local organizations providing breastfeeding information and support should be shared with Chapter members and regular meeting attendees. Breastfeeding Counselors who are moving (but not retiring) may also continue to provide phone support to mothers in the closed Community Chapter.
As the organization grows, mothers throughout the nation should have easy access to Breastfeeding USA information and support no matter where they live.