FAQs: Don't find what you need? Contact BCSupport@breastfeedingusa.org.

To assist Breastfeeding Counselors with locating continuing education opportunities, the Continuing Education Workgroup will post opportunities to the BC Discussion Gmail Group. Other continuing education opportunities are often sponsored by local breastfeeding coalitions, colleges and universities, private lactation education companies, USLCA webinars, and La Leche League conferences.

Breastfeeding Counselors have easy access to evidence-based information through the Breastfeeding Resource And Information Department (BRAID). BRAID provides up-to-date information to Breastfeeding Counselors and assists them with difficult helping situations and establishing contacts with health professionals when needed.

Breastfeeding Counselors are required to complete a Community Contact Activity Report (CCAR) each month. The link to current CCAR forms can be found here or under the "Forms/Reporting" option in the "For Volunteers" section of the Breastfeeding USA website. All BCs need to begin reporting their community contacts the month following their accreditation as a BC. If a BC has no community contacts to report, she still must complete the CCAR each month to reflect casual contacts and continuing education as well as contacts made while acting as a BC.

Yes, there is an automatic renewal notice sent to the email address associated with your membership approximately one month before your membership expires. Please ensure that you are logged into the website while purchasing your membership online so that it will be properly recorded as a renewal. If you allow your membership to expire, you will be contacted by Membership Services as a second reminder. Further correspondence will come from Volunteer Services, followed by the Board of Directors.

When a Breastfeeding Counselor does not pay her membership fees, she is not allowed to vote in an organization election or for issues before the Voting Membership.

A Breastfeeding Counselor with an expired membership greater than 60 days will have her Chapter information removed from the BC listing on the website.

A Breastfeeding Counselor with an expired membership greater than 90 days will be:

• prohibited from providing breastfeeding help directly to mothers
• removed from committee work
• removed from the roster of active BCs
• no longer considered an accredited BC, which includes loss of liability coverage, until the BC has paid her membership fees in full and completed the reinstatement process.

If you are experiencing financial hardship or a specific time constraint for payment, please contact Membership@BreastfeedingUSA.org, to discuss possible solutions before your membership has expired. The finance committee will work with you on a payment plan.

Breastfeeding USA accredits qualified Breastfeeding Counselor candidates who reside within one of the United States, its territories, possessions and/or military bases. Breastfeeding USA counselors are protected by the Breastfeeding USA insurance policies when they are pursuing the mission of Breastfeeding USA within one or more of the United States, it’s territories, possessions and/or military bases. May 2015

If you have forgotten your password please follow this link to request a password reset. A new password will be sent to the email you used to establish your membership with Breastfeeding USA. If you have a new email address, please log into the website using your user name (First name space Last name) and password, and you will see your account information. Click on Edit, where you will see your old email address. Update with new email and then save it at the bottom of the page. If your email address has changed and you have forgotten your password, please notify Membership@BreastfeedingUSA.org.

No. If a Breastfeeding Counselor does not plan to regularly provide direct help to breastfeeding mothers she may choose not to be part of a Community Chapter, and may continue to help the organization by volunteering on a committee. However, Breastfeeding Counselors are listed on the website by State and Chapter to help people locate services. Including yourself on the Community Chapter listing helps Breastfeeding USA have a greater presence to serve breastfeeding mothers.

Community Chapter meetings must be facilitated by a Breastfeeding Counselor. The Chapter meetings and activities may be conducted in various formats (including round-table discussions, breastfeeding classes, and drop-in social events) that are appropriate for your local community.

The instructions to list yourself on the website are found here.

If you need further help, please email BCSupport@BreastfeedingUSA.org to provide the BC Support Workgroup with the following information:

• State
• Community Chapter Name
• Services provided (meeting, phone, email)
• BC contact name (most BCs choose to only list their first names)
• BC email address (if applicable)
• BC phone number (if applicable)
• Facebook page/group link (if applicable)
• Meeting information (date/time and location if applicable)

BC Support has two test examples on Facebook: one is a "Page;" the other is a "Group." Before you establish your Chapter on Facebook, you may want to request access to these test examples to explore which option you would prefer to use for your Chapter by emailing BCSupport@BreastfeedingUSA.org [Further reading Social Media FAQ Available Spring 2012]

No, the finance committee maintains control of all Breastfeeding USA accounts, and Community Chapters may not open their own accounts. This structure helps to manage the organization’s limited funds in the best way possible and minimizes accounting and reporting requirements. The goal is to make Breastfeeding USA funds as available as possible for Breastfeeding Counselors and Chapters to carry out the mission, while ensuring adequate protection of the national organization’s assets.

Fortunately, it doesn’t require a lot of money to provide quality, evidence-based local breastfeeding support! However, some Chapter activities may be enhanced by purchasing supplies or materials, and local publicity and advocacy efforts sometimes require funding. Breastfeeding USA has budgeted up to $75 this fiscal year for each Community Chapter to spend as needed. Please contact Finance@BreastfeedingUSA.org with an estimate and description of your planned expenses.

Breastfeeding USA expects all Breastfeeding Counselors and other volunteers to be prudent about expenses for the organization, and to help it in budgeting for future years. After making any expenditure for the organization, even if not requesting reimbursement for the expense, BCs should complete the Expense Reimbursement Form and submit it to Accounts Payable. If reimbursement is desired, Expense Reimbursement Forms must be received by the tenth (10th) of the month to be paid in that same month. Submitting an Expense Reimbursement Form helps the Finance Committee understand the costs involved in operating Community Chapters, which helps to develop better budgets for the organization.

Breastfeeding USA was established over a few years time. Discussion began in mid-2008, with earnest planning in 2009; the organization officially incorporated on November 17, 2010. The organization went live on December 10, 2010 with the launch of its Facebook page, followed by the website launch on December 14. More information about the organization’s history is available here.

No, but as a Voting Member you are encouraged to participate in the voting process.