SisterWeb Mission

SisterWeb, a network of culturally congruent community doulas and birth workers from and for Black, Pacific Islander, and Latina/o/x communities, works to dismantle racist health care systems, strengthen community resilience, and advance economic justice for birthing families and doulas in San Francisco.

SisterWeb Vision

Black, Pacific Islander, and Latina/o/x families in San Francisco are centered and uplifted in their reproductive journey to welcome their children with respect, dignity, joy, and pride, leading to thriving families and communities and increased birth equity and justice.

SisterWeb Values

• Culturally congruent and community-centered care
• Economic justice and community-led power 
• Respect and autonomy 
• Community wisdom and lifelong learning

SisterWeb Needs

1. Recruit more community members who want to receive New Doula Training
2. Increase the number of viable SisterWeb Doulas candidates
3. Increase the number of SisterWeb Doulas
4. SisterWeb wants to be able to hire 2-3 new doulas until we reach a capacity of up to 15 doulas.
   1. Maintain a Doula staff minimum of 15

Only in recent years, has the doula profession gained a more widespread understanding across communities. As such, there is no one standard model for how an agency like SisterWeb can build a workforce of Black and Brown doulas that is equitable, sustainable, and helps develop doulas who are clinically astute and who have the supportive employment skills like professional communication, organizations, writing and grammatical efficiency. SisterWeb has learned that the transition from independent contractor to staff person requires a professional development support structure as well as fiscal capacity. Not only has SistWeb invested in wages and benefits of its doulas, it has learned that it must also invest equally in building their clinical and professional skills. Our interventions have included one-on-one mentorship and consultation, monthly professional development training, and employment soft skills enhancement during staff meetings and meetings with managers.

SisterWeb will focus on building and strengthening agency infrastructure. The current staffing structure consists of a mix of part-time and full-time staff. While this strategy worked when the agency first opened and enabled doulas to work other jobs and be more available for parenting requirements it no longer provides the coverage needed to respond to the numerous Black and Brown birthing families on our waiting list in our communities requesting birthing support. In the next quarter, SisterWeb will offer a series of training and informational workshops to staff to share and discuss upcoming changes in staff hours and the need, fiscally and programmatically, to make doulas, leadership, and support staff all full-time positions.

If we do nothing, it's likely that we will continue to have a growing waitlist for our services, which creates harm within our community, echoing the sentiment of scarcity for services our pregnant community members need.

If we do nothing, our doula staff will likely decline. Our current doulas are growing in skill and desire to build on their skills, many seek to advance their education going into fields of work, like nursing and midwifery, others are starting families and reprioritizing their personal lives. In addition to other reasons, our doulas are beginning to turnover, and we need to increase the number of available community members who are trained as doulas and able to work for SisterWeb.

• Positive Factors:
  • The Doula profession gained a more widespread understanding across communities.
  • SistWeb invests in wages and benefits of its doulas and invests equally in building their clinical and professional skills
  • One-on-one mentorship and consultation, monthly professional development training, and employment soft skills enhancement during staff meetings and meetings with managers
  • Our current doulas are growing in skill and desire to build on their skills, many seek to advance their education going into fields of work, like nursing and midwifery
  • Increased demand for Black and Brown birthing families in our communities requesting birthing support are on our waiting list
• Negative Factors:
  • There is no one standard model for how an agency like SisterWeb can build a workforce of Black and Brown doulas that is equitable, sustainable, and helps develop doulas who are clinically astute
  • SisterWeb has learned that the transition from independent contractor to staff person requires professional development, other infrastructure support, as well as fiscal capacity
  • The current staffing structure consists of an unsustainable mix of part-time and full-time staff
  • Having Doulas working other jobs no longer provide the coverage needed to respond to the numerous Black and Brown birthing families on our waiting list in our communities requesting birthing support.
  • The growing waitlist for our services can create harm within our community, echoing the sentiment of scarcity for services our pregnant community members need
  • If we do nothing, our doula staff will likely decline (turnover)
  • Our current doulas are growing in skill and desire to build on their skills, many seek to advance their education going into fields of work, like nursing and midwifery (turnover)

Partners

• Heluna Health - SisterWeb's Fiscal Sponsor
• Health Connect One - New Doula Trainers
• SF DPH / MCAH / OEWD - FY 21-22 Funders
• SF Black/African America (B/AA), Latinx (Lx), and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (NHPI) community members that live in San Francisco - members that want to receive new doula training

Increase the number of new doula training opportunities available to community members.

Provide full-time jobs to qualified community members who receive new doula training.

New Doula Training scheduled for April 2022

• Expectation to offer New Doula training at least once more this year (tentatively October 2022)
• The plan is to continue to offer New Doula training up to 2x per year ongoing

Doula Recruitment Plan

• SisterWeb Doula Info Sessions (LOW COST/NO COST):
  • 1-2x per month via zoom
  • In-person event TBD
  • Expectation to record a polished session to make available on-demand online
    • Available to share to social media, website, etc.
    • Available to share with other stakeholders and community members
  • Topics Covered:
    • What is it like to be a doula?
    • What is it Like to be a SisterWeb Doula?
      • Job Expectations
      • Ideal Candidates
      • Starting pay rate/ Employee benefits

Outreach methods

• Career/Job fairs and similar (LOW COST/NO COST)
  • Includes outreach to churches, mosques, community centers, etc.
• Create & distribute flyers (LOW COST/NO COST)
  • Physical?
  • Electronic Flyers
• Posting on all programs social media and asking staff to share on personal social media (LOW COST/NO COST)
• Multiple email blasts with info for CBOs, community organizers, and other stakeholders (LOW COST/NO COST)