Making Childbirth Education Accessible: The Impact of Birthsmarter’s Alternative Pricing Policy
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
At Birthsmarter, our top marketing goal in 2025 is to make sure our external presence better reflects the incredible work we’re doing behind the scenes. The truth is, we’re so busy delivering high-quality childbirth education and support that we often forget to talk about our unique approach. A prime example? The efficacy of our Alternative Pricing Policy.
Hopefully, you already know that we offer Pay-What-You-Can and Pay-It-Forward Pricing for all of our classes. (If not, you can read the details here.) But does it actually work?
Well, I took a look at our numbers this morning, and to-date in 2025 (that’s only 41 days), we’ve offered 10 people a Pay-What-You-Can discount. Here’s what that looks like:
- Total value of discounts: $1,232.50
- Average discount: $136.94
- Lowest discount: $72.50
- Highest discount: $215.00
- Percentage of Requests Accepted: 100%
Why We Do This
When I was expecting my first baby in 2014, I was a newer doula and my husband was in year three of graduate school. We struggled to afford our childbirth class (shout out to Ellen Chuse). I budgeted, asked grandparents to chip in, registered for a cash fund, and made it work—only because I knew how powerful of an investment it was.
The parents who inquire about Birthsmarter’s Alternative Pricing Policy come from all walks of life. They’re NYC school teachers, FDNY firefighters, folks who’ve spent their life savings on IVF, immigrants applying for green cards, single parents, freelance artists, and nonprofit workers tackling climate change, foster care, and criminal justice reform. Some are supporting family members through health crises.
Every Birthsmarter family holds a special place in our heart. For Harmony and me, learning about what folks are going through on their road to parenthood is one of the most heartwarming parts of this work.
Our Promise: No One Turned Away
We will never turn someone away due to lack of funds. And we will jump through hoops to make all the other logistics work too! Beyond discounts, we’ll work with folks on payment plans and reschedule virtual classes to fit their schedules. We’ve downloaded captioning software for parents who are hard of hearing, and we’re working on translating our workbook into Spanish (stay tuned!).
Did you see this reel? A couple folded their laundry in my Newborn Care class last week, and honestly, it was the highlight of my teaching career.
We’re committed to making sure everyone who wants or needs childbirth education gets it, no matter their financial situation.
Want to learn more or contribute to our Pay-It-Forward Pricing? Get in touch!
Find live, virtual & on-demand classes and support groups near you: