Following on the heels of its first-ever virtual annual pregnancy help conference Heartbeat International has expanded one of its existing resources for brand new pregnancy help organizations to be available on-line.
The value of virtual communications has been accentuated during the coronavirus pandemic, with Heartbeat International ramping up on-line trainings and pregnancy help organizations offering many services virtually.
Heartbeat is now offering Built By Design in a new four-module on-line format.
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Built By Design, a manual released in 2017, is a resource designed to support pregnancy help start-ups.
It covers all the foundational elements of starting a nonprofit pregnancy help entity, from founding and framing the organization, to fundraising, leadership, staff, operations, services and marketing.
This new online resource follows Heartbeat’s Built By Design manual aimed towards new start-up organizations as they explore the process of bringing pregnancy help to their communities, said Sara Littlefield, Heartbeat’s Life Launch Grant Specialist.
“The new four-part online course will guide you through the building process, one step at a time,” Littlefield said.
Built By Design connects Heartbeat’s other resources together for users.
“Reading through Built By Design will give an idea of where to go state by state in other manuals to find resources for start-ups,” said Littlefield. “It’s a mapping system in one sense, it directs you to which manual and where within.”
In working through the interactive modules, users pause for to-do’s before moving to the next module. There are some quizzes on basic knowledge aspects.
The hard copy manual is separate and not required to purchase with the on-line modules, but still highly recommended, as it is still extremely helpful to have the manual on paper.
Littlefield said she already knows of some pregnancy help start-up teams who will be thrilled about this resource, and it is helpful no matter where one is in the process.
“It’s a place where you can send people so that they can discern where they’re at” she said.
Littlefield also manages Heartbeat’s Pregnancy Help Center Life Launch Grant program, which helps start-up pregnancy help centers open their doors in communities in need throughout the U.S.
Littlefield remains available as a resource for both the Life Launch Grant program and Built By Design, accompanying pregnancy help centers all through their respective journeys.
“It truly is an honor to be able to support pregnancy help organizations and be available as a resource on behalf of Heartbeat International to answer questions and navigate the steps,” Littlefield said.
The combination of the Built By Design manual, its new on-line manual counterpart and Littlefield as an ongoing resource offers significant value to pregnancy help organizations, said Heartbeat International Vice President of Ministry Services Betty McDowell.
“To me this is just the trifecta,” McDowell said.
Heartbeat’s addition of the on-line Built By Design modules is an effort to meet the diverse needs of the pregnancy help community, she said.
Along with supporting fledgling pregnancy help organizations, Littlefield added that it is her hope for these resources to spur someone to start or help someone else to start a center.
For more information on the Built By Design modules click HERE and HERE. For information on Heartbeat International’s Life Launch Grant program click HERE or contact Sara Littlefield at
