For the most part, I use common sense, a social justice ethic, and my own life experience as a guide. I have an advertised discount for military and student families, and anybody else, I'd work out a reduced fee on a case-by-case basis.
I know enlisted military/Natl Guard are getting paid a pittance for doing a lot of really tough work. And I was a student on a limited income, so I know that a few hundred bucks can be make-or-break. I only offer the student discount to families where both partners are students, as I think that if one partner is a student and the other works full-time and makes more $ than I do at my own day job, they don't NEED a discount. If people balk at the fee or tell me they aren't sure they can afford the full fee, I would instantly offer to work with them at a reduced rate, but nobody has done that yet.
If I get a client who is referred to me through her care provider and is a single mom making a cruddy income (like, she works as a housecleaner at a motel -- I don't need to ask her income to know she's barely keeping her nose above water), I tell her that if she can swing paying for my gas/parking, that would be great, but that I budget for a certain number of births per year that I do with women who want a doula but can't pay the full fee. I think women will feel better about having you work with them and will take your services for granted less if they pay something, even if it's just $10 for gas or crocheting 5 potholders and a table doily for you. and anytime I talk about doula services to an audience, I always tell them, "If you want to have a doula, don't ever let cost be a barrier. JUST ASK. Among all the doulas in town, we can ALWAYS find somebody to work with you, regardless of your ability to pay for services." I do take to heart the DONA vision that there should be a doula for every woman who wants one.
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