If you have a heart to open a pregnancy help organization then you are among the many that have a desire to meet the need of women facing unexpected pregnancies. Many pregnancy centers exist today because of the vision that God placed in the heart of an individual like you.

Pregnancy help centers are non-profit organizations established by pro-life supporters that work to assist women who have an unexpected pregnancy. Most pregnancy centers are in the United States, however many have been established overseas. They’re usually affiliated with a pro-life Christian organization such as Heartbeat International. The pregnancy centers provide pregnancy consultation, intervention and support; education and information on pregnancy adoption, abortion, sexually transmitted infections (STIs/STDs); services and referrals for ongoing needs.

Some pregnancy help organizations include medical services like ultrasound to confirm pregnancy, abortion pill reversal, and STI/STD testing. These are considered pregnancy help medical clinics.

5 Critical Questions to Answer First

1. What is the specific need to address?
2. What area and demographic needs to be served?
3. Are any other organizations serving this need for this area/demographic?
4. Is it possible to join or extend the work already existing?
5. Can the community support this need?

We suggest checking Heartbeat’s Worldwide Directory or going to www.OptionLine.org, enter your zip code to see if/what other organizations exist in your area and network with them as you pursue starting a ministry so as to not compete with funding resources in the area.

Often times, we find that a group may wish to open a center in an area where another center has been strategically planning and praying to open. You may actually be the answer to another ministries prayer! Many states have coalitions of pregnancy centers and will be a good reference for you as you start, and then as you grow your center.

Recommended Heartbeat Resources

• Built By Design
• A Vision for Your Organization
• Governing Essentials
• The LOVE Approach

Heartbeat International is here to assist you. Affiliation is complimentary the first year for brand new start-up organizations. Click here to learn more about the benefits of affiliating with Heartbeat International.

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If you have a heart for providing on-going support, you are among many who are providing clients with more than a single contact followed by perhaps a few sessions of crisis intervention. In order to ensure a healthy pregnancy, a healthy lifestyle and/or healing from an abortion, many centers have developed long term, one-on-one mentoring and support programs.

Every program you provide should lead to the fulfillment of the vision and accomplish the mission you have written for your organization. Before you add to your core programs, make sure that the existing programs and services you offer are doing well, and have a strong foundation.

It’s wise to survey your community to see what programs are already available to clients and develop a detailed community referral manual and system to connect clients to the appropriate local agencies and support groups from emergency housing to child care. If a service is not available in the community, some centers add them, such as host home programs, single moms’ support groups, pre and post-adoption support groups, groups for parents of pregnant teens, even licensed maternity homes and licensed adoption agencies.

Today, long-term care programs affiliated with Heartbeat or within Heartbeat-affiliated centers fall into the following categories.

Licensed maternity homes and residential programs

Maternity homes come in many different models – those serving minors, women, mothers and their babies, those focused primarily or exclusively on the parenting choice of adoption, those serving “hard cases” (e.g. women with drug and alcohol problems). How the home is structured and its specific policies will be determined by the mission and the needs of the particular community.

Licensed adoption agencies

Some adoption agencies are loosely connected to one or more pregnancy centers, perhaps by having some pregnancy center Board Members serving on the adoption agency Board. The close connection leads to a more “seamless” approach to providing adoption services to a client who chooses parents for her child through an adoption plan. Thus, the transfer of the client from one helping organization to another is as seamless as possible. Research shows that this is one of the factors that leads to a greater number of adoptions. More and more pregnancy centers are founding licensed adoption agencies because they cannot find good Christian adoption providers in their communities and because they have a large number of clients who will have great difficulty parenting their child. They need a viable adoption alternative. When centers found their own adoption agencies, they see major increases in the number of clients choosing an adoption plan.

Prenatal care

Some pregnancy centers have added ultrasound (and perhaps STD testing) to their crisis-intervention services; some have expanded medical services to include prenatal care, some for only 3 months, others for the full 9 months but limited to low-risk pregnancies (for insurance purposes).

One-on-one consultation/mentoring

Some use workbooks, like My Baby and Me, to guide the pregnant client in making some new decisions in her life. The Sexual Integrity™ Program does the same with a variety of topic modules for both pregnant and non-pregnant clients.

Educational classes

These can be all on one topic such as childbirth or parenting or they can cover a mixture of topics. Classes are also available for pregnant and non-pregnant clients through The Sexual Integrity™ Program. Programs for men and fathers: Several Heartbeat affiliates have expanded their services to reach men for abortion education, decision-making consultation, parenting skills, and marriage consultation and support. Programs for men are led by male volunteers and mentors and sometimes a male paid staff leader.

Support groups/workshops

Some PRC’s have specialized support groups/workshops such as the H.E.A.R.T. (Healing the Effects of Abortion Related Trauma) program for men and women who need healing after an abortion. Other groups may be for single mothers, grandparents, fathers, or those considering adoption. The Sexual Integrity™ Program offers these group formats for clients who have experienced sexual abuse or trauma.

Job training

Some PRC’s offer limited job training such as word processing training in their offices. 

If you have questions about adding support services please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

                 

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You are welcome to access our Academy and other resources on our website as a non-affiliate. Please know however that you are missing out on the following benefits of Heartbeat affiliation:

Comprehensive services. Heartbeat nurtures all aspects of our affiliates, from spiritual growth to workaday stewardship. We serve organizations as they strive to fulfill their vision, and we serve the team members who carry out that vision on a daily basis. Heartbeat affiliation offers you resources that help key staff, board, and workers at any level of your organization. From startup to long-standing services, from intervention basics to medical expansion, from pregnancy help to housing and more, Heartbeat is ready to come alongside with support. Heartbeat assistance and consultation is as close as a complimentary phone call or e-mail for affiliates in the U.S. and Canada. International affiliate consults (English language) are also available via email and Skype.

Discount of 20%. This affiliate-only discount on Heartbeat resources applies to most trainings, manuals, and webinars. 

Exclusive Grant Opportunities. Heartbeat offers a variety of grants to affiliated pregnancy centers to cover a multitude of needs; from operational grants to specialized trainings; from start up grants via our Pregnancy Center Life Launch program to scholarships for your clients through our Unplanned Movie Scholarship; Heartbeat is here to help you invest in your center, your staff, and your clients.

Option Line 24/7 Contact Center. Affiliates in the U.S. and Canada qualify to be listed on this 24-hour, English and Spanish referral helpline. This hotline advertises the services of pregnancy help organizations and connects women in need with their nearest Heartbeat International affiliate. Option Line® offers this service 24/7 by toll-free phone calls, text messaging and live chat. For details on how your center can qualify for Option Line, call (614) 802-2808 during normal business hours, EST. Click here to learn how your Heartbeat-affiliated organization can forward your hotline to Option Line.

Faith-based Retirement Plan. Exclusively for Heartbeat International’s headquarters and affiliate organizations. In partnership with the Faith-Based Retirement Experts at Envoy Financial. Click here to learn how to implement a 403B plan or an IRA plan in your organization.

Timely ePublications and The Best of Heartbeat digest. Affiliates may subscribe to Heartbeat’s electronic newsletters (e-zines) on specialized topics. These dynamic, easy-to-read publications are jam-packed with spiritual refreshment as well as ideas for programs, fundraising, and client resources, in addition to news about other affiliates and national events. All affiliates receive The Best of Heartbeat™ digest twice a year.

Complimentary Affiliates-Only material. Password-protected material is accessible through our website’s Affiliates-Only section. Heartbeat’s up-to-date, on-demand, downloadable, and accurate information for pregnancy help ministries includes talking points, resource updates, medical studies, Heartbeat fact sheets, and much more.

Babies Go to Congress Event. Heartbeat’s Babies Go To Congress® program works with affiliates to create an environment where the great work of pregnancy help ministries can flourish. Affiliates can gain priceless expertise in defending against legislative attacks while developing excellent marketing materials in the process. Your center can also give moms a character-building experience when you participate in Babies Go To Congress. 

Conferences and specialized trainings. Heartbeat trainings come to you live, online, and on-demand through programs such as the Annual Conference, Heartbeat Institute for Center Effectiveness℠, and webinars through the Heartbeat Academy.

Life-affirming Specialist (LAS) Certification. Heartbeat International has developed a professional designation for those working in life-affirming ministries, raising the credibility of those professionals. Life-Affirming Specialist™ Certification communicates a high level of study, competency, and familiarity with the latest research and findings related to life-affirming information and training. 

On-site training and consultation. Heartbeat affiliates qualify for exceptional discounts on a variety of training topics.
Appointment-setting for your center during off-hours. Through Option Line’s PlusLink™ service, your clients can set appointments at your center, even after regular business hours.

Web design for your center. Extend Web Services provides affiliates with a wide selection of websites and connectivity levels with a discount for Heartbeat Affiliates.

First year’s affiliation gratis. If your center is a startup, Heartbeat helps you get on your feet with a free year of membership. (Brand new? Look into our Life Launch Grant and see if you qualify.)

Consultations for building center effectiveness. Many affiliates find great value in Heartbeat’s Center 360° Assessment℠, as well as legal and medical reviews through the Institute for Center Effectiveness℠.

Sexual Integrity Program. Heartbeat’s comprehensive approach reaches out to clients with a message of sexual wholeness. The Sexual Integrity™ Program has elements that can help every client discover her identity as an image-bearer of God, and learn to live out her sexuality in a true, excellent, honest and pure way. Heartbeat is available to answer all of your questions.

Regent University Opportunities. Heartbeat affiliates are able to enroll in a free leadership course at Regent University and apply for a Tuition Scholarship for any degree or program through the PACE program. Additional information available at their website here.

Heartbeat’s Worldwide Directory Desk Reference™. All affiliates receive a complimentary copy of this annually updated pregnancy help ministry reference.