Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (Associate member)
RDIA member since 28 July 2010
New York, NY
BCIA Opens For General MembershipNew York, NY, July 28, 2010 The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) is excited to announce their initial push for members. In their efforts to reach both individuals and businesses of all sizes, the BCIA has set a membership structure to appeal to all audiences. With their key initiatives in mind, the BCIA asks members to contribute as much as they can.
Kristi Hayes-Devlin, board chair, emphasizes the time-sensitive first action items of the BCIA. "Infant slings have been recently placed in the 'durable infant product' category, which requires a mandatory CPSC standard," explains Hayes-Devlin.
Hayes-Devlin points to this quote from Inez Tenenbaum, CPSC chairperson: “If you act swiftly, like ASTM has done recently with cribs, then we at CPSC can recognize the improved standard at the mandatory level.”
"This is why the first order of business of the BCIA is to finalize an excellent voluntary standard for infant slings that is both safe and also achievable for small babywearing businesses," continues Hayes-Devlin. "From there, we will move to unite our industry behind the message that babywearing is critical to the public health of families everywhere. To achieve these goals, we need both funds and practical support."
Membership in the BCIA is divided into two primary categories – "General Supporter" for those individuals and businesses who support the work of the BCIA but not a part of the industry, and "Business Member" for companies and individuals who are financially invested in the industry.
"We really wanted to have a place for the parents, friends, and supportive organizations to have voice and see what we do, even if they are not financially invested in this industry," says Britt Pegan, BCIA board member and head of the membership subcommittee. "This is why we created the Friend and Champion levels. We have some fun benefits for both outlined on the website, but in particular our Champions will receive ongoing discounts and promotions with vendors both in and outside the trade. Also, BCIA 'supporters' also have access to our member-only forums."
The Business Memberships are available at four graduated levels and offer several key benefits to businesses, such as group buying power, access to international research on babywearing and baby carriers, the opportunity to vote on policies and run for elected positions, a listing on the BCIA website and in the "Who's New?" section of their newsletter, and membership in the BCIA business forums, where open legitimate business-related industry discussion already happens. Additionally, all members joining before September 1, 2010 will hold a designation of "Charter Member" for the duration of their membership.
"The membership guidelines are just that -- guidelines. We want our members to join us in achieving our goals at the level that best fits their business," continues Pegan. "The more businesses and individuals contributing to our campaigns, the stronger we will all be. We are hoping to see a stellar response to this Alliance."
For more information on the BCIA check out their website:
www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org.
CONTACT: Joanna McNeilly, Speranza Enterprises, LLC
joanna@speranzallc.com
www.BabyCarrierIndustryAlliance.org
