Position
Description:
Executive Director
Nationally recognized social justice leader Appleseed, supporting 17
local Appleseed Centers across the country, seeks a new Executive Director to
lead their national staff of 16 highly dedicated professionals in
In 1993, Richard J. Medalie, a
successful Washington lawyer, and a group of fellow Harvard-trained lawyers
from the Harvard Law class of ‘58 sought a new approach to pro bono legal organizations.
Their strategy was to focus on broad systemic social initiatives, rather than
the traditional model of providing legal services to individuals. The central theme that united these lawyers
was the notion that law is not just a means to restrain abuses, but rather is
an opportunity to give people a chance to fulfill their potential in life. Medalie, in a letter to his colleagues at the
time, announced: “We have called the
entity formed to carry on this program Appleseed, because our concept is to
plant a seed from which a public service activity involving lawyers, young and
old, can grow and develop across the country.”
Thirteen years later,
Appleseed Foundation (“Appleseed”) has grown to a national organization
supporting 17 local Appleseed Centers in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Washington, D.C., Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Texas, and Washington. In addition, an
Appleseed is a
nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to building a just society. Appleseed strives for a society in which
opportunities are genuine, access to the law is universal and equal, and power
is used to advance the public interest, and believes the best way to achieve
big results is to work for the kind of change that levels the playing field and
transforms entire communities at a time.
Appleseed works at the local level, establishing and networking
independent public interest centers that identify and address issues community
by community.
Local Appleseed Centers function as independent organizations linked by
the national network. Each Center
recruits its own leadership, raises its own sources of funding, and develops
its own projects and strategies for reform.
To date, Appleseed has generated over $30 million in pro bono support
for projects. Appleseed Centers develop practical and lasting solutions to chronic injustices in public education, health care, child
welfare, justice, and immigration.
Although
most of Appleseed’s projects begin and end locally, there is a set of issues on
which Appleseed Centers work collaboratively, primarily in three programmatic
initiatives: education, immigration, and
small business healthcare. National
Appleseed brings together pro bono volunteers, funding, and project
coordination to ensure that information is shared across projects and that
Centers are maximizing their reach by providing local perspectives to national
issues. These collaborative projects continue to produce solutions with broad
national and international implications.
Beyond the three core issues identified above, Appleseed also has significant activity in the
fields of access to justice, democracy, economic opportunity, and
children. For fuller descriptions of
these issues, please go online to www.appleseeds.net.
A sixty-nine member Board of Directors governs
Appleseed, headed presently by two
Co-Chairs. The
Executive Director leads the day-to-day operations and oversees a staff of 16, including a senior team of three
directors for operations, development, and field. At the end of 2006 Appleseed recorded net
assets at $2 million, and estimates its 2007 budget at $3.1 million. In 2006 Appleseed leveraged over 16,500 hours
of pro bono time valued at over $5.4 million.
Its revenue base consists of public support from individual donors, law
firms, foundations, and corporations.
The Executive Director
oversees the operations and provides leadership to the national
organization. The Executive Director
reports to the Board of Directors and works to develop a shared sense of unity
and mission. The Executive Director
leads the national staff and helps to coordinate the activities of scores of
public interest and pro bono attorneys.
The new Executive
Director of this volunteer-driven network will be a multi-talented individual
capable of fulfilling the roles of organizational leader, legal strategist,
chief advocate, and experienced fundraiser.
The first and most visible is that of an organizational leader and
spokesperson, both within the organization and to the community at large. This official has primary responsibility for
identifying opportunities and making recommendations to the Board concerning
strategies for Appleseed to pursue. The
Executive Director also works closely with other public interest law
organizations and community groups as an active participant in the public
interest service network in order to foster more synergy in this arena.
The Executive Director
must be a respected strategist whose experience as a nonprofit leader has
enabled him or her to think through many of the challenges that confront public
interest organizations today. As chief
advocate of Appleseed, the Executive Director will have a solid understanding
of the social and legal issues promoted by Appleseed. The ideal candidate will be capable of
developing a compelling and streamlined policy strategy that energizes
Appleseed’s work, stimulates Board, staff, and Centers, and finds support
within the greater legal community.
A seasoned leader, the
Executive Director will oversee the operations of the Appleseed headquarters
office and will help hire, train, supervise, retain, and motivate staff and
volunteers. As financial leader, he or
she will oversee the development and implementation of Appleseed’s
budgets. The Executive Director should
have a gift for inspiring and motivating staff and volunteers alike, including
the clients served by Appleseed. This
ability to motivate will go hand in hand with clear vision and unshakeable
commitment to grow the impact of the organization both locally and nationally.
Finally, the Executive
Director must be an experienced fundraiser who is comfortable making requests
from a diverse pool of funders.
Appleseed wishes to increase substantially the funding it receives from
corporate, foundation, and individual sources.
This multi-dimensional funding platform calls for thoughtful program
planning and positioning in order to take advantage of new and existing funding
opportunities. The Executive Director
must be able to relate Appleseed’s mission and goals to potential funders in
clear and compelling ways. The new
Executive Director must possess creativity as well as excellent communication
skills in order to market the Appleseed brand both nationally and locally.
Major Objectives
Appleseed
expects the new Executive Director to accomplish the following major objectives
over the next 12-18 months:
Professional Qualifications
Personal Characteristics
Compensation
Appleseed offers a competitive compensation and benefits
package for this position that is commensurate with skill and experience.
Anna Koivisto
The Boulware Group
Phone: 312-322-0088
Fax: 312-322-0092
E-mail (preferred): resume@boulwareinc.com
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