Board of Directors - REMOTE

The Center for Survivor Agency and Justice (CSAJ) is a national nonprofit advocacy organization that advances economic equity for survivors of domestic and sexual violence to enhance their safety and agency. Our board needs your skills, passion, and commitment. Given CSAJ’s mission and our organizational commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we strongly encourage BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color), LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, and people of other marginalized identities to apply.  Board members serve 3-year terms, with opportunity for renewal. 

Organizational Description

CSAJ is an innovative and unique national nonprofit that does vital work at the intersection of gender-based violence, poverty, and social inequality. CSAJ envisions a world where all people have equal access to physical safety, economic security, and human dignity. We strive toward this vision by developing and promoting advocacy approaches that remove systemic barriers, enhance organizational responses, and improve professional practices to assist domestic and sexual violence survivors. Recognizing CSAJ’s rich understanding of emerging issues, systemic barriers facing survivors, and best practices, the federal Office on Violence Against Women, DOJ has enlisted CSAJ’s services for more than a decade. 

CSAJ has mounted several major initiatives and projects. The Consumer Rights for Domestic and Sexual Violence Survivors Initiative enhances economic justice for survivors of domestic and sexual violence by building the capacity of, and building partnerships between, domestic and social violence attorneys and anti-poverty lawyers. The Race and Economic Equity for Survivors Initiative addresses the systemic economic inequities facing survivors of color. The Access to Justice for Survivors Project lifts up, and enhances, the advocacy of non-lawyer advocates in addressing the costs of domestic violence. Finally, the Accounting for Economic Security Atlas Project aims to shift the paradigm of economic justice from one emphasizing individual self-sufficiency to one focused on expanding economic agency. And our newly-launched Mapping and Advancing Equity for Survivors Project, is a groundbreaking initiative that will build the capacity of coalitions and programs to address the systemic inequities in their communities and states through systems and policy advocacy. 

CSAJ carries out its work through three Levels of Impact: (1) enhancing Individual Advocacy by lawyers and other advocates for survivor agency and justice;  (2) enhancing Community and Organizational efforts to create institutional change that will further survivor agency and justice; and 3) supporting and leading efforts to put in place Systems and Policy changes aimed at economic barriers to survivor agency and justice.  

To learn more about CSAJ, see www.csaj.org

Position Description

The members of CSAJ’s Board of Directors, who come from both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, are united in their dedication to the organization’s mission. In applying for, and accepting appointment to, the board, every board member agrees to do the following: 

• Attend, and actively participate in, the board’s four regular meetings each year, as well as any special meetings that are called. Because our board members live in cities across the country, all board meetings other than one regular meeting per year are virtual, rather than in person.  
• Attend, and actively participate in, the meetings of one or more committees of the board.  The committees focus on five key strategic areas: (1) individual donor development and cultivation; (2) foundation and corporate development and partnership building; (3) communications, media, and public relations; (4) nonprofit management and board development (especially prior board experience); and (5) strategic planning and implementation. 

• Play an active role in securing the financial resources necessary for CSAJ to achieve its mission.  This may include making personal financial contributions or leveraging personal and professional connections to help ensure the success of CSAJ’s fundraising efforts.  
• Be a knowledgeable and enthusiastic spokesperson for CSAJ’s mission, programs, and services to their local communities and to those in their personal and professional networks.
• Read and understand CSAJ’s financial statements, and help the board in other ways to fulfill its fiduciary responsibilities. 

To apply:  Please submit your resume and a letter of interest by no later than May 6, 2022. If you have any questions, please direct them to CSAJ’s Founder and Executive Director, Erika Sussman, at Erika@csaj.org.