Social Justice Collaborative Board Listing- 20250501

SJC’s mission is to ensure low-income immigrants, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, young dreamers, and displaced families are provided with direct legal services and high-quality legal representation in court at little to no cost.

Values:

We believe strongly in advocating for the rights of non-citizens, in particular by securing legal status and legal work authorization for our clients, as well as by connecting them with resources that allow them to fully care for themselves and their families.

DEI Statement:

None Provided

Programs/Services:

Asylum & Removal Defense

SJC focuses on providing full-scope asylum representation in court to Central Americans and Mexicans seeking asylum from violence & corruption.
In 2023, SJC has 175 successful asylum cases for immigrant families in court, filed 108 applications to protect asylum eligibility, completed 53 asylum applications for unacccomopanies minors, and had 46 cases with closed removal proceedings

Youth

To adequately address community needs, SJC established its Special Immigrant Juvenile Task Force which completed its first full year in 2023. The task force was forced in response to the complexity and urgency of the cases we encounter
SJC continues to provide pro bono services to minors, many of whom have experienced difficult and dangerous circumstances in their home country. SJC’s taskcorce is a collaborative effort of immigration experts and social work interns who work not only to obtain legal status but connect them with resources including but not limited to: education, mental health support, healthcare, family support
In 2023, SJC submitted 46 applications for minors for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and 36 minors have been granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. SKC served 51 clients who have petitioned for guardianship and 43 clients were placed in a guradianship and are one step closer to applying for SIJS

Social Work Program

Since 2021, our team has partnered with local universities to provide social services to clients. In 2023, we achieved our goal of hiring full-time social workers to assist clients in crisis intervention, translation services, navigating systems, ensuring food security, referrals to health services, emergency housing, victim services, and more.
While our initial program has launched on a smaller scale, our ultimate objective is to pair every client with both a legal advocate and dedicated social caseworker

Pro Bono Program & EADS

Pro Bono Clinics: We provided free services to 175 clients in 2023 and engage a network of volunteers across CA and the US. In 2023, we held 12 clinics and trained nearly 200 volunteers.
Our program ensures accessibility for clients who may struggle with transportation, but also facilitates a broader volunteer participation through our online format
In 2023, we filed 258 work permit applications and had 507 work permits approved

Advocacy

SJC has collaborated with partners across the state and nation to advocate for increased funding to legal and social services for immigrants, expanding the definition of legal services for immigrants, creating an unemployment insurance safety net for immigrants, promoting access to healthcare, protecting the rights of asylum seekers, diverting funding from border enforcement, and reinvesting in green jobs for communities impacted by detention centers

Ideal Candidate:

SJC is looking for new members of the board of directors to help support SJC’s work. Our board consists of professionals from various backgrounds who work together to support the current operation and future success of SJC. This includes assisting with fundraising, marketing, financial oversight, strategic planning, and other tasks supporting SJC’s mission. New board members join one or more committees (donors & events, finance, recruitment & retention, or governance), which meet monthly to work on current initiatives. The full board meets quarterly with one of SJC’s founders, who serves as the Executive Director. The upcoming board term starts in June 2025 and is a 2-year term with the possibility of renewal. New board members are paired with a continuing board member to assist with transitioning into their new role.

SJC believes that drawing from a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, skill sets, areas of expertise, and lived experiences will help us avoid decision-making that could diminish the impact of our work. SJC predominantly serves people of color and people from immigrant communities, but our Board (like those of many nonprofits) remains mostly white. We are actively seeking people of color, as well as gender-diverse individuals, to join our board to better reflect the community we serve.

The Board is sharing this application widely to ensure that we move beyond our immediate networks and honor our ongoing commitment to building a board that is diverse in its composition, inclusive in its culture, and equity-focused in its approach to how it views its mission, its work, and the communities it serves.

Ideal candidates will be:

Passionate about SJC’s mission
Connected to the Bay Area / California
Able to to attend board meetings 4x a year remotely
Able to attend 1 event per year in the Bay Area (likely Berkeley or Oakland) to support fundraising efforts
Experienced and interested in using one or more of the following skills during board service: public relations / communication, advocacy, board governance, donor fundraising, event fundraising, finance, human resources, legal, marketing, program evaluation, and strategic planning
Willing to either fundraise or personally make an annual donation
Available to contribute 5+ hours per month to board service

Currently, we are prioritizing candidates who:

Have a strong personal connection to Latinx and/or immigrant communities
Have experience in PR or communications
Are passionate about fundraising, development, and event planning
Have significant professional experience and well-established local social networks (great for retirees and late career professionals)

Why you should consider joining this board:

SJC board members have a real opportunity to directly impact the organization and expand the non-profit’s potential to serve more clients, provide expanded services, and improve visibility with potential donors and fundraising opportunities. No prior board experience is required and we look for applicants that are ready to roll up their sleeves and think creatively to help SJC continue to provide critical legal services to vulnerable populations, all while gaining valuable personal and professional experience during board service.

Fundraising/Financial Commitment:

SJC asks that Board members make a personal contribution of $500 each year, in addition to a $1K network/fundraising goal.

Additional Information:

Please apply via this Google form: https://forms.gle/39owN2qyTdUezwTE6

To Apply:

Year Founded:

2012

Service Region(s):

Central Valley Area, San Francisco Area

Service Area(s):

Access to Justice, Children & Youth, Civil Rights, Family Law, Immigration, Impact Litigation/Advocacy

Annual Revenue:

$1 million – $5 million

Employees:

51-100

Board Members:

1-5

Length of Board Term:

The upcoming board term starts in June 2025 and is a 2-year term with the possibility of renewal.

Board Meeting Type:

Virtual only

Service Per Month Expected:

5-10 hours

Board Meetings Per Year:

We have 4 quarterly board meetings per year.

Social Justice Collaborative

Mission Statement