Part of Sustainable Economies Law Center's approach to catalyzing a more just and resilient society is to be the change we want to see. We have adopted policies that distribute "ownership" throughout the organization, allow for more dignified livelihoods, expand access to our legal services, and empower a new generation of grassroots legal experts. These policies include:

• An equitable pay rate: We believe equal pay for all staff is an essential foundation for compensation when, historically and structurally, pay differences have generally mirrored dynamics of oppression, disenfranchisement, and marginalization in society. Nevertheless, when people face different challenges, both historic and present, addressing systems of oppression and individuals’ different circumstances requires a commitment to equity, not just equality. Therefore, we start with equal pay rates as a profound alternative to the inequities of the labor market and continue to evolve our compensation practices as we find sound methods for considering equitable variations in pay.

• Decentralized governance: We take pride in our ability to get a lot done, and we credit much of our efficiency to the implementation of a highly structured system of distributed decision-making. Each program is run by a semi-autonomous circle of staff and volunteers, nested within larger circles of accountability. Our decision-making processes enable each staff member to propose projects and take significant leadership roles, optimizing individual autonomy and collective responsibility.

We have also launched a project to promote and support emerging models of decentralized nonprofit governance, which we're calling worker self-directed nonprofits. Find out more about this project here, and check out the resources, webinars, and teach-ins we've already put together to learn from and support other nonprofits.