Governance

Each programmatic team (Resource Management, Research and Policy, Consumer Justice, Capacity Building, Equitable Neighborhoods, Workers’ Rights, Immigrants’ Rights, and Housing Justice) decide on their own decision-making process; many teams make decisions by consensus.  

In addition, each TakeRoot staff member participates in 1-2 “Circles:” permanent bodies created to manage TakeRoot’s operations that exist outside of our programmatic work. Each Circle has its own mandate and decision-making authority:

  • The Anti-Oppression Circle helps further TakeRoot’s internal commitment to anti-oppressive practices by compiling resources for staff, planning staff-wide trainings, and instituting or adjusting practices to be more equitable–notably our hiring guide. 
  • The Intern and Fellowship Circle interviews and hires interns and fellows for each team, and creates programming for the duration of their time at TakeRoot. 
  • The Money Circle helps staff be more informed about TakeRoot’s finances and budget, facilitate communication and transparency between those who work on finance day-to-day and other staff to help create processes necessary to support democracy. 
  • The Racial Justice Circle helps to advance TakeRoot’s commitment to racial justice work – specifically, deepening the involvement of TakeRoot’s practice areas with racial justice campaigns, and with grassroots organizations led by and for people of color. 
  • The Communications Circle guides our external communication. It also keeps our website updated and looking good!
  • The Community Building Circle focuses on creating a more positive organizational culture within TakeRoot, fostering spaces for staff connect, and celebrating organizational and staff members’ milestones.
  • The Learning Circle helps support the training and professional development of all TakeRoot staff, helping to deepen our commitment to TakeRoot’s model of supporting transformative organizing. 
  • The Elected Official Relationships / Lobbying Circle coordinates relationships with city council members and develops a shared strategy about how to approach CMs to support TakeRoot, our partners and our legislative campaigns. 
  • The Pro Bono Coordination Circle places cases with our pro bono partners and is the focal point of our relationships with our law firm partners. 
  • The Technology Circle informs what technology we use and how we use it.
  • Holistic Abolition of Prisons & Police Everywhere Now (HAPPEN) is also a Circle.

Prior to making decisions, Circles consult the appropriate staff members, programmatic teams, or may bring proposals to the entire staff for a vote in staff meetings. In addition to those items that Circles can choose to put before the full TakeRoot staff for deliberation and decision-making, there are some fundamental decisions (e.g. changing the mission, adding a practice area) that TakeRoot policy requires be made through an all-staff process. In decisions to be made by the full staff, we have multiple rounds of revision for everyone to make an informed decision using tools like gradients of agreement.  

Two TakeRoot staff members, the Executive Director and a Representative of the Union, also have seats on our board of directors. 

Non-management staff are all members of the TakeRoot Justice Union, a unit of the National Organization Of Legal Services Workers (NOWLS), Amalgamated NOLSW/UAW Local 2320 2320, International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace And Agricultural Implement Workers Of America (UAW).