The Appleseed Foundation is a national network of locally-based law centers, known as Appleseed Centers. The Appleseed Foundation's purpose is to effect and enable constructive systemic change leading to a more just, equitable and sustainable society.
Rather than provide individual legal services at the individual level, these Centers address systemic problems: the causes, rather than the symptoms of our shared problems. While acting in accordance with the purpose, principles and bylaws of the Foundation as a whole, each Center remains rooted in its community, with its own purpose and governance. The Centers draw on the Foundation and each other for ideas and assistance.
The balance achieved between the autonomy of local Centers and the shared information, communications and resources within the Foundation's network reflects the organization's unique design developed by the Foundation with the assistance of The Chaordic Alliance. Within just a few years the Foundation has:
- Created 13 public interest law centers in 12 states;
- Enabled advocacy in communities and on issue where the public interest is most tested and least represented, such as its efforts to curb abuses in the Nebraska meatpacking industry and its efforts to assist elderly homeowners in refinancing illegal loans from substandard lenders in Massachusetts;
- Leveraged thousands of hours of volunteer time, and harnessed the skills of accomplished professionals, many of whom had never been involved in public interest work.
The Appleseed Foundation exemplifies how chaordic organizing principles can be used to take full advantage of an organization's membership to allow it to address complex societal challenges at minimal cost.
Website: http://www.appleseeds.net/
E-mail: Appleseed@appleseeds.net |
